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About the vihuela

Since the rare surviving originals and historical sources give less information than in the case of lutes, you have to rely heavily on your own creativity as a luthier. I have tried to adopt the informations concerning sound from the Vihuela Chambure (Cité de la musique, Paris). The rather simple internal bracing seems convincing to me, because I would assume that things developed form plain to more complex. Lutes show the same trends.

Choice of materials, embellishments and frets in the example shown follow the requests of the customer. Your vihuela could look quite different, of course. As sound for me is the foremost aspect, I would advise to treat sumptuous ornamentation with some restraint.

I build vihuelas without a mould, working like spanish guitar makers. Therefore the outline of the body and the design of neck and pegbox are only limited by taste. So you have the chance to plan your very personal vihuela cooperating with me.


The vihuela seen in the images has been made with the following materials:

Back / Sides: Cypress with fillets of walnut

Neck: Walnut

Pegbox: Walnut

Soundboard: Spruce

String length: 59 cm

Frets: Bone, fixed

Pegs: Fruitwood

Bridge: Fruitwood with ebony

Fingerboard: Rosewood

Courses: 6

Rosette: Pear with parchment, border shaped of fruitwood



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