1920s Joachim Tielke Lute-Shaped Guitar

Overview: This beautiful old lute-shaped guitar was a huge project for Ancel to do, but it turned-out wonderfully. It has some much "loving wear" all over that you can just imagine all of the great stories tucked-away in its wood. I'm pretty sure this one dates to the 1920s (this style of instrument was popular in Germany around then) and the branding makes no sense as Tielke passed-away almost 200 years before this was made. At any rate, it has a rich and sweet sound, would make any Renaissance Fair minstrel a happy picker, and has a good feel about it.

Interesting features: The castle and tree rose is certainly cool, of course. It also has a slotted headstock (with broken-off ornament at the top) and cute, mustache-style bridge. The trim and build is a little nicer than the average Tielke-branded instrument, too, as it has purfling and wood binding and a rosewood (or similar) fretboard vs. ebonized maple or the like. The ribs on the back are solid maple and it has a solid spruce top with ladder bracing. The flattened back (vs. a lute with a much rounder back) makes it way easier to hold and enjoy, too, while giving it some of that lute-like quality to the sound. These were made for gut strings and so we've got it strung with nylon (the modern equivalent).

Repairs included: Ancel had to do so much to this instrument. It started with a ton of cleats for the back and sides which had open seams and whatnot. The bridge needed a reglue, the saddle slot needed filling and recutting, the soundboard needed braces reglued (and so the rose had to come out and go back in), and basically anything that could get loose needed regluing as the project went along. The neck had a bit of a warp in it and so Ancel planed the fretboard and began refretting it when he found out that the neck is hollow inside from the factory. At that point the board needed to come off and so while it was off, the hollowed-out center of the neck got fill and carbon fiber reinforcement before the fretboard went back on. After that it got a refret and I had to do a little tweaking of fret height/alignment in first position due to the neck wanting to backbow a bit up there. In the end, though, it's now a very practical, quick-playing, ready to go instrument. The saddle is drop-in, too, so action height adjustment will be easy over time.

• Weight: 2 lbs 7 oz
• Scale length: 24"
• Nut width: 1 3/4"
• Neck shape: medium D
• Board radius: 12"
• Depth at first fret: 53/64"
• Depth at seventh fret: 15/16"
• Body width: 12 3/4"
• Body depth: 4 1/4" (approx)
• Top wood: solid spruce
• Back & sides wood: solid maple
• Bracing type: ladder
• Bridge: ebonized maple
• Fretboard: rosewood or similar
• Neck wood: maple
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” overall (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: medium tension classical
• Truss rod: non-adjustable carbon fiber
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: modern medium-tall

Condition notes: As noted, it has tons and tons and tons of wear and tear in grunge, scratches, nicks, dings, etc. throughout the finish. The headstock's top decorative volute/headpiece is broken and missing but not a structural concern. All of the other repairs and whatnot have been noted above. The pins and saddle and frets are unoriginal but the rest is.

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: EKJH