Dear Bob, I have one of the Baroque guitars sold by Thomann (well in a way: have just sold it, but the package has not yet gone out; it's still Sunday here). It's not a professional level instrument, and originally the bridge was very high. When planing it down, I noticed that it is not only glued onto the soundboard, but also secured with two dowels. Somewhere in the net I have found photos of one opened, and the interior did not look very baroque guitar (strange type of soundboard bracing). There are notches in the fingerboard edges which make it impossible to adjust the fret's temperament, and even make it difficult to tie the frets securely (it came with nylon frets, but I replaced these immediately). In addition, I put on another set of strings (PVF throughout, high fourth and octave on the fifth). The instrument does not produce what you would call volume, but yes: you can strum and pluck it ...
This said, there are some points in favor ot the guitar: it is comparably cheap, cleanly built, the pegs work fine and it is very stable when taken into other climates. I obtained it prior to a two-weeks stay in Jerusalem a few years ago during a summer with temperatures going up to 40 Celsius degrees in Israel. The air in Jerusalem is then quite dry. But then: if you think of around $ 1000, why not look for a used instrument? All best, Joachim -----Original-Nachricht----- Betreff: [LUTE] Affordable Baroque Guitar Options? Datum: 2015-11-01T16:57:49+0100 Von: "RCP" <[email protected]> An: "LS LUTELIST" <c> Greetings Luters! I have luted for many years, and also strummed a bit on 4 course guitar. I'm interested in learning to strumm on something larger - probably a baroque guitar. Alas, my funds are not ample, so I cannot afford a fine instrument. Maybe around $1000? I've located many very affordable guitars (Roosebeck and Thomann). Of course, they are not fine hand crafted instruments, but are they at least playable (for strumming purposes) - probably with better strings added? I've been told that the Roosebeck lutes are decent for the price (a knowledgeable lutenist in Boston). Many thanks for any advice! Bob Purrenhage -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
