What kind of lute is this, which strings does it use and to which notes are they tuned?

Question

Okay, that's actually 3 questions, but I would love to play this instrument.

I acquired this lute (see images). It has 10 strings (5 currently missing). I want to replace them, and tune the lute.

But I don't know which strings to use or how to tune it.

Can anyone help me out?

Lute

@Tim, yes I am very gracious, although it need some polishing, I can't wait to fiddle with it :-) — Stefan, Jul 3 '15 at 17:13
There is a very useful mail list about lutes of all types, which you can see here: cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html I have been using this list for some years and there are some really helpful and very knowledgeable contributors. If you join the Lute List, you could then post there and ask them for more detailed advice about strings. — Old John, Jul 3 '15 at 19:00

user21265 · Accepted Answer · 2015-07-03 17:03:32Z

4

Looks like a Swedish Lute to me.

answered Jul 3 '15 at 17:03

user21265

411 bronze badge

That's the one! I can now search for the string and tuning. – Stefan Jul 3 '15 at 17:12
Essentially it is a guitar with four extra bass strings. I believe the top six strings are standard guitar strings tuned to standard pitch. There is a Swedish-language website with a wealth of information here: svenskalutan.se – user1044 Jul 3 '15 at 19:37
1

I am not sure if your instrument should be strung with steel strings or with ball-end folk nylon strings. You should be careful about this. If it was designed for nylon strings, you should not put steel strings on it; they will damage the instrument. – user1044 Jul 3 '15 at 19:39

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