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My latest, an 8-course lute after a mid 16th century lute by Giovanni Heiber is finally finished.

The Shell is 13 staves of EIR and London Plane, neck is European Cherry with an EIR veneer, EIR pegbox with ebony pegs.

The top is Swiss spruce with a rosewood and cherry bridge. The top is not a true book match but does come from the same billet of very old (preWW1) spruce, their partners seem to have been misplaced before I got the wood. It is one of the stiffest tops I've ever found and eventually ended up with a thickness of about 0.075" in the centre tapering to 0.065" at the lower bass.

I thought you might like to see the bracing, standard ladders with one large and two small 'tone' bars behind the bridge. The braces are relatively narrow and tall, most at 3mm x 9mm and the two main braces 4mm x 18mm. I'm going narrower and taller on my guitars in future.



I built this one to sit next to my chair at home so that I can pick it up for a quick twiddle whenever the mood takes me. I'm please with the final sound, which seems to be clean and balanced with that 'silvery' Renaissance lute tone.











Joshua has kindly put a couple of pieces of music, that I have recorded using this lute, onto his site, if you'd like to hear what it sounds like click the links. I've reduced the bit rate so that they shouldn't take too long to download.

Music:

Harlequin

Terpsichore

Hope you enjoy them.

ColinColin S38884.3684953704

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

None to shabby for a Crusty old English Academic    

Colin

Seriously the look looks and sounds stunning, class act all round.

Did I say I think it's fantastic

Colin,

What can I say - you are one of the few really worthy of the title "luthier". That is majestic. The rosette alone is a masterpiece but when it's put with the whole instrument it is inspired.

And the sound and your playing are wonderful - Julian Bream would have been proud.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Well done. Really nicely executed. Often on historic instruments the top halfs did not match or were asymmetrical so I think that it is in keeping with the overall look.

Looks super and then the soundtracks aare a bonus, making me want to be there to play it.

What Dave said!   
Wow Colin! I am so impressed!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

AbsoLUTEly stunning! Great job and sounds good too! WTG DaveAndy38884.3290393519

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Colin,

Words don't describe how amazing that lute is. Beautiful work, and that rose is gorgeous. Wow, to have such skill.

Jeff

Wow Colin, that is incredible, and the sound is awesome! I'll never play lute music capo 3 on a guitar again. How many hours does it take you to build a lute? Boy, I'd really like to commission a lute from you.

Cheers!

John

I don't know the first thing about lutes, but it sure looks and sounds nice! I feel very inferior but also honored to "know" a real LUTHIER.

A qouple of questions if you don't mind: I notice a couple of the upper (gut?) frets are tied on somewhat angeled. Is this customary, for some special tuning, or something you would adjust before playing? A couple of years ago a German lute was brought to me for repair (which I turned down), and I remember the soundboard was unfinished. The owner told me lute tops usually were like this, but your top looks finished; is it?

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Ya, I think you can now call yourself a Luthier there Colin!
Spectacular as always.
That rosette is wonderful.
I love the adjustable frets too.

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

WOW!!! I loved the sound as well!

Very beautiful and very skill handwork Colin. Thanks for the pics, I'll have to wait till I go to work to check the sound files as my BW is limited at home.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Geez, Colin, that's got to be one of the nicest sounding lutes I've ever heard. The player ain't too shabby neither

Got some questions: what type of strings are you using? Did you use the same material for the frets? What tuning are you using?

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Wow...I DIG that soundhole carving thingamajiggy-whatchacallit!

Gorgeous Colin!

Hey Colin....you should see the set of curly mahogany I'm getting.....zowie!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thanks everyone.

Russell, I work hard at the crusty academic image, Professors are supposed to be eccentric and absentminded, sorry where am I?

John, I hope you tune the G down a semi-tone before capoing 3. I started playing that way on a steel string when I was building my first lute. It can sound very effective on a nylon strung guitar but remember to play nearer to the bridge. I'd say it takes mw about 250hrs of work, but I tend to go slow.

Arnt, no I had just put the frets on and hadn't accurately positioned them, but yes you do have to check them everytime you take it out of the case. I use my wife's ears to tell me when they are wrongly positioned. Many of the Germanic lute makers didn't finish their tops, I once repaired a Brunner archlute that had never been finished on the top but they tended to use thicker tops than the Italians, Italian lutes had a finish on them, I just used a very thin coat of French Polish on this one.

Michael, generally I use gut strings on my lutes but have used Nylgut on this one as I want to be able to pick it up and play it without having to spend 10 minutes getting back in tune first, and I want it to be more stable than gut as it's my house lute. The Nylgut strings are gaining a lot of fans among lute and early guitar players over here. It's tuned D F G C f a d g, the first course is single the next three are in unison and the lower four are in octave. As John says, capo on 3 with the 3rd dropped a semi-tone.


ColinColin S38884.5042708333

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Colin

I'm only teasing you and Shawn of Course, you have to be ecentric to make guitars too What is it one of my customers described me as on a forum, "the ecentric luthier from Wales" wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment

I can't stop looking at the pics of the Lute and listening to it, it is truely a master piece

Do you make the pegs as well ?RussellR38884.511099537

Colin, please indulge a quick question I have. What is a good length and width to cut lute ribs? I've been saving back a nice piece of quartered Yew with an extra wide sap band for lute ribs. I've not had much luck locating a good "average" size to cut. Any thoughts to share? I always cut to produce the most options.

OK...I throw in the towel...just amazing Colin.   

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Larry, For a standard sized tenor Renaissance lute 60cm x 5 cm (24"x 2") should get you there, with a bit to spare, for 13 stave shells. For more staves, you can of coarse go a little narrower but the above will give the builder an option. An Archlute of Theobro would need longer staves. The largest staves on this one are the two top ones that are at their biggest 57cm x 4.5cm. Finished thickness is about 2-2.5mm

I've used English Yew (Taxus baccata) on two lutes it is a fantastic wood for the staves. I've still got half the tree in bits at the bottom of my garden, it blew over in a storm in 1987. It was an ancient tree when my house was built and that was 600 years ago!

Russell, Yes I make the pegs as well. See that little bit of London Plane on the end of the peg box? That's the bit you sent me!


ColinColin S38884.5425115741

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Wow....I just listened to those recordings, and all I can say is...

Colin, I could listen to your playing for hours and hours. Goodness! That's some beautiful playing, and your lute sounds magical.

We are truly honored to have you as part of this community.

Bravo!                                  

Don Williams38884.5605439815

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Indeed!!!What everyone else said, and more of the same !!!!-
Wow just fantastic! - when I see instruments like that I yearn to hold and play one - Thanks for the priveledge of letting us see the guts of the beast and pick your brain about lute construction, I feel that alot of innovation comes from the merging of different musical instrument technologies, [even though guitars were derived from lutes] you give us the chance of potentially seeing something we would like to eventually re-implement in guitar {or banjo } construction, who knows what may come of that.
You are a true luthier no doubt - fantastic work and a joy to behold and to listen to! Thanks
Charliewoood

Colin,

Before I knew anything about building I would have said that you lute looks nice. Now that I have learned more I can only join in with the others and say WOW. Fantastic job! I know this is not your first but it looks an sounds wonderful. Allow youself to take a good deal of pride on this one and enjoy that wonderful sounding instrument.

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

Very impressive, Colin!!

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Awesome Colin,

It is so good to see people upholding this style of instrument building. And to such a high degree of execution. Good on ya!