Roosebeck Acoustic Lute-Guitar Steel 6-String Variegated

Roosebeck Acoustic Lute-Guitar Steel 6-String Variegated

The steel string lute-guitar is an attractive and lightweight instrument of a similar size and scale to a standard classical guitar but with a body like a lute. In keeping with the character of a lute, the bowl-shaped body is achieved by edge-gluing together staves of uniformly thin hardwoods bent to a specific shape with no heavy internal bracing to retain its form. The bowl is made of two alternating woods: Lacewood (Platanus orientalus) is a light-colored hardwood that has color similar to maple and has distinctive rays that provide what is known as a "beeswing" pattern. A member of the sycamore family, its timbre characteristics are similar to maple generally providing a brighter tone than rosewood. The dark-colored wood is sheesham rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo) that affords a warmer mellower tone. The combination of the two offers a blended timbre as well as a desirable look. European spruce is used for the soundboard and, in keeping with the design of 16th-Century lutes, its soundhole is a carved rosette in an attractive geometric pattern which is cut into the soundboard itself and is not inlaid of different material. Most exciting is that the soundboard bracing pattern follows bracing used in world-famous Kohno classical guitars. The mahogany neck has a shape is similar to a classical guitar with a 45mm wide nut of ebony. The top of the peg box has a woman's head carved on the top. Using standard steel classical guitar strings, it is tuned like a guitar in e, b, G, D, A, E tuning. If it is to be used for lute music, the 3rd string may be tuned a semi-tone down to F to enable lute fingering. The guitar is outfitted with smooth-operating gold tuners with black ebonized tuning key buttons. The overall length is 1030mm and the scale length is 647mm, similar to a normal guitar. A bi-directional truss rod is installed to compensate for any changes in neck curvature. Satin lacquer finish. SPECIAL NOTE ON STRINGS: There is no warranty on strings. Manufacturers recommend that you change the strings on your instrument as soon as you receive it. Your instrument has completed a long journey before it ever begins the final leg to your home. During this time the elements affect the strings and may shorten their lifespan. It occasionally happens that a string will fail during that final leg of the journey. Therefore, it is recommended that you purchase a replacement set of strings and consider changing your strings soon after it arrives. If you are a student you may want to change your strings every 3-4 months. If you are a rock star you may need to change your strings every week. If you store your instrument, you should consider changing the strings when you pick it up again. Features: Item overall: 40.5" L x 6.5" H x 12.5" W Body/Bowl: 19.75" L x 6.5" H x 12.5" W Body & Neck: The body is sheesham and varigated lacewood Neck: Sheesham on top of mahogany Nut: bone Neck at Nut: 1.75" W; Nut: 1.75" W Neck at Body Joint: 2.5" W Strings at the Nut: 1.5" W Strings at Bridge: 2.5" W Scale Length: 18" European solid spruce soundboard Variegated body Ebonized tuning key buttons Shipped Insured Brand New!