Not really butchered. You have a bunch of different instruments from different places all over the world and they merged the sounds. Some of the instruments were too expensive for a common farmer in those days, so they got something cheaper to use, which created a sound they liked.

Music should evolve, not because someone is making money, but because someone said 'hey, this sounds neat let's try it'. I wish people understood that instead of rehash the same kind of sound all the time.