On Wed 16 Nov, Joseph Spencer asked:
 
>Can you give me more info on Anden Houben? Address?<
 
I can: I own two instruments by Ande, a 1987 copy of the 1728 Zell and a 1991
Italian modelled after Grimaldi. I am very happy indeed with each of them. At
the (in-)famous Spivey Hpschd-Building competition a few years back, Martin
Skowroneck was heard to say that his Italian (mine) and his Zell-copy (the
next instrument he made after mine) were the best at the meeting, in spite of
not being in the competition.
 
Anyway (I having finished my little advert), his shop address is 501 Main
Ave, Northport AL 35476, and telephone (205) 758-8471.
 
I quite agree with Matthew Redsell about the quality of his Lautenwerk. It is
a very different design from the ones Willard Martin has made: Martin's have
a single continuous bridge like a harpsichord, but Ande's have several short,
discontinuous bridges--corresponding to the courses on a real lute.
Unfortunately, the cost of stringing the thing in gut is a bit steep for us
poor starving professional musicians.
 
More info on request.
 
Daniel Pyle
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