1988 Eric Sahlin 9-Course Lute SP/MP

Best known for his classical guitars, Eric Sahlin built this 9-course Renaissance lute in 1988, with a spruce soundboard and a back of birdseye maple.

A Renaissance Lute by Eric Sahlin

Although his reputation rests primarily on the quality of his guitars, Eric has also built several other instruments, including lutes. This is a fine 9-course Renaissance lute built for a professional guitarist who wanted to play Elizabethan music on a period-style instrument, with an authentic sound and look.

Tuning and Setup

The top six courses are tuned like a guitar, except for the 3rd course, which is tuned a half step down. Typically, lutes like this are also tuned a minor third higher than a guitar for a brighter and, well... "lute-like" sound! The remaining three bass courses can be tuned in a descending scale. (Note in the photos that the 9th course has no strings, so it was set up as an 8-course when it came to us.)

Workmanship and Birdseye Maple

Workmanship is phenomenal, which is typical of this maker's work – to truly appreciate the perfection of the craftsmanship, it almost requires viewing with a microscope. The materials are exquisite too, including a gorgeous set of birdseye maple for the back, neck and back head veneer. A perfect instrument for the guitarist seeking to play Renaissance music on a period-style instrument, in perfect condition with no prior damage or repairs.

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 10 – West Coast Luthiers

Eric Sahlin: American Classical Guitar Maker

Eric Sahlin is one of the great American luthiers who has achieved world-class status, with a waiting list of over a decade and significant demand in the US, Europe and Japan. Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, he is self-taught and builds in Valleyford, just outside the city.

From UC Santa Barbara to a Full-Time Workshop

His first exposure to the classical guitar came in his teens, when his brother took up the instrument – and with it came the great guitar recordings on his brother's Musical Heritage Society LPs. At UC Santa Barbara, with its strong classical guitar program, Eric decided in 1975, his first year, to build a guitar of his own: a love of woodworking since early childhood and an interest in acoustical physics made it seem like a wonderful adventure. He studied the books, bought his first woods that spring and finished the guitar that summer. By the time a second one was done, his career was decided.

He set up shop building custom furniture while honing his guitar making on the side, and by 1978/79 he was building guitars full-time – helped by a chance connection with George Dauphinais of the Dauphin Company, a mail-order business that marketed Eric's 7-, 8- and 10-string guitars as a less expensive alternative to the multi-string instruments then on offer.

Lutes, Then Classical Guitars Only

In the early 1980s a lutenist friend asked Eric for a lute. He enjoyed the project so much that he studied these instruments in depth and built various lute models alongside his guitars. By the end of the decade, with the guitar market strengthening and his reputation established, he turned exclusively to his first love, the classical guitar.

Players and Design

Sahlin guitars have been played by Scott Tennant, Andrew York, Ottmar Liebert (flamenco), Carsten Pedersen and other top players worldwide. They are known for precise, restrained mother-of-pearl trim and for Eric's innovative "twisted" fingerboard, which he talked about when Orfeo Magazine visited his Spokane-area workshop for its West Coast issue (No. 10, 2017).