Technical info I neglected to add: the shorter 10th fret neck results in a lower, more baroque bridge position, and the shorter fingerboard allowed the sound hole to be moved up, giving the Roudhloff body shape a very different look.

It really is a magnificent instrument. Your luthier did a fantastic job on it.

Looks and sounds amazing with your wonderful technique, Rob. Look forward to hearing/seeing more music played on it. What a fab thing to conjure up and have made, for all your reasons!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Thanks, Chris. I put a second video online today, a French baroque piece. Hope you like it as much!

It sounds gorgeous. Commissioning a phantasy hybrid is a much better option than to stop playing the repertoire. It's also one of a kind, and I take it the luthier loved the challenge to build this special custom. I wish you lots of joy playing it and experimenting with strings etc.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Yes, Rohan Lowe very much enjoyed the project, and came up with the goods. He will feature it on his website in due course. Best wishes to you too!

What a wonderful instrument Rob! I hope it gives you many many years of playing

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Hey, thanks, Zoe! I hope so too! 🙂

It's a very interesting instrument. Much sweeter than other 13 string guitars I've heard, which tend towards the monstrous... Plus it just looks beautiful.

@RobMacKillop1

9 ай бұрын

Agreed on all counts. I got a better recording with the second video, Carillon by Gautier. I’m very, very happy with the instrument. I really don’t like most 13-string guitars, so ensured this one was a completely different design. Glad you like it, Steven!

May it serve long and well! An absolutely lovely instrument, very much looking forward to hearing more of it.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

You will! Another video coming up shortly.

That seems like a very magical instrument

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

That's my feeling, Tom. Glad you think likewise!

My, that is a very fine instrument, honey-toned to both the ear and eye, hope we'll get opportunities to hear it a lot!!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

You will 😎 I’m just editing the second video now!

Rob, you're taking retirement planning to a new level. Inspirational as ever. David.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Haha, indeed! Thanks, David.

looks and sound stellar, I'm really happy for you

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

I’m happy for myself too, and it’s nice to be able to share this with you and others. Best wishes, Rob.

Great! Thanks for sharing

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Cheers, Phill.

I find the sound of this guitar to be very beautiful, even though it's slightly distorted through KZread's audio. I particularly love its bass, which is very deep and steady!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Thanks. I’m having trouble with my recordings these days. Possibly the equipment (15 years old) or the electricity cabling in this old house. I just made another video, put playback revealed a fast ticking noise.

@WeiChuehWang

10 ай бұрын

@@RobMacKillop1 I often learn some guitar knowledge and the history of great musicians from your videos. Being able to play so well even when there are equipment issues is truly admirable.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

@@WeiChuehWang Thanks, my friend. Another video on its way.

Awesome!!!!! It’s beautiful. I’m glag you are putting together a collection of instruments to keep you playing for years to come. Whether in the kitchen or in bed, we will keep watching and listening. :-) Love it.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

No videos from my bed, though. I'm not that kind of weirdo! 🙂

Exciting to finally see the new guitar, and it's a beauty! It sounds amazing, and I'm jealous.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Thanks. I'm almost jealous of myself!

I love when people take elements of things from the past and intelligently merge them with present day elements without getting hung up on "authenticity".

@RobMacKillop1

6 ай бұрын

Thanks. I appreciate authenticity, and have worked in that area many times, and loved doing so. But I live now, and have other influences. As I near retirement, I want to create my own little world of instruments and sounds., bringing it all together. Glad you like it.

Looks fantastic.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

And hopefully sounds it too?

Lovely to see you using your experience and skills to create something so beautiful and practical. And a nice educational piece too!

@RobMacKillop1

9 ай бұрын

Cheers, Pete. Nice to hear from you again!

@petesmith2837

9 ай бұрын

@@RobMacKillop1 ta! And of course, excellent work from the luthier!

@RobMacKillop1

9 ай бұрын

@@petesmith2837 Indeed. Absolute Master Grade.

