Gamut Instruments - Hans Frei-Model Baroque Lute

Hans Frei was one of the great instrument makers in Italy in the early 1500s. In his workshop in Bologna he helped to define the form of the lute. A testament to the enduring quality of his instruments is that no extant Frei lute remains in original condition. They have all been updated with the passage of time and the fashions of music with new necks to accommodate more strings and new tunings.

This model is based on an instrument by Hans Frei now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, no. C34. This model has been chosen because it is a very beautiful and comfortable form with a full, bright tone. It is an ideal lute for both beginners and experienced players.

The original instrument, in its present form, is an 11-course instrument for baroque tuning. This is a later adaptation of the instrument, which was probably made as a six-course instrument..

Hans Frei-Model Baroque Lute Specifications:

• String length 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-, and 10- course - 63cm and 64cm

• Body length - 44cm

• Body width - 31cm

• Overall length - 74cm

• 11 rib cherry wood back

• Cherry neck

• Cherry fingerboard with rosewood edges and points

• "AAA" Englemann spruce front

• Rosewood end pin

• Bone nut

• * The 11-course Baroque model has an Ebony veneered neck with an ebony fingerboard

Hans Frei-Model Baroque Lute:

Modeled after: Hans Frei Lute No. C34, c. 16th Century - Now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna