Hieber Model Lute

The Giovanni Hieber model lute has been revived in the workshop after being discontinued for many years. This lute model is the basic full, round lute form that is characteristic of the early instruments from Venice. The original instrument is set up with seven courses, but this model is available from the Gamut workshop as in six, seven, and eight courses.

 

Lute specifications:

  • 59cm string length 

  • Overall length - 28"

  • Front length - 17 1/4"

  • Body width - 12"

  • Body depth - 6"

  • String spacing between courses at bridge, (8 course), 10.1mm

  • Spacing between strings in course at bridge, (8 course),  4.9mm

  • String spacing between courses at nut, (8 course),  5.7mm

  • Spacing between strings in course at nut, (8 course),  3.1

 

 

 

 

Basic Lute Features:

  • Back: Cherry ribs

  • Neck: Cherry wood

  • Head: Cherry wood

  • Choice of ebony, boxwood or rosewood pegs

  • Front: AAA Engelmann spruce

  • Rose: Pattern "A"

  • Fingerboard: Cherry with rosewood edges

  • Bridge: cherry with rosewood cap

  • Nut: Bone

  • End button: To match the pegs

  • Pegs: Rosewood, ebony or boxwood

  • Strings: Nylon and fluorocarbon with wound nylon basses

This lute model is available as:

  • Six course lute

  • Seven course lute, (as the original)

  • Eight course lute

In addition to the instrument described above and pictured, enhancement features can be added to the instrument.

The basic model instrument comes with a good quality engelmann spruce front. Other qualities of front wood are available as an optional feature. Please click on this link to go to the page that explains all of the front woods available.

Optional features:

Fronts:

  • Engelmann "AAA" quality

  • Western Red Cedar

  • Sitka Spruce

  • Figured Sitka Spruce

  • Italian Alpine Spruce

  • Figured Italian Spruce

Other Back woods:

  • Figured maple

  • Figured maple with ebony spacers

  • Yew

  • Yew with ebony spacers

  • Pear

  • Pear with ebony spacers

  • Bird's eye maple

  • Bird's ey maple with ebony spacers

Other optional features:

  • Optional rose petterns

  • Ebony veneered neck

  • Stripes in neck and back of head

  • Ebony fingerboard with ebony points

  • Ebony front binding only

  • Ebony front binding with ebony heart

  • Ebony front binding with mother-of-pearl heart

  • Boxwood front binding, with boxwood heart

  • Gut string set