The tape template is a really nice idea, as is the bending iron arrangement. Lots of great tips for folks like me starting out, thanks very much for sharing.
Hi Josiah, what a great idea! I've seen Mexican instruments with big ribs made from mahogany plywood doorskin and they work just fine. Good luck with your project and let me know how it turns out! Thanks for watching.
Hi. I have a lute built from a kit in the 70s i think. Nadly built.action too high. Advised neck reset too difficult for me and i should shave the bowl 3mm from the bout tapering to the neck. I have managed to release the top .. is this a reasonable way forward in your opinion ..when i manage it i think i will try to put in metal frets to make it easier to keep playable.thanks.
Yes, you can mark how much you want to plane or knife away with tape place around the capping strin area. Also you should remove some from the area of the rose to prevent problems with having enough room to pluck. Test the action with dental floss in place of strings, taping the entire top down with drafting tape (not masking tape). Make sure that the floss gives a height at the body joint of just over 4 mm. Re-glue with hide glue or fish glue, careful to glue the bars as well to prevent buzzing. Do not under any circumstances put metal frets on. The structure is not there to take them. c
@@paulcrawford5153 The first objection to metal frets is that they are anachronistic. The tuning system is only one objection. (equal temperament vs some version of an early temperament-meantone or pythagorean). Metal frets are just a poor choice that is insensitive to the nature of the instrument and its music. You will find that the low string tension means that the frets are too high and don’t play well in tune across the choir. Basses often need a slightly lower position, the restricted keys of lute music require lowered thirds, etc., etc. Metal frets can’t do any of that. Metal frets will also wear the gut, nylon or carbon fibre strings more than their diameter, a third less than a guitar’s, will allow. Then, unless you have a heavily built lute with a fingerboard at least 4 mm thick which is overlaid, not flush, in the manner of the classical guitar, you do not have enough wood even for mandolin frets to work. You have to bang them in: this will undoubtedly lead to damage. The instrument is not built to take this kind of force. If you do cut into a 2 to 3 mm fingerboard, you will leave the lute unable to resist even feeble string tension. The overlay of the fingerboard onto the body is a significant structural point. The lute depends on every single bit of wood to keep it from folding up. Tied frets are easily replaced, can be moved, their size can be varied to compensate for action problems. Everything points to keeping it simple. I know, it’s hard to accept that early technologies are superior in many cases, but there you are. Originally, old gut strings would have been recycled as fret material. Nylon frets also will not work: nylon stretches too much. You’re welcome, c even
Well I could say that's a secret, but the answer is simple. We use historical models, and that information comes from the drawing. The drawings come from the museums which hold these lutes: Italian, German, French and Belgian national museums publish very detailed plans. The front profile and back form the main lines, after that, it is all about fitting within those lines. Two templates can provide a check for seeing that the dimensions are correct. I made a video about making the moulds, which makes this clear: th-cam.com/video/-5eJWnCFic8/w-d-xo.html
Hi Bobofreddy, have a look at Guild of American Luthiers plans here; luth.org/instrument-plans/ You should also get Bob Lundberg's excellent book on historical lute construction, available from GAL; luth.org/books/historical-lute-construction/ Good luck with your project!
Hi! I´d like to ask you a question. I´m a carpenter from germany and my Guitarteacher once gifted me an old german Lute guitar. It´s nearly 120 years old he said, but one of the ribs nearly broke apart in the middle. Is there any way to repair that damage? Also the mosaic covering the soundhole is not in the best condition. I´d like to restore this beautiful peace of musical history but probably need some help from an specialist. Can I reach you threw any e-mail? Looking forward hearing from you
Hi Kyra, that's a great question! The tape template is only a very rough guide; the rib has to be fitted with a combination of constant bending and cutting.
The tape template is a really nice idea, as is the bending iron arrangement. Lots of great tips for folks like me starting out, thanks very much for sharing.
Hi Arthur, glad you like the video and thanks for watching!
Thank you for the videos. Informative. I'm going to try to retrofit a cheap buitar into a "lute" prop. This gave me some helpful insight.
Hi Josiah, what a great idea! I've seen Mexican instruments with big ribs made from mahogany plywood doorskin and they work just fine. Good luck with your project and let me know how it turns out! Thanks for watching.
Thanks so much for sharing. The scraper would be the solution for guitar sides also.
