Wow, thank you for the reply... I will note down that name and do some
research - it is somewhat difficult to find any information without a
starting point. so thank you!
About the fractured nut, yes I rarely use the 8th course so I figured
this would not affect me as much. And, besides, I imagine it would be
a very easy fix (gluing on a piece of the material to fill the crack).
I have not weighed the instrument, but I am expecting it to be heavy.
The resonance issue could be a problem however... but seeing as I am
using a 300$ lute-ish instrument with very little semblance to a real
lute now, It will still be an improvement.
What would I use then for "high tension strings"? Right now my packi
uses pyramid strings... and I cannot afford gut. I would be very
aprehensive at using metal strings as that could also put too much
pressure on the instrument, no?
again, thank you for the thoughful reply.
--- On Tue, 5/11/10, gonzornumpl...@roadrunner.com
<gonzornumpl...@roadrunner.com> wrote:
From: gonzornumpl...@roadrunner.com <gonzornumpl...@roadrunner.com>
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Help identifying 40 year old lute!
To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu, "Samuel Jacques" <dei...@yahoo.com>
Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 8:06 PM
Dear Samuel,
Though I cannot be definitive, years ago I purchased on ebay a 13 cs
baroque lute having similar features and price which was made by a
highly skilled Englishman or Irishman named A.(Anthony) Murphy. It had
unique not entirely historical features including a laterally doubled
pegbox (this innovation halved the length of the pegbox) and similar
fixed metal frets with very deep or high relief wood frets on the
soundboard. The lute was somewhat heavy, and I tried a variety of
stringings but could never obtain anything close to the resonance of my
1976 Lundberg (a very light instrument made specifically for my
hands). The Murphy 13 cs lute was in perfect condition, and in
retrospect I should have attempted to use high tension (guitar-like)
strings in order to improve sound projection. Instead, needing a tax
deduction at the time, I donated the instrument to a local university
where most of the students have never before seen a lute of any kind,
and it remains in the college art museum like a piece of furniture
students can gawk at.
If I'm not mistaken, your Renaissance instrument has a Padoan
soundboard shape. Your 8th course may rattle due to the fractured nut
underneath, but I would prefer having a seven as opposed to an 8-course
lute anyway, there being much more extant music tabulature for seven as
compared to eight courses. There are vastly more knowledgeable people
on this list who may be able to correct my own misconceptions or
misstatements, but I fully appreciate your concern and need for
information. Wish I could provide more.
Mark Seifert M.D.
---- Samuel Jacques <[1]dei...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hello! I have to admit I am new to the list, and to lute playing
in
> general. I started off by practicing on a cheap paki flat back
lute
> (300$) just to see if I would like it, and I do! So today I found
a
> beautiful lute on ebay that was still relatively cheap (900$).
> Now, I know from reading the archive that there are alot of
purists on
> the list - but you know, I love my paki lute since without it, I
would
> never have been able to attempt to play this beautiful music. The
> sound might not be good, but considering I have never played
guitare or
> any instrument, I'm sure I could even make a $12,000 lute sound
like a
> sick duckling.
> So with that in mind, I bought this new lute today. It's a step
up
> from what I have now, I am sure. But now I would like to know
more
> about the instrument. The seller could not identify the maker's
mark,
> and there is no label inside. The craftmanship seems pretty good
> though. here are the pictures:
> [2]http://s778.photobucket.com/albums/yy65/deides/lute/
> and the description (sorry for the size):
> * Vintage 8 Course Renaissance Lute w/ original case and wooden
peg
> tuner * 640 mm scale * The action at the 8th fret measures .181
inches
> or 4.60 mm * Ebony, ivory dotted tuners * Neck is curly maple w/
ebony
> filets * 15 gorgeous brazilian rosewood ribs w/ an aged german
spruce
> top * Rosewood bridge, ebony fretboard and mahogany rose * Curly
maple
> and mahogany peg head * This lute sounds fantastic, but there are
> issues that have been high-lighted in the pics * The nut has
damage to
> the 8th course section * It is chipped, but the strings still stay
> where they should * There are various cracks in the spruce top :
below
> the bridge, next to the high frets, between the bridge and rose *
What
> is nice about these cracks is that they have been there a while
and
> have remained very tight * There is an excellent binding on this
> instrument * There is no reason to repair these cracks and a
repair
> could diminish the sound quality which is superb * The metal frets
show
> little wear and are firmly seated * Not sure of the exact age, but
is
> at least 40 years old *
> So, could anyone here help me to try and find out a little bit
more
> about this lute? I already know is it probably from the 70's, so
it
> would be heavy, more like a guitare, and the metal frets are quite
> typical of a lute made from that era. I can't seem to make out
the
> makers initials... DM? EM? I wish I knew more about it.
> Thank you for any help you could provide!!!
>
> --
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
--
References
1. file://localhost/mc/compose?to=dei...@yahoo.com
2. http://s778.photobucket.com/albums/yy65/deides/lute/
3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html
