John wrote: > > Interesting article, but I would take issue with many of his points, as > did many of the 58 people that responded to the blog. > I totally agree with you, his reaction is extreme. As someone who makes electric instruments, I have no issue with loudness, none at all. And I think this technique might have an excellent application in the context of acoustic bass guitars, which are hard to make loud enough.
As for lutes: they lost to guitars, back in the day, due to changing aesthetics and a move to larger venues. They tried to adapt (the theorbo) but, despite all their advantages in sound quality, they were just too soft (or too cumbersome). The guitar, especially after Torres, won, and the apotheosis of the lute remains in the first half of the 17th century. There is this funny thing many folk, guitarist and lutenist alike, have about loud. They want it, they need it, and they don't want to amplify for some reason. A can of worms but, in my opinion, you can get a better sound from subtle and accurate micing than you can from a stiffer soundboard. It doesn't have an aesthetic purity though, and that will be a catch for many. However, for me, technology is technology whether you bury in a very thin laminate or in a microphone. On the flipside, a beautiful instrument made by a master builder is a thing of beauty. I am envious of both your old Velazquez and your new Cooper, but I will have to make do with my own (unfinished) Staufferish thingy, and my Travis Carey 13c swan-neck... All the best .. m. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
