As I suspect you know, Mathias (and Ed), red spruce (Picea rubens) has been a prized tonewood in the American guitar and mandolin industry from the 19th c. on.
Getting a little discussion at the vihuela list is my newly rebuilt vihuela, now topped in Lutz spruce (Picea x lutzii), which actually is a hybrid between sitka (P. sitchensis) and white (P. glauca) spruces. I am quite pleased with the result. More popular North American spruces as tonewoods have been sitka on metal-strung instruments and Engelmann (P. engelmannii) on gut-/nylon-strung ones. Best, Eugene > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of "Mathias Rösel" > Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 5:29 AM > To: Edward Martin > Cc: Lutelist > Subject: [LUTE] Re: : Cost of a lute? > > "Edward Martin" <[email protected]> schrieb: > > Yes, good wood is not cheap. You mentioned > > spruce... I received my 11-course lute a week > > ago! It had an accident, and the belly had been > > destroyed. So, Dan Larson put a new top on it. > > It is spruce from New England, known as > > Adirondack spruce, or red spruce, or Appalacian > > spruce. I have never heard of Adirondack used on a lute, prior to this > one. > > The results are beautiful! The treble is incredibly clear, singing. > > Yes, I read the thread with great interest. Also, > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_rubens and > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonewood#Topwoods_.28soundboard.29 have it > that picea rubens is an excellent tonewood for soundboards. European > luthiers don't use it as far as I'm aware, and I won't make it over the > pond,unfortunately, in the near future so as to listen to your playing. > > Mathias > > > At 07:45 PM 10/1/2009, Mathias Rösel wrote: > > >Yew for bowls e. g. is quite expensive in Old Europe as it was almost > > >extinguished when yew was required for military bows. Good spruce is > > >rare and not exactly cheap. Ebony for necks and fretboards still is > > >exotic woods, rare and expensive, if I'm not mistaken. So, a good HIP > > >lute cannot be cheap. But lutes still are cheap, compared to celli. > > > > > >My farthing FWIW > > > > > >Mathias > > > > > >"Jaros³aw Lipski" <[email protected]> schrieb: > > > > Well, it may be possible that some people > > > will buy such a lute, but we have > > > > to ask what is the reason for doing so. The > > > lute is not only a device. I can > > > > only quote Ernst Gottlieb Baron (1727) who says in his "Study of the > lute": > > > > "I once saw at Herr Hoffman's in Leipzig an old lute of solid > copper, > > > > heavily gilded on the back with many figures > > > etched upon it, and the top was > > > > of black ebony. But when I examined the tone, I found that this > instrument > > > > sounded more like an old pot than a true lute. Whoever wishes to > have a > > > > good-sounding instrument will choose good and appropriate wood." > > > > > > > > Best > > > > > > > > Jaroslaw Lipski > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "Mustafa Umut Sarac" <[email protected]> > > > > To: "howard posner" <[email protected]> > > > > Cc: <[email protected]> > > > > Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 11:24 PM > > > > Subject: [LUTE] Re: : Cost of a lute? > > > > > > > > > > > > > There are some people wastes 50 years to create their art > designs > > > > > cheapest , no need to cnc lathes and enviromentally friendly. > > > > > > > > > > I gave my 25 years to studying this kind of stuff. > > > > > > > > > > If you look to Luigi Colani , he creates whatever he wants with > hot > > > > > wire cut foam. > > > > > > > > > > I think this is the cheapest , fastest , less complex , and > using least > > > > > electric technology. > > > > > > > > > > And no noise for home studios in the apartments > > > > > > > > > > Only you have to do is to create a moving hot wire inside foam. > > > > > > > > > > Than you fill the cut foam with polyester slowly , and seal the > foam. > > > > > There would be no nasty fume. > > > > > > > > > > You can fill the very thin foam cut with a syringe very slowly. > > > > > > > > > > I asked to produce a guitar with rapid production , rapid > prototyping > > > > > methods and it costs 3000 dollars without a neck . This is not > > > > > intelligent. > > > > > > > > > > Hot wire FOAM CUT is the best > > > > > > > > > > How you will produce the back , one by one and assembling the > foams > > > > > together precisely and fill with epoxy. > > > > > > > > > > I am seriously thinking to produce Lutes with this technology. > > > > > > > > > > You can produce carbon composites with adding graphite carbon > powder in > > > > > to the polymer ! > > > > > > > > > > It is like using saw and a wood. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Best , > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Mustafa Umut Sarac > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Istanbul > > > > > > > > > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at > > >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. > > >Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > >Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.14.2/2408 > > >- Release Date: 10/01/09 18:23:00 > > > > > > > > Edward Martin > > 2817 East 2nd Street > > Duluth, Minnesota 55812 > > e-mail: [email protected] > > voice: (218) 728-1202 > > http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1660298871&ref=name > > http://www.myspace.com/edslute > > > > > > > > > -- > Viele Grüße > > Mathias Rösel > > http://mathiasroesel.livejournal.com > http://www.myspace.com/mathiasroesel