@petesmith2837

9 ай бұрын

@@RobMacKillop1 must be great to have someone realise your vision like that 🙂

@RobMacKillop1

9 ай бұрын

@@petesmith2837 Yes. I have another guitar by him, so I knew of his skills before approaching him for this project.

Look forward to hearing more.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Looking forward to recording more!

Damn why haven't I seen this channel before? Thanks Brandon for introducing me to this wonderful man and his playing. Outstanding sir. 👍🎸🎸🎸

@RobMacKillop1

9 ай бұрын

Welcome, Mike! Good to have you here. Take a look around. Rob

Brilliant!!!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Ha! Glad you like it!

Rob, this is wonderful. I’ve e never heard a guitar like this before

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Thanks, Sue. Neither had I until Rohan Lowe made what I was dreaming of. I am thankful I chose the right luthier!

Amazing playing and lovely pice!!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Thanks, Mary. Glad you like it!

Cool! I love the sound. I love the look.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Cheers, Harper. Two excellent reasons to appreciate it. The luthier did a wonderful job.

@HarperJayMichaels

10 ай бұрын

@@RobMacKillop1 Indeed!

Beautiful playing, I look forward to hearing more, Rob. After wrestling with my 11c for a few hours this morning I must say I am a little jealous of this very unique guitar!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

You’re doing great with the lute, Neal. Keep this instrument for your old age!

Wow thats an incredible looking instrument and sounds beautiful!!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Now make the banjo equivalent!

@FlatfootJohnny

9 ай бұрын

@@RobMacKillop1 ha! I'm not sure I have room in my workshop

Great instrument! My congratulations mr. Rob! Hope will be more Gautier😊

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Yes, there will be, Konstantes, and more of the French lute school, which I love every much.

@konstantes

10 ай бұрын

@@RobMacKillop1 I hope heard legendary Canarie by old Gaultier!)

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

@@konstantes One day!

this, apparatus, i almost wanna call it, is truely something special!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

I agree, it is a special guitar (or apparatus!). 🙂

У каждого музыканта должен быть такой инструмент=)))

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

I am sure my luthier would agree! 😂

@unamoahc

10 ай бұрын

Я наверно многого хочу,но,тем не менее,чтоб совсем бесплатно,и в подарок от мастера☺@@RobMacKillop1

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

@@unamoahc Спасибо! Вы можете сделать пожертвование в мои фонды. Смотрите ссылку под видео.😊

Congratulations! A very interesting solution and a very unusual incarnation. Look very impressive. Individual notes just sound a lot more expressive than on traditional instruments. It would be great to hear some well-known baroque pieces played on a new instrument. To create a more detailed view. Thank you.

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Oh, give me some time, Dmitriy 🙂

@dmitriynsch6758

10 ай бұрын

Willing to wait as long as it takes. Do not hurry. Enjoy your new guitar.

Uh i like it very much rob i think it works well with the harp strings

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Cheers, Felix. Me too.

Stunning instrument. The headstock is gorgeous, and it sounds lovely. I play harp guitars, and I completely understand your point regarding the bass notes ringing, which would not work for that music. I'm 69 and make a point of playing at least 1-2 hours each day to kerp the hands moving. Good luck with it, Rob!

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Cheers, Bob. We have to look after ourselves. I want to be playing for another 30 years! Keep up your good work, Bob.

@BobPerrone

10 ай бұрын

@RobMacKillop1 I doubt if I could go on if I ever lost my ability to play. It is my life force, so to speak...

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

@@BobPerrone Exactly. Well put.

Does the slanted nut really help with intonation when there aren’t any frets on those strings?

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Hi Richard. It helps because the lowest bass strings can be thinner, and therefore sound more true. They are in danger of being too thick, too rubber-bandish and difficult to pitch correctly.

Awesome guitar rob. What book are you reading from?

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

A Luth Doré edition my wife bought me. Accurate and easy on the eyes.

