DAVID VAN EDWARDS
LUTHIER
The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 4HB, England.
Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899
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LUTE CATALOGUE 2008These are the 56 types of lute I am currently offering as standard, though of course I can build any particular instrument you may require or copy any existing instrument to which I can get access in Europe. Delivery time is currently about four years. To search this website you can use this Google search engine. Or use the index below to go straight to the section you are interested in. Have fun! |
MEDIEVAL LUTES
No original medieval lutes have survived. However many fine paintings, frescoes and woodcuts exist which show the detailed appearance, and educated guesses can be made about the internal structure. I will discuss the detailed evidence in the light of your requirements before deciding on a final design. The much copied Arnault of Zwolle drawings, of 1450, seem to be based on a misunderstanding and they result in a very ugly lute which is quite unlike the majority of lutes shown in pictures of the period. I would not normally base designs on this.
1. 58cm, 4 courses; medieval lute based on iconographical sources circa 1350 - 1400. 9 ribs of figured sycamore which flow in a smooth curve between body and neck. Two circular roses of gothic design; one large, the other small. Boxwood fingerboard and pegs. Designed to be played with a plectrum.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2000 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
2. 58 cm, 5 courses; medieval lute based on iconographical sources circa 1480, especially the paintings of Gerard David. 9 ribs of figured sycamore with a smooth curve between body and neck. Two gothic roses: a very elaborate circular sunken rose of pine and parchment as well as a lancet-window shaped rose just below the fingerboard. This was the transitional period between plectrum and finger style techniques and this lute is suitable for both.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
To return to the index click here
RENAISSANCE OCTAVE LUTE
3. 30 cm, 4 courses; octave lute, or perhaps mandore, after Wendelin Eberle c.1600 (Vienna C41) 13 ribs, the original is in shaded yew. For tuning to g“.
| Price, including Kingham case: £900 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
RENAISSANCE TREBLE LUTES
4. 44.2 cm, 6 - 7 courses; after Wendelin Eberle c.1600 (Vienna C39) 19 ribs, the original is in shaded yew and is a matched pair with the octave lute. For tuning to c'.
| Price, including Kingham case: £1600 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
5. 47.5 cm, 6 - 8 courses; after the ivory lute by Mateu Hofmans 1605 (Brussels M 1556) 15 ribs, with triple lines between, ebony heart on the soundboard, lattice work inlay on neck and pegbox. For tuning to b'.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
6. 53 cm, 6 - 8 courses, my own design with the body based on the Raphael Mest lute in Sweden. 23 ribs with striped neck and pegbox. For tuning to a'
| Price, including Kingham case: £2260 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
To return to the index click here
RENAISSANCE LUTES IN G
7. 58 - 60cm, 6-8 courses: after Giovanni Hieber c.1580 (Brussels No.1561) 13 ribs. This is one of the few really authentic unaltered 16th century 7 course lutes in existence. The original is in very plain sycamore with no edging to the soundboard and no separate fingerboard, I usually make a more decorated version.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
8. 58 - 60cm, 6-8 courses; after VVendelio Venere 1592 (Bologna Academia Filarmonica) 25 ribs: the original is in heartwood yew with maple strips between. Neck and pegbox striped with three different woods, ebony heart in the soundboard and a very pretty rose.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2660 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
9. 60cm, 6-8 courses; after Georg Gerle c.1550 (Vienna A35) 11 ribs: the original is a 6 course lute in ivory with ebony strips between. Neck is inlaid with broad stripes and is deeper than a semicircle in cross section, typical of early renaissance 6 course lutes. Pegbox with inlaid ebony edging.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
9a.62cm, 6-7 courses; after Moises Tiefembruker c.1570 (Munich Stadtmuseum) 11 ribs: the original is in figured poplar and is an interesting small form of the famous Laux Maler long tear-drop shape.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of the original instrument click here  |
10. 64cm, 6 courses; after Magno Dieffopruchar c.1550 (collection of J & A Beare) 9 ribs: the original is in ivory with ebony strips between. Neck and pegbox inlaid with ebony stripes.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
NB. Lutes 7, 8 & 9 can be built as 10 course instruments with a string length of 63.5cm to enable the basses to sound out well, in line with Dowland's remark that around 1600 the necks of lutes were lengthened to give 10 frets on the neck. This is my recommended solution to the 10 course lute in G, which probably never existed but now seems to be much in demand! 10 course lutes were most likely to have been in F.
