Welcome to Northwest Lutes
Becoming a Luthier
I began building lutes around 1990. But, it began in 1985 when I started guitar lessons with Jeffery Ashton. I had been playing acoustic and electric guitar since about 1965. Eventually, the music lessons focused on the music of Pierre Attaingnant, Da Milano, Bessard and other Renaissance composers. Increasingly, I found playing lute music transcribed for guitar to feel cropped, diminished, diluted.
It was then Jeff reveled he had been holding out: he owned a 7 course Renaissance lute. Best of all, I could borrow it. I feel in love with the lute, its touch, its feel, its subtle and sweet tone.
When I returned for my next lesson with Jeff I asked to borrow his lute for another two weeks. His response was pure and unequivocally “NO”. My lute building career began then. I had to have a lute.
In 1988 -89 there was no internet. The libraries and book stores – even music stores had nothing on lute construction. No one I knew could tell me anything about lutes. I decided to make my own based on my measurements of Jeff’s lute. This resulted in my first “lute”. During the building of this “lute” I meet Tim Sweeney, Baroque musician and lutinist who referred me to Robert Lundberg. It’s not what you don’t know it’s who you don’t know.
I meet Bob Lundberg. Standing on his porch at his home on N.E. Oregon St. with my “lute” in hand I remember Bob’s kind and forgiving smile at my offering. I asked Bob if he would consider an apprenticeship. He responded he had tried that before and it hadn’t worked, but his door was open, Friday mornings were best – all my questions were welcome.
Over the next several years I made numerous Friday visits to Bob’s home. It was during this period Bob was writing his book, “Historical Lute Construction”. I acquired much knowledge on lute construction from Bob. He gave me lute tops, cedar for braces, thoughts on making Sloppy Joes and much direction for what might be called Luthier Mind. It was a great honor to have known Robert Lunberg.
