Michael didn't realize that the message I sent him didn't go to the list. Here is the relevant passage:
>>> The main question is this: does a lute maker copy an instrument = >>> exactly (flaws and all) and then translate those measurements etc. into >>> an exact replica of the historical lute? or does one use the info to try >>> to capture the original intent of the maker (minus the flaws)? >> No, no & no. >> Cezar Mateus has some very interesting ideas about baroque lute's >> acoustical and structural longevity. >> XXX's Jauch is nearing the end of its acoustical life, because it was >> built too light as most current b-lutes. ZZZ has a Mateus lute now, and it >> is "developing" in his hands nicely. Mateus thinks that 18th century luthiers >> never took sufficiently into account the tension increase of multi-course >> lutes, and they disintegrated prematurely, structurally and/or acoustically. >> He builds less lightly, to fabulous results. >> RT > Roman, and all, > This was very interesting info. that some modern lute makers think = > that the 13 course baroque lute was made too thin historically to = > withstand the tension of the additional new courses and as a result have = > a very short life span, and that many modern builders copy these lute = > soundboards, half of which are probably based on ren lute thickness and = > also have problems. > When I Measured the Jauck I noticed something that I simply = > dismissed as crazy and something I would never do or try to duplicate, = > until I thought about your message and that was the arch in the = > soundborad. Now it all kind of makes sense!!! I think Jauch new about = > this problem with Baroque lutes and as I said before defiantly put the = > arch into the soundboard to strengthen the top and raise the frequency. = > This is where guitar making comes in handy, as this was done from the = > time of Torres, and this is what I do as well, but on a lute? Arching = > the top of any instrument with string tension greatly increases it's = > strength as well as the life span of the instrument, and it greatly = > increases the response. Again I would love to compare all the known = > Jaucks and see if this is a feature of the conversions he did or it was = > just an anomaly. Roman, do you know if Rutherford copied this feature = > as well into Barto's lute? > Michael Thames > Luthier > www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com > > --
