Sorry, no pictures, but I also made something for my theorbo last year. In terms of practicality, I see nothing wrong with things like this. Not possessing any woodworking skills at all, my solution was low-tech in the extreme: I took half a wooden clothes pin and glued it to part of a paint stirrer. I then glued some rubber shelf-liner (the stuff that many people use on their laps to keep their instruments from slipping) to the bottom to keep it in place. Then I marked the right spot on the neck extension with a light pencil stroke and just stuck it under the strings. Then I colored it with a black marker to make it look all fancy-schmancy.
Necessity was the mother of invention: I came up with it because of a live radio broadcast I was doing that involved and a change from an F to F# bass. I figured that re-tuning would be rather tedious for the audience. I've since used the device for performances, too. It worked really well for a set that I did with a singer in which dramatic continuity was important. Chris Christopher Wilke Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer www.christopherwilke.com --- On Fri, 10/8/10, wikla <wi...@cs.helsinki.fi> wrote: > From: wikla <wi...@cs.helsinki.fi> > Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Odp: Hans Neeman Photo > To: "Grzegorz Joachimiak" <gjoachim...@wp.pl> > Cc: "sterling price" <spiffys84...@yahoo.com>, "BAROQUE-LUTE" > <baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Date: Friday, October 8, 2010, 4:04 PM > Dear friends, > > now there has been so much talk about photos/pictures of > some system of > "easy chromatic basses" and not a single link to any public > photo/picture. > Even when I am _not at all_ interested in using any > mechanism for that, I > am utterly interested in seeing, what you are talking > about... ;-) > > So: jpg's, pdf's, ..., whatsoever, please! :-) > > Arto > > > On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 21:46:13 +0200, "Grzegorz Joachimiak" > <gjoachim...@wp.pl> > wrote: > > Dear friends, > > > > this photo surely is in JLSA (1979) vol. 12: The > Resurrection of the > > Lute in Twentieth Century Germeny by Kurt Rottmann, > pp. 67-72. I have > > this article. Let me know who needs this text I would > send to private > > e-mail box. > > > > Grzegorz > > > > > > Dnia 8-10-2010 o godz. 19:11 sterling price > napisał(a): > >> Well I found the photo of Hans Neeman and his > semi-tone device. I > >> scanned it so > >> if anyone wants to see it let me know. Still not > sure where I copied it > >> from... > >> > >> Sterling > >> > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ---- > >> From: sterling price <spiffys84...@yahoo.com> > >> To: baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu > >> Sent: Fri, October 8, 2010 8:07:20 AM > >> Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: New Semi-Tone Device > >> > >> Some more info about the semi tone device. > >> The base is made of maple stained black. The nut > is lignum vitae as well > >> a the > >> smaller nut which actually raises or 'frets' the > course. > >> Hide glue is used. > >> Also I am looking for the photo I have of Hans > Neeman. I think it was > >> from an > >> old LSA quarterly or journal. Does anyone know > which one? > >> Sterling > >> > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ---- > >> From: sterling price <spiffys84...@yahoo.com> > >> To: baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu > >> Sent: Fri, October 8, 2010 5:30:25 AM > >> Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] New Semi-Tone Device > >> > >> Dear all-- > >> > >> I have just created a new semi-tone device for a > Jauck type baroque > >> lute. This > >> allows me to change the pitch of bass strings by a > half step without > >> tuning. I > >> can go from say e-flat minor to A-major in just a > few seconds with > >> complete > >> stability. > >> > >> A similar semi-tone device is seen on the > 1732 lute by J.H. > >> Goldt,(formerly > >> in the V&A) of course I don't know when it > was added. Also Hans Neeman > >> and his > >> associates used semi-tone devices on all their > baroque lutes including > >> bass > >> rider lutes in the 1930s. (This I know from a > photograph of Neeman and > >> his > >> lutes). > >> If anyone is interested I can send pics of > my new device. > >> > >> Sterling > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> To get on or off this list see list information > at > >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
