Flat backed student lute based on Hieber (MIM1561)
This is a new version of the lute based on classic Hieber one of the few lutes to survive in original condition strung in g' (a=440Hz) in nylon/nylgut and Cd's with the original string length of 59.7cm. Offering an affordable yet authentic alternative to the many cheap online factory made lutes at a similar price of £590!
It still has the same soundboard barring and body shape and neck as the original Hieber but with a peg box similar to the Elizabethan Bandora which also had a flat back. All intended to make the instrument even more affordable than a bowl/ribbed back traditional lute, and easier to hold as some seem to say. So no compromising of the sound by changing the soundboard and thus it sounds the same as a lute, if not better dare I say!
The materials are more affordable yet still quality quarter sawn wood but with some variations in wood tone, small knots and some slight figuring make the wood characterful. Pegs are made in a simple student lute style in pear wood and the flat ribs of the back have boxwood spacers to look like real ribs of a lute. The back is supported internally with some necessary light barring. The neck and peg box are also in pearwood, all one piece for strength.
The fretting is Aquila synthetic fret gut thus it's very long lasting and movable for those wanting to explore temperaments so fixed metal frets, as on other affordable lutes online, don't offer this flexibility. The sound board is Alpine spruce as usually used for lutes, cedar could be used as an even lower cost version but the general consensus is spruce is better/preferred for lutes. The rose is cut carved out from a original anonymous lute in the KHM museum, as with all roses carved by hand is chamfered, certainly not flat or laser-burnt out by machine as seen on the factory made cheap lutes out there.
The body shape is the same as the original and the volume inside the flat back body is measured in volume to match the volume of the bowl backed original so the sound would not be compromised too There's a degree of curiosity as a lute maker to see how much of the lutes sound originates from the soundboard and body volume. The bridge occupies the same area as the original but is in the convenient form of a tied bridge but with a saddle for any future adjustment if needed, the instrument is already setup to be a comfortable low action for easy of playing. The design of the tied bridge and saddle on lutes is not that new as a recent restoration of a lute made in the mid 1970's by Harry Holmes had such a bridge. He was considered ahead of his time with slightly lighter lute construction and the saddle of his bridge made lowering the action easier than a traditional lute bridge would have been. So it was decided to go with that almost now 'vintage' 1970's lute bridge which didn't seem to be detrimental to the sound either.
The neck is the same as the original Hieber in depth and width, the fingerboard is eco-friendly 7000yr old black bog oak with a Corian nut as is the saddle. Such woods/materials helps avoid any potential confusion with customs over materials, and is cheaper too. The pegs are standard student lute pegs but housed in a lute like sickle peg box seen on Bandoras/ mandoras, fitting to the look of the instrument. Some may say why not a traditional bent back peg box(?) well this will add more to the overall cost mostly via the case which tends to be more expensive than a flat backed soft case which this instrument would fit in to. Making a traditional lute peg box involves more pieces, making the neck/peg box joint joint and more work and gluing hence more cost added on the instrument so the guitar style neck with a lute shaped head stock seemed to be the logical affordable decision. The pegs are still traditional friction pegs so no modern machinery on the headstock which intentionally looks more like an instrument from the Elizabethan period (bandora) than a factory made lute guitar.
The stringing is currently double but can be strung with thicker higher tension single strings if preferred, larger holes in the bridge to allow for stringing with D type Aquila basses needed for the higher tension as CD strings aren't available in the required thickness for the basses. Originally single stringing only was considered but after noticing the general consensus for double stringing being associated with the lute sound, including the benefit of octaves brightening the sound then the decision was to allow the player/owner to choose rather than limiting to single stringing only. Of course the single stringing option allows for it to be played as a lute-guitar or mandora too but with a more authentic lute sound than the current lute guitars of a similar price range.
