Some random thoughts on lute buying

• it is a real advantage to be able to visit your lute maker (or lute repair person.) I myself have driven ten hours to pick up an instrument. Luthiers are often by nature not great business people, and if you send them a broken lute it may take them a while to fix it. on the other hand if you show up on their doorstep, with a sleeping bag, the luthier will have some incentive to fix your lute quickly and send you on your way.
• Lots of lutes show up at the LSA seminars, Vancouver Early Music (west coast) and Amherst Early Music (east coast) and you can try a lot of instruments, talk to people, and get a feeling for luthiers, their reputations for quality instruments and fast or slow delivery. For a beginner, a seminar is a great way to find out a lot about lutes, and meet a good part of the lute world. The lute world is not that big, and the "superstars" go to these seminars.
• If you get a lute from another continent and it has problems, it may be very expensive to send it back to the maker for repairs and then have it sent back to you. A good reason to buy locally. Maybe the luthier has someone in your country who can do the repairs if needed.
• When you are 25 and don't have a lute the idea of waiting two years seems like a long time. If you are 50 and have at least one lute already two years comes around pretty quickly.
• So what happens if you put a deposit down on an instrument and the luthier dies? I know one maker who has an escrow account and keeps good records, but I think he is an exception. (Sometimes you try and sue the estate... good luck!)
• Well, I have just been accused of encouraging a contentious relationship with instrument makers. That is not my intention at all. I am encouraging reasonable caution and foresight.