Lutes for sale

Last updated 04/10/2025

For Sale:   Student Paduan Theorbo based on Sellas (Paris E547)

The Paduan Theorbo version of the Sellas E547 has been re-created from music scholar and composer Praetorius' Syntagnum Musicum II de Organographia woodcuts as seen above, this has been a valuable catalogue of instruments in scale drawings.The instrument is almost the same size or just short of the folding theorbo when folded  so the case is cheaper too and no extra cost for a folding mechanism needed. The original size of the Paduan theorbo is projected as 96cm with 128cm basses, the Sellas has a string length of 85.7cm so therefore has basses of 114cm in loaded Nylgut, since loaded strings were available for 7crs lutes already (iconographical evidence according to Aquilla) then the Paduan Theorbo is likely to have had them as basses rather than plain gut, allowing for a shorter neck but the same volume as the long plain gut basses. Of course if you are not too worried about authentic stringing then louder D type wound basses can be used.

The original Paduan Theorbo is 16crs but there's not much music for 16crs so the standard 14crs tuning in 440Hz is used. The ribs, neck and pegs are in slightly figured, varied toned natural pear wood, ebonised maple extended neck and ebonised pear wood bridge with black bog oak fingerboard. The larger rose is the same as the Sellas E547 as is the smaller bass rose. This arrangement has not survived well overtime on museum instruments, and the few Paduan theorboes that were made haven't  either making some doubt if they existed but I don't think Praetorius would have included a fictitious instrument in an accurate survey of instruments at the time (1614/15), some may have been converted to longer necked theorboes out of popularity but some theorboes with two sound holes  do exist as do a few paintings  as seen below being held by Lady Mary Wroth.

The original idea of a bass rose may have been invented by composer for archlute and chitarrone Alessandro Picinini in 1594 as an unusual ('experimental') instrument with a longer body than it's neck exists in the museum in Vienna as seen below:

This was made by a well known luthier, in Padua too! a forerunner of the Chitarrone, but it's easier for the luthier to extend the neck than the body, and easier to play too! The paduan theorbo can be heard via You Tube played by Tomas Korula (heard here) originally an inspiration to make this instrument available in the first place.

£2849 (case £828)

For Sale: 13crs Baroque lute based on Wolfgang Wolf( Stadtmuseum Fussen Nr4669/ Jonas Elg 1729 (Stockholm M220)

This small baroque lute is based the Wolfgang Wolf 12crs lute, same as the  Renaissance 7crs version of it below, intended as the next evolution of the 12crs, of course 12crs music could be played on here too, the barring is the same as the original so the sound would be a close to the 12crs as a 13crs could be. The ribs are in Indian Rosewood with boxwood spacers, the pegs also in Indian Rosewood, bridge and end pin in pear wood stained black, Black Walnut neck and extended neck, ebony fingerboard and soundboard edging with the original 'golden' rose. There are 13 frets to allow to play the Bach transcriptions (By Imamura) 

£2248 (case if needed, essential if getting delivered £744 currently)

Hear it being played below

 

For Sale: 8crs Lute Based on Hieber (MIM1561)

8crs Renaissance lute based on Hieber of Venice (MIM1561), original string length of 59.7cm in g' (a=440Hz) in NNG and CD basses, the Hieber lutes one of the few surviving lutes still in it's original form. This one has plum ribs, black walnut neck and peg box with original design pear wood pegs, plum wood fingerboard, alpine spruce soundboard with original rose and ebony edging, pear wood end pin.

£2718 (£2064+Kingham case £654)

For Sale 7crs Renaissance lute based on Wolfgang Wolf (Stadtmuseum Fussen Nr4669)

This interesting instrument by Wolfgang Wolf survives as a rare 12crs lute so didn't get converted to a later baroque lute as many did so has some interesting marks on the soundboard hinting at it's earlier life, I decided to make as it may have been originally made by Wolfgang Wolf in Fussen as a 6 or even a 7crs. The 7crs was chosen as it allows for more repertoire to be played, tuned in g' 61.5cm string length. Ribs are a mix of various shades of heartwood and sapwood Yew, slightly figured maple neck and peg box with pear wood pegs and bridge. The body is smaller in width than the popular Frei lute but noticeably deeper in depth as seen above (15cm). The instrument can be bought with a custom made Kingham case or the cheaper 'shuster' hard plastic case at £309, however the case is a pre made so not made to measure, so extra padding around the body sides inside is required.

£1771+ case £309

For sale 8crs multi ribbed lute based on Hans Burkholtzer (NE48) Gut strung

Below is another Burkholtzer with the same materials as above but with a golden rose and tuned to a=380 Hz (Renaissance pitch/Pretorius' Chorton pitch) with part gut trebles and and octaves with CD loaded gut bases, the string length is 64cm, this can be heard here. If this pitch is not preferred then a new set of Nylgut and CD basses could always be ordered at standard 440Hz pitch but a new size of strings would need to be calculated.

£2575+ Kingham case £618 (discounted to £2175 + case £618 for variation in soundboard colour as seen below, made 2021)

Here this golden rose Burkholtzer being played below: