Quilla Instruments Bolivian Charango w/gig bag & strap
Charango: Kind of small round guitar which was introduced after the Spanish conquest in the departments of Potosi and Chuquisaqua. The charango can be manufactured in a wood hull or in a carapace of quirquincho (armadillo). The shape and dimension of the case of resonance confer a very particular acute sonority to this instrument.
About 66 cm (26 in) long, the charango was traditionally made with the shell from the back of an armadillo (called quirquincho or mulita in South American Spanish), but it can also be made of wood, which some believe to be a better resonator. Wood is more commonly used in modern instruments. Charangos for children may also be made from Calabash. Many contemporary charangos are now made with different types of wood. It typically has ten strings in five coursesof two strings each, but many other variations exist.
The charango was primarily played in traditional Andean music, but is more and more frequently being used by other Latin American musicians. A charango player is called a charanguista.