The Burkholtzer Lute

The original instrument was made by Hans Burkholtzer in Füssen in 1596 and is now in the Vienna Kunsthisorisches Museum, item number SAM 44. It was probably made as a seven or eight course instrument and there is a label inside which indicates that conversion to eleven courses was executed in 1705 by Thomas Edlinger of Prague. At some date after 1719 the bass rider was added by an unknown craftsman to make a thirteen course instrument.

 Baroque Lute Features:

• Back: 21 ribs, wood of choice with ebony spacers
• Italian spruce front
• Hand cut rose modeled on the original
• Decorative carving around rose
• Spruce neck core with ebony veneer
• Head maple rails with ebony trim
• Solid ebony head back plate (Decotarive head back plate is optional)
• Ebony fingerboard, with points
• Pegs: rosewood or boxwood
• End button: rosewood or boxwood
• Bone nut
• Maple or pear bass rider with ebony lining
• Maple or pear chanterelle with ebony lining
• Nylon top strings and octaves with wound nylon basses
• Pear bridge with ebony top plate
• Ebony outlined mother of pearl heart at bottom of front
• Ebony front edge half binding
• Form fitting Kingham case

Each instrument comes with a custom fitting Kingham case
and a choice of woods, all with ebony spacers*:

13 course head with bass rider

Rosewood*, (pictured)
Pear, (pictured)
Bird's eye maple, (pictured)
Figured maple, (not pictured)
Yew, (not pictured)

*Rosewood back uses pear spacers for contrast

Bird's eye maple back with ebony spacers

Pear back with ebony spacers

Rosewood back with pear spacers

Ebony head back plate

 Eleven course baroque model: $5,350

Thirteen course baroque model: $5,950

Deaorative head back plate, pierced holly reinforced with ebony: $425

Head plate pattern "A"

Head plate pattern "B"

Lute specifications, Baroque model:

• String length 70.5cm (27 3/4")
• Overall length 88.9cm (35")
• Body length 47cm (18.5")
• Neck length 32.7cm (12 7/8" )
• Body width 32.5cm (12 3/4")
• Body depth 15.25cm (6")

For details about the terms of sale, please look at the Terms of Sale.

To configure options, order, or place a deposit, go to the catalog listing.