Flatback Lute "First Time" Build - Is this a Sound Design?

[Patrick N]

Hi all, I'm venturing into a "first time" build of an instrument, it's technically not my first time since I did build a classical guitar way back in high school over 20 years ago with the assistance of a teacher who was a professional luthier, so I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the process, but I haven't worked much at all with wood work since then and it's been such a long time that this almost feels like a first time thing for me.

Anyway, I've made a 3d design of what I want to construct, it's basically as flatback lute which I just cooked up in my imagination and I wanted to check if there was any particular objections to this design and if anyone has any particular tips for me as a "first timer".

Here's some 3d renders of my first draft of the design I'm going for.







https://postimg.cc/gallery/7YcNCbm/453c1c44

I intend it to be a four course double stringed nylon instrument with tied gut frets. The instrument length is 888mm and scale length is 660mm.

Thoughts?

[Erik Zurcher]

We can't see the images. Can you save the images in a different format?

[Patrick N]

We can't see the images. Can you save the images in a different format?

Strange, I could see them. Are they visible now? I initially used .png because I wanted them to be lossless with transparency, but I changed to .jpg.

[David Norton]

Cannot see anything.

[Patrick N]

This is really weird, I can see them just fine. I've changed image host and this time added a link to the album incase it still doesn't work.

[CoastStrings]

Visible now.

[pogmoor]

I'm not sure you should be calling it a lute. A mandocello perhaps? How will it be strung?

[Felix S.]

Interesting design. I dont think this is a first though there are alot of plucked instruments that have a similar body but may i ask what tuning you want to use and what repertoire you want to play on it?

[Patrick N]

I'm not sure you should be calling it a lute. A mandocello perhaps? How will it be strung?

Interesting design. I dont think this is a first though there are alot of plucked instruments that have a similar body but may i ask what tuning you want to use and what repertoire you want to play on it?

I just called it a flatback lute because I didn't see it fitting into any specific catagory, but I guess mandocello could work?
I am not entirely sure how I'd like to tune it, but I've considered maybe something like a renaissance guitar tuning. I've thought of having it strumming oriented so if anyone has any suggestions of what kind of tunings would be interesting to try I'm willing to look into it, bear in mind it will be nylon strings.

[Marshall Dixon]

I'm not sure you should be calling it a lute. A mandocello perhaps? How will it be strung?

Interesting design. I dont think this is a first though there are alot of plucked instruments that have a similar body but may i ask what tuning you want to use and what repertoire you want to play on it?

I just called it a flatback lute because I didn't see it fitting into any specific catagory, but I guess mandocello could work?
I am not entirely sure how I'd like to tune it, but I've considered maybe something like a renaissance guitar tuning. I've thought of having it strumming oriented so if anyone has any suggestions of what kind of tunings would be interesting to try I'm willing to look into it, bear in mind it will be nylon strings.

Your design has a striking resemblance to an Irish bouzouki seen at the bottom of the West Europe page in the Atlas of Plucked Instruments here:

https://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/europe.htm

Same scale but 15 frets to the body. Different bridge set up and metal strings used with a plectrum. No reason it couldn't be done for nylon with a glued down bridge. Various tunings are given in the Atlas.

Here is a comparison between the Irish bouzouki and the octave mandolin with a 520 mm scale. I find it difficult to hear the difference: