Hi, In my experience, I would go for the best possible instrument, specially if you want to study the lute seriously. I is better to invest right at the beginning (if you can afford it, obviously), as selling and buying normally menas loosing money. Many good makers have fairly long waiting lists, which may be a problem, but some other don't, and there're many good and/or decent second hand instruments. I can recommend specific names and models, if you want, depending on where you are. Email privately, better.
Good luck, Ariel >> About a year ago I learned three or four songs from my beginner's >> lute-book, on a cheap Pakistani lute which cost me about $600. >> Unfortunately I soon reached a song which was impossible to play, due >> to the stretches required. No matter how much I stretched out my >> fingers (I am nineteen, and my ring size is 7), I would never have >> been able to do it; the lute was simply too big for me. I gave up for >> the time and have for about a year been missing playing my lute. I >> looked up some pages online for Italian lutes, such as that of Paolo >> Busato and Marco Salerno. With so many sellers and so many different >> kinds of lutes, it is difficult for me to find one to suit me now that >> I have enough money to buy a "real" lute! I could spend as much as >> $5,000; however, what I would really like is one between $1,000 and >> $2,500. I have a preference for Renaissance and specifically Italian >> lutes. Please, could you give me advice about purchasing one that >> would suit me? Otherwise I may just make another mistake. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Kay >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> > > > > >
