peppeo77 - 1-30-2007 at 07:37 AM
Hi guys! I know this is a off topic, but maybe here I can find someone helpfull. I found this reinassance lute on ebay, the seller is in Italy, that
can be very good to me. I don't know anything about the quality of western lutes, does anybody know the level of this instrument? here's the link:
http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160078809740&...
Thanks in advance, Peppeo.
Ronny Andersson - 1-30-2007 at 09:18 AM
Stay away from this so called ¨lute¨ Peppeo, Made in East Germany 30years ago…
Probably sounds just as terrible as it looks like. For little bit more than 300€ you can find an authentic lute. Early Music Shop UK have a range
of lutes on Ebay UK and check out this one :
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EMS-7-Course-Lute-Special-medieval-renaissanc...
jdowning - 1-30-2007 at 10:02 AM
The instrument looks more like a lute shaped guitar to me - although no doubt the quality of construction is very high. Note the guitar style bridge.
It was probably made for a classical guitarist - high string tension, plucked with nails of the right hand, heavily barred and probably weighs 'a
ton'.
If you want to learn to play lute take Ronny Andersson's advice and purchase one that is based on or is a copy of an original lute. There are many
fine luthiers today specialising in making 'authentic' copies of historical lutes. Do a bit of research into what is available, purchase the best that
you can afford and try it out first if you can.
peppeo77 - 1-31-2007 at 03:10 AM
Many many thanks guys! You've been kind and helpfull as usual.
Best regards, Peppeo.
jdowning - 2-4-2007 at 07:54 AM
The instrument was made by Armin Gropp and the Gropps are still making concert guitars and lutes today. Their web site is http://www.gropp-gitarren.de
This style of instrument was invented during the 1950's and '60's to enable classically trained guitarists perform the early lute repertoire. The
guitarists demanded an instrument that looked like a lute but which handled like a concert guitar and had enough volume and projection for concert
hall performances. They were often designed as a result of collaboration between professional guitar players and guitar makers - high quality
instruments but not based upon or constructed like any surviving historical lutes. This type of instrument was used for example by Julian Bream during
the 1960's in his wonderful ground breaking recordings of 'Elizabethan' lute music - performances that encouraged a generation of classical guitarists
to take up the lute and help spark the interest in early music that started in a big way during the late 1960's. This type of instrument was still
being made into the 1970's but was quickly superceded in the market place by luthiers specialising in making copies of historical lutes to meet the
demands of lutenists for 'proper' lutes.
I doubt if there is still a market for this style of instrument among lutenists any longer - indeed a visit to the Gropp website indicates that they
too are now offering historically correct lutes.
The external features of the Gropp instrument currently on sale that are non lute like are the guitar bridge with saddle, the inset rose, the lack of
a capping strip and the carved fluted ribs. At least if it is a copy of an historical lute I would be interested to know the whereabouts of the
original. Nevertheless it is no doubt a fine instrument in its own right.