Seth wrote: SA> So the thread about student lutes and costs has got my brain working... SA> and let me state right away that by profession I am a business man and SA> not am musician. SA>
I would also think that the primary market for these instruments would be the Eastern oud market. Whilst I can't confirm it, I would think that the lutes are just ouds that are retro fitted to make "lutes". If someone were to get a Pakistani factory to make proper student lutes, they would surely have the skills. Fair bet that they have never seen a western lute for real. Given one to take apart and measure, they would be able to make a pretty good copy, quite cheaply, I would think. Whether there is a Western market for such an instrument, that is the matter for a proper business case. I would suspect that there might be in certain places. .. mark To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html