£590 (not inc case)
6crs Mandolino for sale
This version of the Milanese Mandolino in Paris (E 0702/E1558) has been made mostly from Indian Rosewood, the neck is veneered in slightly different alternating tones of Indian rosewood with boxwood spacers matching the spacers of the ribs for continuity, and Indian Rosewood pegs. The strings are mostly gut with a Cd 6th course and a 1st crs in nylon in g'' (a=415Hz), the string length is 33cm as per the original, the rose is the same too. The fingerboard is decorated in ebony and holly wood lines and a decorative headstock end as per the original. The instrument can be bought without a case if collecting in person otherwise a hard case by Kingham would be needed to be delivered overseas ideally.
£1640 (not including a case)
The original instrument is below:
8 course student lute for sale
A popular model based on Hans Frei C34, tuned in g' (a=440Hz) 61cm string length, CD basses with NNG trebles. This is an upgraded version with points on the fingerboard, ebony egding and black rib spacers, ribs in figured ash, pegs in natural pear wood and a bridge in ebonised pear wood, neck and peg box in ebonised maple with a black bog oak peg box bottom and fingerboard. Frets in Aquilla's LS nylgut for long lasting frets up to the 8th fret to allow for tuning in 1/6th temperament alternative positions
£1385 (case to be ordered if needed £308 shuster case or fitted case from Kingham)
14crs Liuto Attiorbato for sale based on Sellas (Paris E1028)
The above Liuto Attiorbato is based on the Sellas E1028 tuned in g' at a=415Hz in NNG and CD basses string length is 59cm with 84cm basses as per the original, the 1st crs is currently double as per the original but can be made single if desired of course by removing one string. The last two basses are D type as Aquilla don't do thick enough CD strings for the tension needed for the lowest courses, some may say D type basses are anachronistic as these strings were invented after the Liuto Attiorbato was however it can be strung single through out too with larger holes for thicker/higher tension 'D' type strings for all basses. The D type bases are a bit louder than double stringing and some may prefer single stringing as some customers I know do and seen being played by pro lute players such as Luca Pianca. Ribs are Yew heart and sapwood ribs some occasional knots as seen and black poplar spacers between the ribs, figured maple neck and extended neck, 7000yr old Bog oak fingerboard (and upper nut) which is an eco alternative to using ebony, Alpine spruce soundboard with original simple sellas rose which helps reduce the total price. Ebonised pear wood bridge and pear wood pegs with black stained collars. The lower nut has wider /more comfortable spacing than the original which is quite close.
£2367 not including a case (Kingham case up to £864)
Theorbo for Sale
Student Paduan Theorbo
based on Sellas (Paris E547)
The original Paduan Theorbo is 16crs but there's not much music for 16crs so the standard 14crs tuning in 440Hz is used. The ribs, neck and pegs are in slightly figured, varied toned natural pear wood, ebonised maple extended neck and ebonised pear wood bridge with black bog oak fingerboard. The larger rose is the same as the Sellas E547 as is the smaller bass rose. This arrangement has not survived well overtime on museum instruments, and the few Paduan theorboes that were made haven't either making some doubt if they existed but I don't think Praetorius would have included a fictitious instrument in an accurate survey of instruments at the time (1614/15), some may have been converted to longer necked theorboes out of popularity but some theorboes with two sound holes do exist as do a few paintings as seen below being held by Lady Mary Wroth.
The original idea of a bass rose may have been invented by composer for archlute and chitarrone Alessandro Picinini in 1594 as an unusual ('experimental') instrument with a longer body than it's neck exists in the museum in Vienna as seen below:
This was made by a well known luthier, in Padua too! a forerunner of the Chitarrone, but it's easier for the luthier to extend the neck than the body, and easier to play too! The paduan theorbo can be heard via You Tube played by Tomas Korula (heard here) originally an inspiration to make this instrument available in the first place. Otherwise a recording of this instrument is below:
£2849 (+case £783)
Vihuela for sale
The Student Quito Vihuela or 'Marianita'
A new version of the student scaled down 'Marianita' vihuela or Quito Vihuela at 61.5cm tuned in g' (a=440Hz) same as the lute but guitar shaped, a type of 'lute-guitar' but better sounding than the heavier built cheaper alternatives. The body is made in English yew with some characteristic small knots and sapwood which seems popular for its 'woody' look. Neck and peg box in ebonised maple with natural pear wood pegs, black bog oak fingerboard and a headstock veneer, ebonised pear wood bridge and end pin, alpine spruce top with golden rose so could pass as a small baroque guitar if restrung, movable frets in LS nylgut by Aquila. Case can be bought separately would fit a standard 3/4 size standard guitar case.
