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The machine heads and rollers have been colour coded. Each pair alternates between black and white. This makes it visually easier to identify the correct machine head to adjust while tuning. This colour scheme is part of the overall black and white theme of the lute - the body shellis striped in these colours.

Apart from the use of machine heads, the lute has another major innovation that is actually hidden from sight. The striped body shell has a second shell within it, only joining at the edges. This allows the sound producing part of the lute to vibrate more freely, reducing the damping effect of the player's body and allowing an increase in volume.

I am delighted with the lute and would like to thank both David's for their help and enthusiasm - and also praise the masterly level of craftsmanship they have shown. I am also happy to deal with any queries about this fine instrument. I can be contacted at:

Dr. L. J. Gilfillan
9 Leland Place
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2AN
U.K.
Tel 01670 511656.

Articel by Dr. L. J. Gilfillan

This is the first lute in the instrument's long and noble history to be built with machine heads instead of traditional pegs.

Throughout the 350 years that the lute was popular, it never reached a definitive design. The size, shape and number of strings changed constantly as makers and players tried to make the lute best suited to the various tasks it was being called on to perform.

This lute was commissioned by myself (Lindsay Gilfillan, a Northumberland GP) and has been a shared project between the maker, David Van Edwards, and Rogers Tuners; being built in that original spirit of creativity.

The lute is of the "double headed type" ,popular in France, the Netherlands, and England. This lute has 14 double strings and so 28 machine heads were needed. David Rogers adapted the design for a classical guitar to make the set small and light. The machine heads make tuning such a large number of strings much easier, both in terms of speed and accuracy, than is possible with traditional pegs.

Please note.

We are unable to offer this style of tuner again. This is a one of a kind project which is illustrated here for the interest of the reader.