The LLD 13c Weiss Lute - a review by Rob MacKillop

The first thing to say is that this is a beautiful - and beautiful sounding - baroque lute. Le Luth Doré has managed to produce a concert-level instrument at what for many will be a reachable price.

The craftsmanship cannot be faulted - excellent woods, masterfully worked - and the sound is big and warm, with the clarity required for the music of its namesake.

Practicalities:

The string band [distance between outer strings at the bridge] is 140mm, the same as the Andreas Jauck, currently in the museum at Yale, and only 2mm shorter than the great lutes of Schelle [1744/48, Nürnberg] and J. C. Hoffmann [1730, Brussels]. My previous professional 13c lute had a string band over 10mm longer, but that was too long, making playing on the 13th and 1st courses simultaneously almost an impossibility. The LLD “Weiss Lute” felt narrow to me at first, but within a couple of days I was very happy with it. Guitar players coming to the baroque lute for the first time will find it very comfortable.

The soundboard has a very light varnish, just enough to warm up the white [good-quality] spruce, and provide some protection. I’ll confess, I had to have this pointed out to me, as I never noticed - the top just looks normal. The rose is laser cut, and is therefore flawless. Both these measures will have contributed to cutting construction time, reflected in the price, while in no degree at all affecting the quality of the lute.

The string length of 69cms is comfortable, and somewhere between French 11c lutes and some larger German lutes. I can imagine most people would be happy with this string length, especially those trying a baroque lute for the first time.

The strings are currently by Savarez, with rectified carbon trebles and bass octaves, and copper-wound bass fundamentals. These strings help provide a big, projecting sound. I imagine most guitar players would be happy with this, though some seasoned lute players might want to experiment with alternatives - it is ever thus!

I found the pegs to be very easy to use, which is not always the case, even on expensive lutes, though I used peg paste on the four strings on the bass rider.

So, who is this lute aimed at? Well, I for one would not hesitate to use it in a professional setting. Professionals fearful of taking their expensive lute on an airplane, would feel no drop in quality by having one of these as a second lute. Students at music institutions, and young professionals, are often required to play many lutes from different periods, so the price of this quality instrument will help enormously - and I imagine continuo instruments are in the pipeline. Beginners can rest assured that they will be starting their lute life on an instrument that will last for decades - I have already recommended it to one of my Skype students.

Le Luth Doré is bringing new players to our instrument, and many of them will in time commission instruments from more local luthiers. But their first encounter with a lute will be a positive one, allowing them to concentrate on developing musicianship and technique without the instrument getting “in the way”. I suffered from quite a few of those in the past!

Congratulations to Miguel and the staff at Le Luth Doré for producing such a good instrument. I’m very impressed with it.

Rob MacKillop, Scottish professional lutenist and guitar player.

www.robmackillop.net