That looks like an amazing instrument. Having never held a lute, though, I'm curious: why is it easier to play than a lute? Smaller body?

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Much less awkward all round, and very light too. Single strings instead of double. Metal frets instead of gut frets that need changed every couple of months. Strings that stay in tune. And a few other things. A lute does tend to sound like a lute, though, which is a unique and wonderful thing, and I’ve enjoyed playing them for 30 years. But this is unique and wonderful too. Here’s to the next 30 years!

@zacharybraverman4870

10 ай бұрын

Indeed. Maybe by the end of those 30 years everybody will be playing MacKillop-style luitars. :)

@RichardBuckman

10 ай бұрын

@@zacharybraverman4870lol on the name luitars. next comes luitarleles where the same modification is applied to a ukulele

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

@@zacharybraverman4870 Hopefully we won't be calling it that. I've tried to think of a name for it that does not involve the car crash of two other words.

Just curious: Why choose tuning pegs over tuning machine heads? (Given all the concessions to modern convenience…)

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Hi Zachary. In a word: weight. The instrument is very light and resonant, and the added weight of 13 metal tuning machines would have two adverse effects: 1. The guitar would be unbalanced, dipping towards the head, and 2. The sound would be deadened somewhat. I am also a fan of well-made plain pegs. Often they are badly-made, but not here. It is a very easy instrument to tune. And every part of it is singing. In short, I trusted the luthier.

@ZacharyZolton

10 ай бұрын

Fair point! I’ve heard the complaint about tuners adding weight before actually, but wasn’t certain how much of a difference it’d make. Either way, the guitar sounds great! I actually play a guitar arrangement of this piece, but never noticed what I was missing in the bass runs before…

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

@@ZacharyZolton After playing Weiss on a baroque lute, I just can’t bring myself to play arrangements for 6-string guitar. The expanse of 13 strings is really quite special and unique, and Weiss wrote for it superbly well. Imagine trying to play Villa-Lobos on a ukulele…

@ZacharyZolton

10 ай бұрын

@@RobMacKillop1 totally! I’d love to get into lute but committing to a repertoire and finding an instrument seems daunting…

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

@@ZacharyZolton Yes, daunting is the word. Worth the effort, though, I’d say. Whatever you do, best wishes for it!

Great idea! (Don’t see anythinginauthentic about a fantasy instrument either, considering the plethora of weird and wonderful instruments that have anppare existed in the past.)

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Ha, you are right, of course, Luisa. They were ALL fantasy instruments at creation.

Inspiring. But what of all the lost inconvenience and expense - whatever will fill that void...

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

Lol. I’m already losing sleep over that lost inconvenience…not. As for expense, we are unfortunately all too proficient at finding ways to fill that particular void!

Sorry to hear that it's difficult for you now to play a baroque lute. What's the actual issue? I thought lutes had lower string tension, and so were actually easier on the hands than a guitar?

@RobMacKillop1

10 ай бұрын

They are cumbersome, especially the bigger baroque instruments, involving big stretches for both hands. They are also a pain to tune well, and the frets wear down, requiring replacing, which is a pain to do, and they are very repertoire-specific, for a example French 11c lute music does not sound right on German 13c lutes, so it becomes expensive to have the correct instrument for the repertoire. I coped with all this for many years, but now I’m heading to retirement I want to make the future a little easier, plus I love this guitar for what it is.

You're worrying me - I'm not a youngster, either. What about a lute makes it difficult to play later in life?

@RobMacKillop1

9 ай бұрын

Not any lute, but a late-German large 13c baroque lute. They sound best with long scale lengths, around 75cm, are awkward to hold, sound best with expensive gut strings (sound completely wrong without them), frets need replaced quite often, they are just a handful to play and maintain. This guitar makes the same music easier to play. I’m not holding it up as a replacement, or a modern equivalent. It’s just designed to be easy to maintain and play, and allows me to keep reading straight from the original tablature.