Category Archives: History

New plans! A 19th C. Stauffer-style guitar by Ries

One of the perks of my job is that people bring in unusual and interesting instruments to work on. Some of them are so interesting that I document them to share with others in the form of building plans. A … Continue reading

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The Renaissance and Baroque Lutes

It might seem that I am on a plan drawing frenzy at the moment. That’s true, but I am also finishing up a lot of things I made in the past. Two years ago a couple of my students at … Continue reading

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The year of the Psalter

My focus of research has lately been drawn to instruments in early medieval psalters. With the main focus on the Utrecht and Stuttgart examples. So much that I themed this year the “Year of the Psalter” Both are masterpieces of … Continue reading

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To hang our Lyres up to the Willows…

“By the waters of Babylon,     there we sat down and wept,     when we remembered Zion. On the willows there     we hung up our lyres.” Psalm 137:1-2 (ESV) o you probably have heard these verses? They are fairly well known. The people … Continue reading

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Early Medieval Iron Making

This movie is the first thing I ever saw about early iron production. And it fascinated me completely. Literally combining the four elements in the process to make something. Earth + water make cobb Air dries the oven Fire breaks … Continue reading

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Voboam: Guitars fit for a king

It’s probably the most well known name when it comes to baroque guitars: Voboam. Rather than a single maker, there is a whole dynasty of luthiers, spanning almost a century. It started with pater familias René Voboam, whose 1641 guitar … Continue reading

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14 Histoires de Guitares

At the 8th of january an enveloppe fell on my doormat. So far nothing unusual, that happens regularly, but this time it contained a nice surprise: the new cd “14 Histoires de Guitares” by Canadian guitarist David Jacques. Over the … Continue reading

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New plans: Gosewyn Spyker – a guitar from 1760…

Today I will give a lecture for the Dutch Lute Society about the oldest surviving guitar from the Netherlands. Made in 1760 in Amsterdam by Gosewyn Spyker. This guitar was preserved in the collection of Duivenvoorde Castle, where it was … Continue reading

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The Prittlewell Lyre

In 2003, archaeologists of the Museum of London Archaeology uncovered the remains of an Anglo-Saxon grave chamber near Southend, Essex. It soon became apparent this was not a normal burial. The person had been laid to rest with a plethora … Continue reading

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“The Beast unleashed”- the Lion Theorbo leaving the nest.

As you know I am working on a large theorbo after the Matheus Buechenberg (Rome, 1614) in the V&A museum. Nomally I make lutes with anything from 7 to 19 ribs. But making a 41 rib bowl in Yew heartwood … Continue reading

Posted in History, Lute, Music, Printing press, Projects, Uncategorized, Woodworking, Workshop | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment