The article in Newspaper Seven resulted in several repair jobs.
A trio with a levin from 1942, an Ibanez nylon stringer and a ball mandolin from the 20th century.
A Crafton tilt from the 50's.
A Martin D-15 had the fabric repaired and the bottom removed and glued back on.
Hi Roger.
The Crafton lute from the 50's turned out to be incredibly good.
Fun to try out even if I'm above the shape.
It became both stylish and easy to play with new strings
and sings really nicely with all the bass strings like resonance.
The back was like new on it. Very nice finish.
Guess the owner was happy with all the wear and tear you put in.
Mvh / Greger Wikberg
It is rare that you come across these lutes that can be played, everyone usually has their problems. The high load from all strings usually results in loosened stables and banana necks. This one sounds good and is in good condition after a little fix! The customer was satisfied he also 🙂
Hello!
I wonder if I can ask an expert a "simple" question.
I have become the owner of a Craftonluta which is probably from the 50's. It needs to change strings and they are available for purchase here in Uppsala, but how do you do that? This applies to the strings' attachment in the stable. I do not understand how to get rid of the old one - and I guess the next one should be put there in the same way.
Can I get a tip on how to do it? To me, it feels like the strings are threaded from the inside - and I do not really think they are.
Hard to know without pictures. Carafton lutes usually have ordinary string sticks in a stick stable, you take off the stick and pry out the string with the string ball at the far end. Sometimes the string has wedged in and then you have to either push the string ball down from above through the string pin hole or use your hand through the sound hole from the inside to loosen the string.
It is surely "string sticks in a stick stable" that is the question. I've never come across one like that before – playing fiddle, guitar, mandolin and stuff – and that's why I'm wondering. So the string is stuck in something under the little white thing with a black dot in the middle? How should/can one do to get it up? The string I've tried so far has come off and is hanging loose, but it can't be pulled up through the small hole that exists. The instrument looks exactly like the one in the picture above.
At the end of the string is a metal ball. The conical string pin anchors the string ball to the stall plate under the stall. Sometimes there was no string ball and a knot was made instead (can be like that on the thick bass strings). As I said, sometimes the string and the ball can wedge into the saddle plate and the saddle - but once you have pushed it down from above (most likely, but you may have made a big knot and "stitched it" from the inside back way up through the saddle and string pin hole) . It should be possible to get rid of it the same way, sometimes you have to use force and the hand through the sound hole 🙂
Thank you!
But what I do not understand / get is how to get rid of the old string and then the new one.
Is the white little thing itself the string stick, and should it be possible to get it up?
The string I have started with is completely loose and can certainly be removed via the sound hole, but it is not possible to thread the new one that way.
That is: can the string stick be pulled up completely or partially, and how much force do I dare to use?
/ Inge
I just managed to get the first string stick, which seems to be made of some kind of plastic, so now I know what they look like and work. Thanks for the help!
The one I bought the lute from has not changed strings on it during the 3-4 years he had it and the previous one had inherited it from his grandfather - so it may have been a long time since anyone tried to get a string stick up.
/ Inge
There you see 🙂