Recent Work

Schelle foldable theorbo

For single or double stringing in A or D minor. Padauk body.

Pitch: A, String length: 88.5 & 165 cm

Belchior Dias guitar

Ebony sides, sapele neck and back.

Pitch: a', String length: 53 cm

Georg Gerle 6c Lute

Bowl, neck, pegbox, fingerboard of visa (masur) birch, soundboard edge made of ipe.

Pitch: f#, String length: 60 cm

Hoffmann 1720 baroque lute

After Johann Christian Hoffmann (Philharmonie de Paris, Musée de la Musique E.529). Bowl of figured maple with colored varnish, dyed maple pegbox with carving copied from the original.

Pitch: f', String length: 70 & 96 cm

Laux Mahler renaissance lute

Made with figured birch. Pierced pegbox design in maple. Case made by me.

Pitch: f, String length: 65 cm

Buchenberg 1614

41 ribs of padauk with maple spacers. Ebony and elforyn scrimshaw inlays inspired by Ioachim Tielke 1696.

Pitch: A, String length: 89 & 170 cm

Hoffmann baroque lute

Figured maple body with colored varnish. Pierced swan neck decoration adapted from a well known French theorbo design.

Pitch: f, String length: 71 & 95 cm

Buchenberg 1614 Theorbo

After Matteo Buchenberg. Decorative details copied from the original except for a bone plaque on the fingerboard which was deemed too crass. This theorbo was built without any ebony, the black parts are blackwood tek, and stained walnut for the rib spacers. Yew body, walnut and maple decorations.

Pitch: A, String length: 89 & 172 cm

Hoffmann Bassrider

13c Baroque lute built on the deep Hoffmann body shape, made of visa (masur) birch.

Pitch: f', String length: 70 cm

Hartung Theorbo

15 ribs of heartwood-sapwood yew, ebony veneered neck. Foldable, 6+8 gut strings. Single large rosette from another instrument by Hartung.

Pitch: A, String length: 84 & 160 cm

English theorbo

Padauk and visa birch theorbo based on the Harz body. Single strung English style extension with separate nuts for each bass string.

Pitch: d, String length: 74-129 cm

Schelle Bass Lute

Large 10c bass lute or early chitarrone based on the Schelle body. Can be tuned as theorbo or in baroque lute minor tuning in A with 11 courses.

Pitch: A, String length: 86 cm

Vihuela

Vihuela made of figured birch, with Pegheds mechanical tuners. Based on the Chambure vihuela shape but made with a slightly curved back.

Pitch: g, String length: 59 cm

Giorgio Sellas Baroque Guitar

Made with padauk, ebony and maple. faihtful to the original in shape but not style.

Pitch: e, String length: 69 cm

Niskanen Theorbo

The Niskanen 109% model built in the style of the Martin Kaiser 1609 theorbo. Ebony with holly filets. Neck and fingerboard inlays made with synthetic ivory substitute.

Pitch: A, String length: 89 & 174 cm

Schelle theorbo

Maple body with colored varnish.

Pitch: Dmin, String length: 85 & 165 cm

Buchenberg theorbo

Body of yew with ebony filets.

Pitch: A 415hz, String length: 90 & 161 cm

Venere 8c

Body of figured birch and visa birch. Sapele neck and pegbox. Rosette after Laux Mahler.

Pitch: g', String length: 59 cm

Venere 7c

Sapele neck and pegbox, color-varnished figured maple body with ebony filets.

Pitch: g', String length: 59 cm

6c Venere

6 course renaissance lute based on body shape by Vendelio Venere. Cherry body and neck, boxwood fingerboard with holly edges. Ebony filets.

Pitch: g', String length: 59 cm

Dieffopruchar Baroque Lute

Comfortably sized bass-rider style baroque lute made of padauk, maple and ebony. Based on the Dieffopruchar 1612 body shape.

Pitch: f' (a=415Hz, D minor), String length: 69 & 75 cm

Dieffopruchar Archlute

Archlute based on the Dieffopruchar body. Torrefied/baked birch, plain ol' birch and ebony.

Pitch: f#, String length: 64 & 120 cm

Large Bass Lute

9+2 courses inspired by Carlo Sarazeni's painting "St.Cecilia and the angel". Based on the very large Hartung 1612 bass lute body. Yew body with colored varnish.

Pitch: A, String length: 87 & 97 cm

Niskanen Foldable Theorbo

Foldable theorbo, own design, with French style head and extension decoration. 8+6 strings. Body with 35 padauk ribs, bone edge on fingerboard.

Pitch: A, String length: 74 & 153 cm

Hartung theorbo

Body made of heart-sapwood bubinga. Ebony veneered neck and extension, aformosia fingerboard panel.

Pitch: A, String length: 80 & 145 cm

Mandolino

Baroque mandolino made of sapele, maple and ebony.

Pitch: g', String length: 32 cm

Hartung Theorbo

Made of ebony and holly, cocobolo pegs. 51 ribs.

