Howard, control yourself! If it is a good lute otherwise, put it up for sale (if truly irreparable) Someone might be interested in it, seriously. I know one Baroque lutenist who had the rider removed from his very unsatisfactory 13 course, and it is now a magnificent, beautifully proportioned and exquisitely sounding 11 course lute. He has kept it, and gotten a new 13 course that has worked out satisfactorily.
Anyway, lutes are no fun to shoot. Stumps, beer cans, and watermelons are all much better. :) -Dan >How can I really value a lute that has a broken bass rider? Many's >the time I've thought about taking it out back and shooting it. But >I'd have to buy a gun first, so it's probably cheaper to repair it. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
