Need to know what instrument they're using.

[Sarah.Harris0991]

Hey, does anyone know what instrument is playing at 2:38? I really like it but I can't tell what it is:

https://youtu.be/ceQOO1HPhfY

[Wonks]

I’d guess it’s a cuatro (10-string version).

This looks very similar in general design.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_cuatr ... vanced.htm

But I couldn’t say for sure. But probably South/Central American in origin. There will probably be quite a few instruments of that type from that region with local variations and local names.

[tea for two]

https://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.c ... merica.htm
Is pretty handy.
Cuatro being played.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ntH1JDjM1GU
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g6H2OIvptgo

So weirrrrd this thread popped up.
I'm playing a Cuatro sample in a current EDM piece I'm working on. Cuatro just has an understated sound.

[Wonks]

The instrument in question would be the Costa Rican cuatro, rather than the Venezuelan instrument with the same name.

https://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.c ... merica.htm

'Cuatro' is Spanish for 'four', and the original instrument was a 4-stringed instrument. The 4-string cuatro became the national instrument of Costa Rica, and when the 10-string instrument was developed in the late 19th century and became popular and took over from the earlier 4-string instrument, somehow it kept the name.

The Venezuelan cuatro looks to be similar to the older Costa Rican cuatro, so I expect there were common roots.

[Arpangel]

I’m sorry, I’m really sorry
You have to admire the sheer depth of knowledge around here, I now know more about this instrument than I knew before, which was very little if anything.

[Sarah.Harris0991]

Ok, I just found out it's a Puerto Rican cuatro based on everyone's, thanks everyone, for helping
I think I'm going to buy one, there's another cool instrument on the second verse in the middle, but they don't show it

[BigRedX]

Be aware that this question has been asked on multiple other forums by “Sarah Harris” since the answer was posted here and is probably being used as a ploy to boost views of the video in the OP.

[Drew Stephenson]

probably being used as a ploy to boost views of the video in the OP.

Hmmm, I dunno. They've got 76k subscribers and it's already got 69k views. I can't imagine a few hundred views of a thread on a site like this is going to make that much difference to their stats.

[Wonks]

Sometimes people just really want to know something so ask around in several places.

Another of the band’s videos has 4.1m views, others have well over 1m, so they already have a very strong fan base.

[BigRedX]

The cynic in me still thinks that there is more to this an a simple "what instrument is this?"

Once the original question has been answered the OP came back with a supplementary question that requires more watching/listening to the video. Also this question was newly posted on another forum I frequent several days after the the answers given here had been acknowledged.

Maybe they've got 69k views because of these methods?

[Drew Stephenson]

In which case surely you have to admire their dedication?

[Wonks]

It's more a statement than a question.

[shufflebeat]

The cynic in me still thinks that there is more to this an a simple "what instrument is this?"

You have a twisted, cynical, suspicious mind.

…and so do I.

[BWC]

Smells like marketing to me.

It's more a statement than a question.

But a statement that's clearly designed to get you to listen again. ...and more closely this time, to see if you can even guess which instrument is in question.

In which case surely you have to admire their dedication?

More super-dedicated marketing people, great, just what the world needs.

[Wonks]

It didn’t make me want to listen again. Did you actually go back and listen again?

[BWC]

I don't remember if I even listened a first time.

You came up with the answer pretty quickly. I wonder how well the other places it was asked did, maybe it was that sort of test.

[Wonks]

I didn't watch much of the video, I just saw the instrument and paused it. Apparently you need to watch 30 seconds or more for it to count as a view. So as a method for increasing the view count, it's not a great one.

I saw the instrument, did a search for pictures of 10-stringed instruments and a similar looking one came up very quickly.

Some people aren't very good at thinking of how to search for something on the web. I'm not too bad at it, though I do get frustrated at how the search responses often show you what it thinks you mean, rather than what you've typed, even to the extent of including the exclusion words.

[BWC]

Some people aren't very good at thinking of how to search for something on the web. I'm not too bad at it, though I do get frustrated at how the search responses often show you what it thinks you mean, rather than what you've typed, even to the extent of including the exclusion words.

Yes, I've noticed that you have some search skills, in addition to a pretty impressive amount of knowledge gained in the old-fashioned ways.

Search engines refusing to believe that I actually typed what I meant to type drive me nuts also. A good friend, back when his daughter was still a teen, once told me that, the previous evening, he'd overheard her shout from her room, "Google!! Why you no let me type?!?!"

So as a method for increasing the view count, it's not a great one.

I'm now thinking it was to test the various places 'round the web. Or maybe, to see how much knowledge of / interest in the instrument there is, something like that. Market research, rather than marketing.