| Price, extra: £220 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this kind of instrument click here |
To return to the index click here
RENAISSANCE LUTES IN F
11. 67.5cm, 10 courses; after Christofolo Cocho c.1650 (Copenhagen 96A) The original has 11 ivory ribs with triple lines between and an extremely elaborate inlay on neck and pegbox. This is possibly the only lute originally built as a ten course instrument to have survived mostly unaltered.
| Price, including Kingham case & original inlay: £3500 With simpler decoration: £2500 (click on the prices to convert them to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
12. 67cm, 7-10 courses; after the splendid Magno Dieffopruchar 1609 (Florence No.144) 37 ribs; the original is in shaded yew with ebony strips between. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony with ivory stripes, ivory and ebony heart on the soundboard, inlaid lines of ivory on the fingerboard.
| Price, including Kingham case: £3200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
13. 67cm, 7-10 course lute in F after VVendelio Venere 1582 (Vienna C36) 13 ribs; the original has heartwood yew ribs with light coloured maple or sycamore strips between. The neck and pegbox can be veneered in ebony or striped with different woods.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2450 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
14. 67cm, 6-8 courses; after Laux Maler c. 1530 (Prague No.654) using the bridge in the high position this makes a nice lute in F for those who prefer the long teardrop shape. 9 ribs; the original is in figured ash. Neck and pegbox can be veneered in ebony or stripes, or left plain to match the back.
| Price, including Kingham case: £2200 (click on the price to convert it to your own currency) | To see a picture of this instrument click here |
RENAISSANCE BASS LUTES
Most of the Laux Maler lutes which have survived probably started life as bass lutes with a lower bridge position and a string length of 71 or 74cm and were tuned to D or E (see FoMRHI Bulletin 11)
15. 71cm, 6-8 courses; reconstruction based on Laux Maler c.1530 (Prague No.654) 9 ribs; the original is in figured ash. Neck and pegbox plain to match the back, or veneered in ebony or striped. For tuning in E.
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Price, including Kingham case: £2300
(click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
To see a picture of this instrument click here |
16. 74cm, 6-8 courses; reconstruction based on a different Laux Maler (Prague No.655) 11 ribs, with a deeper than semicircular body. Neck and pegbox plain to match the back, or veneered in ebony or striped. For tuning in D.
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Price, including Kingham case: £2450
(click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
17. 70cm, 7-10 courses; an extended version of the Magno Dieffopruchar (Florence 144) 37 ribs, Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony with ivory stripes, ivory and ebony heart on the soundboard, inlaid lines of ivory on the fingerboard. For tuning in E.
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Price, including Kingham case: £3200
(click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
To see a picture of the unextended version of this instrument click here |
18. 75cm, 7-10 courses; after Michielle Harton 1599 (Bologna No.1808) 33 ribs; the original is in shaded yew. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony with stripes of ivory. Ivory and ebony heart in the soundboard. For tuning in D or E.
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Price, including Kingham case: £3200
(click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
18.a 76cm, 6-7 courses; my own design based around an Edlinger body. Although the Edlinger is a baroque lute it is very much a renaissance outline, but with a discreetly flattened back making such a large lute more comfortable to hold. It works very well as the bass in fourth apart duets. For tuning in D or E.
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Price, including Kingham case: £2450
(click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
To see a picture of this instrument click here |
19. 78cm, 7-10 courses; after another Michielle Harton 1599 (Nürnberg No. MI 56) 35 ribs; the original is in shaded yew. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony, ebony and ivory heart in soundboard. For tuning in D.
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Price, including Kingham case: £3200
(click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
20. 94cm, 7-10 courses; after yet another Michielle Harton 1602 (Nürnberg No. MI 44) A huge bass lute with 35 ribs; the original is in heartwood yew with maple strips between. Neck and pegbox veneered in ebony, ebony and ivory heart in the soundboard. For tuning in C or, as Piccinini remarks, these large bass lutes can be tuned with re-entrant chitarrone tuning in G or A.
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Price, including Kingham case: £4000
(click on the price to convert it to your own currency) |
To see a picture of this instrument click here |
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Thank you for visiting these pages, I look forward to hearing from you.
Copyright 2008 by David Van Edwards
