Best Lute & Best Lute Brands
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Are you planning to buy a lute? Lute is an extremely enjoyable instrument that can create some of the most beautiful sounds. It has been in existence since the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the 1900s the interest in lutes was revived. This resulted in the construction of lutes like classic guitars.
This is a fantastic instrument that has a vast range of music. It can take a lot of time to explore it fully. A lute can produce an amazing sound if played correctly. When buying a lute, you must consider plenty of things. Every lute is uniquely made, this is why selecting a lute is a complex and daunting task. This article is a guide for you to buy the correct lute.
What are the Best Lute to Buy?
Take a look at the things to look for when buying a lute.
Factors to Consider When Buying A Lute
There are many things that you need to pay attention to when selecting a lute. We have listed some of the things that will help you in getting the right lute.
Kind of Lute
When buying a lute, you should consider the style of the lute. There are various styles of the lutes ranging from 6-course to 10-course. You should carefully select the type of lute you want to buy.
Bridge
Another thing you need to focus on is the bridge. The bridges of the lute are of complex shape as they are designed to offer the essential functions with less wood. They are cut away at the front to give a small ledge.
Pegbox And Pegs
The pegbox of a lute have closed back. The joint to the neck normally have a thin tongue between the nut and end of the pegbox. As far as, pegs are concerned they must be stiff but must turn smoothly.
5 Best Lute Reviews and the Best Lute Brands
Read further to know some of the most popular lutes used by musicians.
1) Descant Lacewood, 7-Course Lute
One of the most popular lutes is the Descant Lute. This lute has 7-course style with a lovely short neck. It features 13 strings with the scale length of 19.75 inches. The overall length of the Descant Lute is 25 inches.
The strings are made using nylon of top-quality that makes the stings strong. The back of the body is constructed from lacewood staves in a classic bowl shape. The fretboard is manufactured from Sheesham and the neck is made from lacewood with 8 nylon frets. The tuners on the peg box are beautifully placed. The material used for tuners is lacewood and Sheesham.
The resonance this lute produce is warm, rich, and bright. The tuning of the lute is easy as the tuners can be turned smoothly. You can get access to wider range of high and low notes.
Moreover, the soundboard of the lute is created from European spruce with Sheesham end pin the bridge of Descant Lute is crafted from Sheesham making the lute durable and sturdy.
The Descant 7-course Lute is an ideal choice to be played at all events.
2) Roosebeck Deluxe 8-Course Sheesham& Canadian Cedar Lute
Another great choice is the Roosebeck Deluxe Lute. This lute features a 4 nylon wound strings and 11 rectified nylon strings in 8-course. The body of the lute is made from Sheesham staves, to make it more appealing it has white pinstripes in between. The end peg, tuning pegs, neck, bridge, and nut are crafted using Sheesham. The back of the peg box has laser-cut pattern to make it more appealing.
Furthermore, the soundboard is manufactured using the Canadian Cedar wood. The sound hole has a laser-cut design that makes it beautiful. To make it more appealing, the back of the pegbox also has a laser-cut design. The natural finishing gives the lute sophisticated look. The Roosebeck Deluxe Lute has 8 nylon frets on the neck along with 4 Sheesham frets on the soundboard.
The bridge of the lute is crafted from Sheesham with the top plate manufactured from Cedar. The top plate has the shape of a mustache. The tuning of the lute is smooth with usual 8-course tuning.
It comes with a padded bag to keep it safe and carry it around with ease. Along with this, an instruction book is available with, so you can easily learn to play the lute.
The Roosebeck Deluxe Lute is a great option for right-handed players.
3) Roosebeck Lute-Guitar, 6 String, Variegated, Gears
Another most used lute is the Roosebeck Lute-Guitar. This lute is tuned like the guitar with 6 strings. 3 strings are crafted using nylon whereas 3 are made using nylon wound in nickel. The bowl of the lute is made using 2 kinds of wood, Lacewood it is the light-colored wood. While Sheesham is a dark wood that provides a warm and smooth tone. The light and dark color gives it desirable look and adds a classy touch.
For the soundboard of this lute, European Spruce is used and the sound hole has a carved rosette. The neck of the lute is made from Mahogany that is similar to the neck of a guitar. It has a 51 mm nut of ebony on the neck. The top of the peg box features a woman’s head carved.
The tuning of the strings is just like the classical guitar strings. It has gold tuners with tuning keys that are manufactured using black ebony. It is easy to tune that offers you a vast range of tones. The performance of this lute is great that offers a smooth player experience.
This Roosebeck Lute is great for adding a touch of the early folk music to modern music. It is a good choice for all occasions.
4) Mid-East 7-Course Travel Lute, Rosewood
Next option is the Mid-East 7-Course Lute. The body of the lute is manufactured using 11 solid rosewood staves. The neck and fingerboard are also crafted from rosewood. The pegbox of this lute is attached at the angle of 135 degrees. This decreases the depth of the lute.
The pegbox is made from rosewood making it strong. The nut and tuning pegs are made using rosewood while the soundboard is manufactured using European Spruce. The solid soundboard is decorated with a fantastic center rosette. This lute has 13 nylon strings in 7-course that produce a great, warm, and deep sound.
On this lute, 8 frets are made from nylon whereas 4 are from rosewood. The scale length of the lute is 572 mm and the dimensions are 800 mm in length x 230 mm in width x 152 mm in depth. The nut width of this Mid-East Travel Lute is 190 mm.
The Mid-East Lute is available with a padded gig bag that protects it from all the elements. You can transport it to any place without any trouble.
5) Sandi Cankaya Music Renaissance Lute
The Sandi Cankaya Music Renaissance Lute is among the famous lutes. This lute is an 8-course lute with 15 nylon strings. The craftsmanship of the lute is great as top-quality materials are used. It is designed to produce wonderful, sweet, and bright sound. The body, peg box, and neck of the lute are made from Mahogany. The soundboard is created using European Spruce. This makes the lute durable and robust to bear the daily wear and tear.
The inlay of the Sandi Cankaya Lute is handcrafted to offer an appealing look. The fingerboard and saddle of the Renaissance Lute are made from Pelesenge. The tuners can be turned easily providing you tuning without any difficulty. You can get an extensive range of low and high notes. The strip length of the lute is 60 cm, the length of the body is 34.5 cm and depth of the body is 17.5 cm. The length of the neck is 23.5 cm.
The lute comes with a wooden hard case that will protect it and keep it safe. You can take it anywhere without causing any damage to the lute.
Choosing the Best Lute from the Best Lute Brands
In the end, Lute is an amazing instrument for you to play. All the lutes are different and special. This makes choosing one lute a difficult choice. You have to consider many things when buying a lute.
You should pay attention to the style of the lutes along with bridge, pegs, and pegbox. Some other things you need to focus on is the fingerboard, nut, strings height, spacing of the strings and soundboard.
The materials used in the production of the lute are also important as it makes it long lasting. An important thing to keep in mind is your budget and your requirements. You must get the lute according to your skill level.
These tips will help you in buying the right lute for your needs.
Which factors you think must be considered when buying a lute?
Share your views with us in the comments below.