I always wanted a really big archlute, after seeing some ofthe ones presumably used in Rome. So I finally worked on a prototype with Andreas von Holst. 70/140cm, plays great at 392, but it is also super at 415.3, but of course you must then have a nylon top string, although I think a really good gut string would last for awhile. It can be strung double or single, I have it single for orchestra work but I think double strings would sound even better. I went with an ebony back, and the bowl is from the small, very flat theorbo from Magno Tieffenbruchar. I knew that this bowl would be extremely comfortable to play, but of course it was a real gamble to make it into a big archlute. The instrument is large enough that you can just substitute it for a theorbo, and still have the full range of notes. This is particularly usefull in orchestras where they no longer have two players, so the lute player has to cover both ranges that could normally be divided between a theorbo and archlute. Thinking of video, I asked for edging on the veneers so the neck does not disappear against dark backgrounds and also asked for the absolute minimum for sound board finish to prevent reflections. Of course, old tops probably had not very much finish anyway, so maybe that is a good thing. Going to have to keep the salsa away from it.
The result? This is the loudest archlute I ever played, louder by a slight amount than my 82cm theorbo. I'm an ebony convert now for orchestra work, I guess. I don't hear any hardness in the sound. The bass is so strong you could go 70/130 and have a better proportion perhaps and still have enough sound for orchestra work. I'm hoping it will be a reasonable and fun choice for the "big sound" baroque orchestras that are fashionable today. A few photos http://goo.gl/YclAo To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
