I used to have one. It was fairly light to compare it to a Bream style galut,e but not as light as my current Venere copy. Mine was from around 1984, I think, so it may have evolved somewhat from the 77 model. What looked like spacers between ribs were actually pin stripes painted on.
I had to have the top removed at one point because a brace came loose. Since taking the top off is rather major, Hiro built me a new top. He said he put the bridge nearer the end because it should have been there in the first place. With the new top it sounded pretty good. My main complaint was with the neck which is quite wide at the nut, more suited to someone coming from classical guitar. For $800 including case, I'm not really sure. That's what I sold mine for. I haven't ever seen one of the infamous Pakistani lutes nor know how much they go for. What else, if anything, is available in this price range? I thought there was a maker who was specializing in making beginner lutes for around a thousand dollars. I'd be a little concerned that it is 30 years old and it's a bit of a bastard instrument. That is, if it is the model that I had, it is not a copy of a historical instrument. I was offered two Aria lutes, both the same price, when I got mine. One was a copy of a historic 7 course. Stupid me, I thought I was getting more value by getting the 8 course model and chose that one! It was a long time ago. Blush. cheers, On Oct 24, 2005, at 9:09 PM, Wayne Cripps wrote: > I am advising someone about buying a lute. What is the > collective wisdom on Shiro Arai's work, from 1977. An > "Aria" lute. This appears to still have the "heavy lute" > style pegbox and crude rosette. Would this be a > 60's style heavy lute, or a light "post '75" lute? Ed Durbrow Saitama, Japan [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
