Balkan tambura
The Tambura is a stringed instrument that is played as a folk instrument in Macedonia and Bulgaria. They have doubled steel strings and are played with a plectrum, in the same manner as a mandolin.
The Bulgarian Tambura
The Bulgarian Tambura has 8 steel strings in 4 doubled courses. All the courses are tuned in unison, with no octaves. It is tuned D3 D3, G3 G3, B3 B3, E4 E4. It has a floating bridge and a metal tailpeice. The instrument body is often carved from a single block of wood and is therefor quite heavy.
The Macedonian Tambura
The Macedonian Tambura has 4 steel strings in 2 doubled courses. It is tuned D D, A A or another pitch but at the same relative intervals of a fifth. Sometimes octave strings are used on the lower course. It has a floating bridge and a metal tailpeice. The instrument body is more often made from staves like a lute.