Pitch: A, String length: 79 & 160 cm

Buchenberg 1614 Foldable Theorbo

41 ribs made of ebony with holly strips, inlays of maple and walnut, slightly adapted from the original to fit the folding extension.

Pitch: A, String length: 89 & 159 cm

Renaissance lute in a

Made of figured maple with a colored varnish. The neck is torrefied birch.

Pitch: a', String length: 54 cm

Venere 7c

Left-handed renaissance lute after Venere, made of figured birch.

Pitch: g, String length: 58.5 cm

Lefty Frei 10/11c

Made of Jatoba with birch spacers, with original Frei rosette, and ebony-maple fingerboard inlay. Can be set up as 11c baroque lute or 10c renaissance lute. I also made the case.

Pitch: g, String length: 61 cm

5 String Colascione

Body of figured maple, carbon fiber reinforced veneered neck.

Pitch: e, String length: 86 cm

Gittern 5c

Very ornate version, with a pear&parchment rosette from the Francis Palmer Orpharion, maple&walnut checkerboard fingerboard, lozenge edge banding and head carving based on a mascaron on the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris. The body is birch.

Pitch: a', String length: 51 cm

Voboam Baroque Guitar

Sides of ebony, back and neck of torrefied figured birch. Layered parchment rosette.

Pitch: e, String length: 66 cm

Medieval Lute in D

This large 5 course medieval lute is loosely based on the picture in Cantigas de Santa Maria. It is made of walnut and figured maple.

Pitch: d or e, String length: 71 cm

Purpleheart Harz Theorbo

A small theorbo based on the Martinus Harz archlute body, made mostly of purpleheart.

Pitch: A, String length: 70 / 120 cm

Medieval Citole

Although citoles were originally made with carved bodies, this specimen is made in modern style with bent sides out of figured birch, and boxwood fittings and fingerboard, including the frets.

Pitch: a', String length: 51 cm

Schelle Folding Theorbo

This one has a neck long enough for 9 frets. The body is made of figured maple with a colored varnish. A heart on the soundboard and the original rosette.

Pitch: A, String length: 89 & 161 cm

Lute in a'

My own design for a renaissance lute tuned in a. Made of figured maple with a clear finish, boxwood fingerboard, heart-shaped maple pegs.

Pitch: a, String length: 54 cm

Railich 12c

The Railich model is a good fit for small archlutes and 12c lutes with short string lengths as the wide body has enough space for a wide bridge.

Pitch: g', String length: 58 cm

Schelle Folding Theorbo

Figured maple back with red varnish, pegs for double stringing. Single rosette like original, except using an older design by Venere.

Pitch: A, String length: 85 & 171 cm

Hartung Foldable Theorbo

A smaller theorbo for solo playing with 10 frets on the neck, or fewer with a shorter neck. Shown with padauk body with maple filets, torrefied birch fingerboard panel, maple-ebony inlay on the neck, extension painted black.

Pitch: A, String length: 84.5 & 160 cm

Martinus Harz Archlute

Made of figured cherry with birch filets, ebony veneered neck and painted extension

Pitch: f#, String length: 66 & 139 cm

Belchior Dias Renaissance Guitar

Made of figured sapele with a flat back and aformosia fingerboard, maple neck

Pitch: a', String length: 53 cm

5c Medieval Lute

Medieval lute for playing with a plectrum or fingerstyle. Own design based on historical paintings.

Pitch: g', String length: 59.5 cm

Kalevala Inspired Renaissance Lute

The neck panels are based on 20th century Finnish artists' depictions of the Kalevala epic. The rosette and pegbox designs are my own art. The body is made of figured sapele with cherry-ebony filets. 10 courses, based on the Hans Frei lute.

Pitch: f#, String length: 63 cm

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Schelle Foldable Theorbo

Padauk body, veneered neck, black painted extension. Original rosette. 7+7 or 6+8 strings, 8 frets on the neck.

Pitch: A, String length: 85/161 cm

Niskanen 109%

Now with 9% more theorbo! This is my own design, but scaled up from my original proposition. This is a slightly smaller theorbo than the Buchenberg and Schelle, and other serious historical theorbos, to allow for either a more frets on the neck (as shown), or shorter string length. As shown, can be strung 7+7, 7+8 or 6x2+8. 31 ribs. Total folded length 135 cm.

Pitch: G or A, String length: as shown, 10 frets at 89 cm & 174 cm. 9 frets at 84 cm, 8 frets at 80 cm

Voboam baroque guitar

Made with ebony sides, figured torrefied birch back and neck. Peghead decoration from the Dias renaissance guitar.

Pitch: e, String length: 66 cm

Baroque Mandora in e', 9c

Based on the Jauck 1746 mandora in Brussels, shown here with 10 courses and built on the Hoffmann body, which is almost the same size as the original. A loud continuo instrument with very few musical sources, tuned like a modern guitar. Also called gallichon.

Pitch: e', String length: 70 & 85 cm