Robert Eklund’s Music Miscellaneous Page

Here are some photographs of some of my instruments, mainly the plucked chordophones (i.e. string instruments). For more pictures, sound samples and film clips, see the Audio & Video Page. For more information on the lute (my main instrument), see the Lute Page.

Line ’em up..

... shred-master Sandor Gordijn and myself fooling around on our ukuleles:

Robert Eklund’s Plucked-String Instruments

Floor, left-to-right

Gibson ES-335 TD electric guitar (six strings). New stable and microphones (DiMarzio double-coil. Vintage and Super Distortion). String length: 628–630 mm.

Banjolele (four strings). Normal, re-entrant tuning. String length: 345 mm. Note the cute hardcase!

Blevins 22-string (diatonic) Celtic harp. String length: 130–612 mm.

Couch, left-to-right

Morris (Moridaira) Spanish guitar (6 strings). String length: 650 mm.

Six-course oud (fretless, with 11 strings). Lute maker: Aytaç Akarçay, Izmir, Turkey, 1999. String length: 585 mm.

15-course (20 strings) archlute. Lute maker: Lars Jönsson, Dalarö. Sweden, 1986. After Tieffenbrucker (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien). String length: 670 mm (the 11 stopped strings), 1410 mm (the 9 bass strings).

Sandor and Robert

Sandor playing his Mahalo, “Flying-V”, ukulele (four strings). Bottom (fourth) string changed to overspun 1010 lute string from Pyramid, obtaining a non-re-entrant instrument. (Ukuleles normally have the fourth string one octave higher.)

Robert playing his (well, mine) Mahalo, oval-shaped body, ukulele (four strings). Bottom (fourth) string changed here, too. String length: 345 mm.

Couch, left-to-right (cont’d)

13-course (24 strings) baroque lute (swan-neck). Lute maker: Lars Jönsson, Dalarö, Sweden 1986. After Martin Hoffman. String length: 710 mm (the 14 stopped strings), 982 mm (the 10 bass strings).

11-course (20 strings) baroque lute. Lute maker: Michael Lowe, Wootton-by-Woodstock, Oxon, England, 2004. After Hans Frei. String length: 695 mm.

10-course (19 strings) renaissance lute. Lute maker: Stephen Murphy, Mollans-sur-Ouvéze, France, 1985. After Vendelio Venere. String length: 635 mm.

Total ...

... number of strings (including Sandor’s ukulele): 140.
... string length (sounding/playable): 89271 mm.

It’s great fun tuning them... not!!
(Also, there are a couple of instruments lacking!)

Other line-ups...

... with my singer of choice Isabella de Mendonça, Spring 2006.

Other acquisitions

In September and November, 2004, I purchased two new lutes, one of which I ordered twenty years ago (the 11-course baroque lute), the other (the oud) on a whim.

11-course baroque lute (20 strings) by Michael Lowe, Wootton-by-Woodstock, Oxon, England, 2004. After Hans Frei. String length: 695 mm. Picture of Michael playing his creation.

11-course baroque lute (see above). Me (Robert Eklund) picking it up the very first time.

Oud 6-course (11 strings) oud by Aytaç Akarçay, Izmir, Turkey, 1999. String length: 585 mm. Nota bene! The oud is, of course, not fretted (but was historically).

Oud (see above) roses close-up.

	11-course baroque lute (20 strings) by Michael Lowe, Wootton-by-Woodstock, Oxon, England, 2004. After Hans Frei. String length: 695 mm. Picture of Michael playing his creation.
	11-course baroque lute (see above). Me (Robert Eklund) picking it up the very first time.

	Oud 6-course (11 strings) oud by Aytaç Akarçay, Izmir, Turkey, 1999. String length: 585 mm. Nota bene! The oud is, of course, not fretted (but was historically).
	Oud (see above) roses close-up.