Dear Rebecca: Please forgive me if the following opinions appear rigid or overbearing: Under no circumstances have the lute made with fixed metal frets! 1. It will severely diminish the resale value of the lute. 2. The fret height will not be adjustable. 3. Any repair or replacement would have to be done by a professional; gut frets can be easily replaced and maintained by the owner. 4. The hardness of metal frets will wear your strings faster, making them false sooner. 5. You will not be able to experiment with historical temperaments, and will be stuck with the temperament the maker puts on, probably equal, which may not be ideal. 6. No serious professional or even high amateur I've ever seen in 20 years of playing and observing has ever played with fixed metal frets. 7. They knew about metal frets back then -- all citterns, bandoras and orpharions had them -- so luthiers did not eschew them because they were unavailable. I'm sure there are other reasons as well. Cheers, Jim
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