Hi Moondog thanks for starting this thread about what is a unique, distinctive and brilliant instrument!
Welcome to the world of hurdy gurdies. Along with pipe organs, they're probably one of the earliest and longest-surviving mechanical instruments , with origins dating back to the middle ages. I do indeed have one, though mine's not as fancy as the ones above (think Telecaster as against Wood Library CU24!), but essentially they all work the same, in that you crank the handle to vibrate the strings, while playing the melody keys - as you'll hear this gives a drone sound over which the melody is played. They can be temperamental at times (if you think you have problems with setting up a trem then try to correctly tune a gurdy!), and mine needs a bit of TLC, though I get a hell of a lot lot of pleasure from it. It also improves your rhythm chops, as you need to "play" the rhythm parts by creating the "buzz" you can hear by putting pressure on a small loose bridge by way of pressurising the hand crank (that's the best way of explaining it I think!) - it's the most difficult part of learning the instrument, but probably the most rewarding.
I doubt it PRS - or any other major instrument firm - would look at making these, given their complexity and the likely small number of customers. As far as I'm aware gurdies are almost all made by individual makers, and there are a number of them, principally in Europe, the US and UK - mine was made by a lady called Clare Dougie whose workshop is in Ramsgate on the Kent coast here in the UK, and who now makes some stunning modernistic ones.
I'm afraid to disappoint, but I'm not sure that Donovan's version of HGM actually has a gurdy on it! However the version by Steve Hillage certainly does. Also Jimmy Page (who I think plays on the Donovan song?) Can be seen playing a gurdy at the start of the film The Song Remains The Same, though I don't think he's playing very well as the strings sound as though they're getting caught! Having said this, Page and Plant used a gurdy (played by the excellent Nigel Eaton) on their "No Quarter" album and subsequent unplugged session (the version of The Battle Of Evermore is particularly memorable, also for Najma Akhtar who does a brilliant job on the vocals).
I'll see if I can post a few more YouTube links later (sorry but I'm not great at that sort of thing), but hope this thread encourages you to investigate this wonderful instrument more.
