"The sleeve says the lute used is a Van der
Waals from 1973 and I am amazed at how great it sounds--almost too
good
for a 1973 lute. "
The lute doesn't matter nearly as much as the player. Having said
that, Nico van der Waals was a very fine maker and many of the best
players chose his instruments. I'm not sure exactly what people have
against lutes from the 70s. My only significant gripe would be that
some were built very light, lighter than surviving old lutes - probably
a reaction to some of the guitar-like lutes built in the 50s and 60s.
Still, even at that time some makers (such as Ian Harwood) were
building nice lutes - though rather plain in terms of today's tastes.
Strings were another matter, though, and it was troublesome for players
to get hold of decent ones. Even so, a good player can still produce a
great sound whatever strings are used.
Bill
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