| An exact copy of the 1727 Sebastian Schelle lute owned by the Paris Conservatoire de Musique, Musee Instrumentale No. E.233. European spruce top, alternating ribs of flame maple and Spanish cedar, the sound board has an inlaid heart of ivory bound in ebony. African blackwood pegs are set into a mahogany peg box and the neck is veneered with alternating strips of ebony and maple. This instrument is scaled exactly as the original lute, so it can be strung in either gut or nylon in the original pitch. The state of preservation of this lute is beyond remarkable, there being no cracks, dings or other signs of handling. Even the sound board is pristinely clean, showing only 25 years of natural sun tanning, and not one bit of distortion or twisting despite the fact it has been continually strung for 25 years and the sound board is thicknessed as per the original at less than 2 mm! For a musician wishing to explore the D minor Baroque lute tuning and its literature, no finer instrument can be had. A form fitted original case is included with this instrument. |
