Drifting farther afield (and I know you know this, Chris), I believe one of the weirdest features of nicer guitars that were original builds to carry the Tilton "improvements" was that they had the soundboard built with the grain running diagonally to the line of symmetry. Weird.
Eugene > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Christopher Stetson > Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 8:16 AM > To: David Smith; Lute List > Subject: [LUTE] Re: My new cittern > > Well, ok, yes, a large historical drift from carved to built :-) > > > > An even bigger aside regarding spike lutes: do you know about William > Tilton's 1854 "improvements" to the guitar: > > [1]http://19thcenturyguitar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=artic > le&id=71:william-tilton&catid=41:cf-martin-and-his-contemporaries&Itemi > d=62? > > Maybe the most ambitious spike lutes in history. > > > > Take care, and best of luck, > > Chris. > > On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 7:18 AM, David Smith > <[2][email protected]> wrote: > > On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 12:20 AM, Christopher Stetson > <[1][3][email protected]> wrote: > Hi, David and all. > First, bravo on your efforts, David! More citterns = more fun. > > Thanks. > > Historically, cittern frets were made with brass (or other hard > material) bars inlaid into the fretboard, with shallow scallops (I > made > them about 1/32 inch or less deep) serving to raise them above the > "surface" of the fingerboard. > > Ah ha! I see. Yes, it's modern fretwire because I have it on hand > and > know how to install it. Maybe I'll file it down almost flush and > lower > the nut a bit. > > I also had special tuning pegs with small diameter barrels made to > lessen tuning problems, but unfortunately it may be too late for > that > in your case. > > Good idea. I wonder if I could cut down the middle of the peg, > leaving > it wide where it contacts the wood on each side (without weakening > it > too much?). I may have to test that. > > Another aside: I'm sure more research has been done since I was up > on > this, but as I remember carved and built-up citterns seem to have > coexisted for quite some time in the 16th century, with a small > amount > of evidence for a South/North divide, rather than the historical > development of style that you assume. > > Nevertheless, there was a transition. (You don't see many carved > ones > around today, lol) Like everything else, it happened over time and > wasn't simple. > > Also, just curious, but what kind of spike lutes do you have > experience > making? I play shamisen and san xian. > > Cigar box guitars and gourd lutes (including an otherwise fairly > historical gittern.) > I hope this helps. > Yes. Thanks. > -- > References > 1. mailto:[4][email protected] > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > [5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > > References > > 1. > http://19thcenturyguitar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id= > 71:william-tilton&catid=41:cf-martin-and-his-contemporaries&Itemid=62 > 2. mailto:[email protected] > 3. mailto:[email protected] > 4. mailto:[email protected] > 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
