The neck of a lute extends from the body to the pegbox.  It is often made of a lightweight wood, in order to improve the balance of the instrument.  On the front, the fingerboard or fretboard, where the strings are stopped or fretted, is then usually a thick veneer of a harder wood.  The reverse side of the neck may also be covered with a decorative veneer.  The frets are tied on and are movable, so that the tuning of intervals can be adjusted.  The owner of the lute in the photograph has clearly chosen to play in an unequal temperament, since the frets are not spaced in a strict proportion.