1988 Fritz Ober "7-Course Renaissance Lute" SP/YW

Fritz Ober was known for building some of the best Torres/Hauser style guitars of his generation. Additionally, he also built a fair number of pre-Torres styled instruments. Here we present an early example of an Elizabethan-era Renaissance lute featuring Fritz's creative and elegant craftsmanship, notably an ornately carved bridge and soundhole "rose" as well as a 13 stave yew back. The strings arranged in seven "courses" of two strings each, though the highest-pitched course consists of only a single string, called the "chanterelle". The courses are numbered sequentially, counting from the highest pitched, so that the "chanterelle" is the first course, the next pair of strings is the second course, etc. Thus this 7-course lute has a total 13 strings. Also notable are the movable "gut" frets (nylon frets can also be used). Condition-wise, there are no known repairs or cracks, only normal playing wear. It is a particularly beautiful example of Fritz's work and would be a great instrument for the guitarist seeking a more authentic quality of sound when playing lute music from the Renaissance into the Baroque - with the additional 7th course, much of this music can be played as written, requiring no arranging. Julian Bream popularized the lute starting in the 1960s and several other prominent lutenists have been regular members of the larger classical guitar community including the likes of Ronn McFarlane, Nigel North, Edin Karamazov (who recorded the music of Dowland with Sting), Evangelina Mascardi and many others. Lutes like this enter the market very infrequently so this is a rare opportunity to own a masterfully crafted and great sounding instrument by one of the great builders of the past 40 years. Includes the original custom-fitted gig bag.

Orfeo article on Hauser III, Blochinger and Ober