£898 (case can be bought separately usually, soft £15- hard circa £90)
13crs Baroque lute for sale
Based on Wolfgang Wolf( Stadtmuseum Fussen Nr4669/ Jonas Elg 1729 (Stockholm M220)
This small baroque lute is based the Wolfgang Wolf 12crs lute, same as the Renaissance 7crs version of it below, intended as the next evolution of the 12crs, of course 12crs music could be played on here too, the barring is the same as the original so the sound would be a close to the 12crs as a 13crs could be. The ribs are in Indian Rosewood with boxwood spacers, the pegs also in Indian Rosewood, bridge and end pin in pear wood stained black, Black Walnut neck and extended neck, ebony fingerboard and soundboard edging with the original 'golden' rose. There are 13 frets to allow to play the Bach transcriptions (By Imamura)
£2248 (case if needed, essential if getting delivered £744 currently)
Hear it being played below
13crs Bass rider baroque lute based on Thomas Edlinger, Prague c1721 (Leipzig No 497)
This is an ebony ribbed version of the Edlinger large baroque lute, tuned at f' (a=415Hz) at 77.8cm/82.5cm in NNG and Cd basses. Neck and peg box in black walnut, as an alternative to veneering to help reduce costs, pegs in natural pear wood with ovaloid peg heads. Fingerboard in ebony, soundboard in alpine 'Englemann' spruce with original rose with ebony on soundboard edge for protection.
£2488 case £756
Hear it being played below:
8 course Renaissance Lute for sale
Based on Hieber (MIM1561)
8crs Renaissance lute based on Hieber of Venice (MIM1561), original string length of 59.7cm in g' (a=440Hz) in NNG and CD basses, the Hieber lutes one of the few surviving lutes still in it's original form. This one is a copy of an order from a repeat customer, it has plum ribs, black walnut neck and peg box with original design pear wood pegs, plum wood fingerboard, alpine spruce soundboard with original rose and ebony edging, pear wood end pin.
£2718 (£2064+Kingham case £654)
7 course Renaissance lute for sale
based on Wolfgang Wolf (Stadtmuseum Fussen Nr4669)
This interesting instrument by Wolfgang Wolf survives as a rare 12crs lute so didn't get converted to a later baroque lute as many did so has some interesting marks on the soundboard hinting at it's earlier life, I decided to make as it may have been originally made by Wolfgang Wolf in Fussen as a 6 or even a 7crs. The 7crs was chosen as it allows for more repertoire to be played, tuned in g' 61.5cm string length. Ribs are a mix of various shades of heartwood and sapwood Yew, slightly figured maple neck and peg box with pear wood pegs and bridge, black bog oak fingerboard (an eco-alternative to using ebony). The body is smaller in width than the popular Frei lute but noticeably deeper in depth as seen above (15cm). The instrument can be bought with a custom made Kingham case or the cheaper 'shuster' hard plastic case at £311, however the case is a pre made so not made to measure, so extra padding around the body sides inside is required.
£1771+ case £311
8 course Renaissance lute for sale
8crs multi ribbed lute based on Hans Burkholtzer (NE48) Gut strung
Below is a multi-ribbed yew wood lute based on Burkholtzer with the but with a golden rose tuned to g' a= 440Hz NNG 1st crs with gut 2nd, 3rd and 4th crs and octaves with CD loaded gut bases, the string length is 64cm, this can be heard here. Neck and peg box in back walnut with natural pear wood pegs, end pin and bridge, ebony fingerboard and sound board edging.
£2575+ Kingham case £618
Here this golden rose Burkholtzer being played below:
