Relevant to at least some of the conversation at hand, here's a potentially useful bit: http://www.neallutes.com/2010/05/so-it-seems-redilling-holes-in-bridge.html
Eugene > -----Original Message----- > From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On > Behalf Of David van Ooijen > Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 4:16 AM > To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu > Subject: [LUTE] Re: long strings? > > On 29 August 2011 20:07, Eugene C. Braig IV <brai...@osu.edu> wrote: > > Plugging and re-drilling a bridge to suit whatever configuration a > player > > has need of seems commonplace enough. > > > Indeed, and in the bridge of a decent enough instrument plugging and > drilling is no problem. (I use what I call a finger drill, by the way, > basically a pencil-shaped handle to a drill bit, making drilling > almost parallel to the sound board possible). But refitting lesser > quality instruments can be a pain. Soft wood (you'd be amazed at the > cotton wool - quality of wood used in the neck of the guitar I'm > changing into an ersatz-theorbo/baroque lute/archlute at the moment, > drilling with my finger is no problem, literally!) and non-reversible > glues are a bother to work with. > > As an academic exercise, what would be needed to convert this > particular theorboed baroque guitar into an archlute or theorbo? > Here it is once more: > http://quality1trader.co.uk/musical-instrument/strings/lute/theorbo-bass- > lute-medium/ > A lute or theorbo needs at least 6 courses on the fingerboard (since > somebody asked, yesterday was the last time I fretted notes below the > fifth course and today I'm expecting to to it again) and an > unspecified number of diapassons. > The instrument has nine pegs in the lower peg box. One solutions is to > add two pegs (a bit of a job, but with the right tools it's possible) > and have 1x1 / 5x2 on the fingerboard. With nine diapassons, you can > add some chromatics in the basses and have a working lute/theorbo with > 15 courses. Quite something. > Another solution would be to use 7 single strings on the fingerboard. > That would require widening the nut, an easier job that should not > represent any major problems. With 9 diapassons that would mean a > 16-course archlute/theorbo. An attractive thought and a relatively > easy job, compared to the extra pegs. You might find single strings to > work better, and at least easier to play, on this instrument anyway, > so perhaps this is the first option to explore. > > Tuning > Stopped string length is 66cm, suggesting a tuning in e'. (Tune it > like a guitar and you can even play 19th century 10 string guitar > music on it :-), but if you don't mind thin synthetics, tuning it > higher should present no problems. > The basses are shortish, so a higher tuning would be better, actually. > If the instrument is tuned to g', gut diapassons are possible (if cost > is an issue use fret gut, it really is so much better than any of the > modern materials), otherwise carbon or metal-wounds seem to be the > best option. > > If anybody is taking the plunge, let us know about the results. > > David > > > -- > ******************************* > David van Ooijen > davidvanooi...@gmail.com > www.davidvanooijen.nl > ******************************* > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
