In the late 1960s the bouzouki was adopted by traditional musicians such as Johnny Moynihan and Donal Lunny who were involved in the folk revival in Ireland. It has become one of the most important instruments used to accompany Irish traditional music. As the bouzouki came to be "acquired", its construction was modified to allow players to play standing up, and has a shorter neck and a flat back. A variety of tunings are used, the most popular being g–d'–a'–d''. They are double strung - with varying numbers of strings.

• instruments with 5 courses (pairs of strings) are often referred to as Citterns (a name "borrowed" from a Renaissance family of instruments);
• instruments with 4 courses are often referred to as Irish Bouzoukis;
• other closely related instruments include the mandola and octave mandolin;
• some makers have created further hybrids - combining elements of the guitar and the bouzouki, for example.