Yes, I use a cabinet scraper on flat pieces.
I found this very helpful
Hi. I have a lute built from a kit in the 70s i think. Nadly built.action too high. Advised neck reset too difficult for me and i should shave the bowl 3mm from the bout tapering to the neck. I have managed to release the top .. is this a reasonable way forward in your opinion
..when i manage it i think i will try to put in metal frets to make it easier to keep playable.thanks.
Yes, you can mark how much you want to plane or knife away with tape place around the capping strin area. Also you should remove some from the area of the rose to prevent problems with having enough room to pluck. Test the action with dental floss in place of strings, taping the entire top down with drafting tape (not masking tape). Make sure that the floss gives a height at the body joint of just over 4 mm. Re-glue with hide glue or fish glue, careful to glue the bars as well to prevent buzzing. Do not under any circumstances put metal frets on. The structure is not there to take them.
c
@EarlyMusicStudio1 thanks. What do you mean by there is not the structure to take metal frets? Could i not cut slots for them?
@@paulcrawford5153 The first objection to metal frets is that they are anachronistic. The tuning system is only one objection. (equal temperament vs some version of an early temperament-meantone or pythagorean). Metal frets are just a poor choice that is insensitive to the nature of the instrument and its music.
You will find that the low string tension means that the frets are too high and don’t play well in tune across the choir. Basses often need a slightly lower position, the restricted keys of lute music require lowered thirds, etc., etc. Metal frets can’t do any of that. Metal frets will also wear the gut, nylon or carbon fibre strings more than their diameter, a third less than a guitar’s, will allow.
Then, unless you have a heavily built lute with a fingerboard at least 4 mm thick which is overlaid, not flush, in the manner of the classical guitar, you do not have enough wood even for mandolin frets to work. You have to bang them in: this will undoubtedly lead to damage.
The instrument is not built to take this kind of force. If you do cut into a 2 to 3 mm fingerboard, you will leave the lute unable to resist even feeble string tension. The overlay of the fingerboard onto the body is a significant structural point. The lute depends on every single bit of wood to keep it from folding up.
Tied frets are easily replaced, can be moved, their size can be varied to compensate for action problems. Everything points to keeping it simple. I know, it’s hard to accept that early technologies are superior in many cases, but there you are. Originally, old gut strings would have been recycled as fret material. Nylon frets also will not work: nylon stretches too much.
You’re welcome,
c
even
but the mould itself, how did you make it?
the dimensions for each semi-circle etc
Well I could say that's a secret, but the answer is simple. We use historical models, and that information comes from the drawing. The drawings come from the museums which hold these lutes: Italian, German, French and Belgian national museums publish very detailed plans.
The front profile and back form the main lines, after that, it is all about fitting within those lines. Two templates can provide a check for seeing that the dimensions are correct. I made a video about making the moulds, which makes this clear: th-cam.com/video/-5eJWnCFic8/w-d-xo.html
Hello so I would like to build a lute from scratch but I can’t seem to find any good templates is there anyway you can help.
Hi Bobofreddy, have a look at Guild of American Luthiers plans here; luth.org/instrument-plans/ You should also get Bob Lundberg's excellent book on historical lute construction, available from GAL; luth.org/books/historical-lute-construction/ Good luck with your project!
confratulation Titmuss, keep sendind more videos, like make block and arm junction... thank you
Thanks for your comment! You might like this video; th-cam.com/video/UGLq2WVCrUs/w-d-xo.html
Hi!
I´d like to ask you a question.
I´m a carpenter from germany and my Guitarteacher once gifted me an old german Lute guitar. It´s nearly 120 years old he said, but one of the ribs nearly broke apart in the middle. Is there any way to repair that damage? Also the mosaic covering the soundhole is not in the best condition. I´d like to restore this beautiful peace of musical history but probably need some help from an specialist. Can I reach you threw any e-mail?
Looking forward hearing from you
Hi there, please email me at info@earlymusicstudio.com and include some photos of the damaged areas. I'll help if I can! Best, Clive
Why not bend the rib after chiseling and shaping the blank to your tape template?
Hi Kyra, that's a great question! The tape template is only a very rough guide; the rib has to be fitted with a combination of constant bending and cutting.
The ribs do not follow any template accurately enough, there are always small gaps and mismatched angle--it really is hand made.