Hans Frei Lute

6,7,8,10 course Hans Frei,C34 in the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum.  62 cm. mensur.  I use the rose from the C33 Frei, as it is much nicer and more detailed.  11 ribs of cherry, curly maple, or birdseye maple.  Cherry bridge with ebony veneer.  Excellent quality Englemann spruce top.  This is my most popular lute, and is highly recommended as a general tenor lute that will cover a great deal of repertoire.  Outstanding tone and playability. 6 course $1,800.  7,or8 course $1,900.  10 course with ebony veneer on the neck and pegbox, with a poplar neck core to reduce weight, $2,500.

                The rose from the C33 Frei.                                                               A 10 course version of the C34 Frei.

The smaller lute in the above two pictures is a 6 course alto lute tuned to a.  It is the C34 Hans Frei shrunken to fit a 55cm. mensur.  It has 9 ribs of curly maple, birdseye maple, or cherry, maple neck,and rosewood or ironwood pegs in the early heart shaped style.  Price $1,800.  The larger lute is an 8 course Frei with optional veneer on the neck and pegbox, spacers between the ribs, Venetian half-binding around the top, and an inlaid pearl and ebony spade below the bridge.  All my lutes can be customized to any level of trim. The optional decoration does not affect the sound or playability, only the visual aesthetics.   back to Renaissance Lutes

Lawrence K. Brown, Luthier    13 Sunset Lane    Asheville, NC 28804    USA    828-254-5828    larryandrobin@charter.net