Lute Maker

[Rob MacKillop]

This is Jonathan Santa Maria Bouquet, PhD student at Edinburgh University, with a lute he has just made, based on 16th-century information. I have it on loan for one week, to see if I can help him with a recording, maybe even a video - if so, I'll embed it here.

Lute2bw by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Lute1bw by RobMacKillop, on Flickr​

Fuji X-E1, 18-55mm, Lightroom and Nik Silver

 

[Glenn Clabo]

Very nice Rob...can't wait to see/hear it sing.

 

[Pete Askew]

Nice shots and a lovely looking lute. I especially like the first one. The eye contact, pose and tones are super and the tools are just out of focus. The only thing I would consider would be to shave a touch off the top. Looking forward to the video.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Thanks, gents.

I did try taking a bit off the top, Pete, but I wasn't happy losing some of the tools. I agree, though, it could do with a trim - I just never settled on how much, so gave up!

 

[Brian Moore]

Lovely images and lovely-looking instrument. Rob, what are the tone woods used on the lute, do you know?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

The soundboard is Alpine spruce. The back is rosewood with pine spacers in between, I think. The soundboard is ebony. And the tunes are flowers of the forest

 

[Brian Moore]

Rosewood and Ebony. It cannae be cheap!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

It has been bought for an undisclosed sum. Doubt if there would be any change out of four grand.... I have to give it back on Saturday...

 

[Rense Haveman]

The first, the first, the first!

Did I mention I love the first??

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Which one, Rense?

 

[Nihat Iyriboz]

Love the first one, Rob. Yes the crop decision is a difficult one.
After you will have played and recorded with it, the buyer will need to pay an additional sum, I reckon.

 

[Lee Webb]

Nice images, I like the black and white conversion - is it just my eyes or is there a little camera shake evident here? It's hard to tell in the small images.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Hand held, Lee.

 

[Lee Webb]

I thought it might be - is there camera shake though? I'm paranoid I've been awake too long and that my eyes are playing tricks on me!!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Keep taking the drugs.

 

[Lee Webb]

You see that's just not helpful - All I wanted was a straight answer!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

It's now the next day, and - guess what? - I didn't lose any sleep over it

 

[Paul Lange]

The first one Rob is a lovely image with good eye contact and the sense of pride with his lute comes across. Camera shake? I thought it was just the natural musical rhythm pulsating through your hands.

 

[Lee Webb]

All I wanted was a straight answer, not a childish defense mechanism.

 

[Pete Askew]

I think it can be seen quite clearly that there is some camera shake in the original image - probably vertical judging from the fact that the vertical lines in the luthiers jumper are not blurred.