“First we shape our tools, thereafter they shape us.”

- Marshall McLuhan

PPlease note that I don’t receive any kickbacks for anything listed here. I just love to share recommendations for great luthiers and useful gear.

Luthiers

I want to express that there is no way I could do what I do without having a collection of wonderful instruments built by brilliant luthiers.  Here are mentions of a few of the luthiers I’ve worked with most closely over the years on commissions, repairs, modifications, restorations:

Here are a few other lute makers whose instruments I’ve played / owned / admired and with whom I’ve often built friendships.

  • Grant Tomlinson (Vancouver, BC)

  • Ray Nurse (Vancouver, BC)

  • Andy Rutherford (Albany, NY)

  • Klaus Jacobsen (London, UK)

  • Peter Forrester (Norfolk, UK)

  • Pasquale Scala (Priano, Italy)

  • Stephen Barber & Sandi Harris (London, UK)

  • Jack Sanders (Los Angeles, CA)

  • Günther Mark (Bad Rodach, Germany)

 

Instruments

Historical Instruments

  • 15-course theorbo by Michael Schreiner (Toronto, 2004) after Sebastian Schelle (Nürnberg 1728)

  • 14-course archlute by Ivo Magherini (Bremen, 2002) after David Tecchler (Rome, 1725)

  • 14-course archlute by Michael Schreiner (Toronto, 2010) after David Tecchler (Rome, 1725)

  • 13-course bass-rider style Baroque lute by Michael Schreiner (Toronto, 2001) after Hans Frei

  • 13-course swan-neck style Baroque lute by Michael Schreiner (Toronto, 2006) after Jauch

  • 12-course lute with stepped extension by Travis Carey (Vancouver, 2014) after Magno Tieffenbrucher

  • 10-course lute by Stephen Barber & Sandi Harris (London, 2001) after Hans Frei

  • 8-course Renaissance lute by Ivo Magherini (Bremen, 2000)

  • 7-course Renaissance lute by Travis Carey (Vancouver, 2019) after Magno Tieffenbrucher

  • 7-course bandora by Peter Forrester (Norfolk)

  • 6-course Renaissance alto lute in A by Michael Schreiner (Toronto)

  • 6-string guitar by Gaetano Guadagnini (Torino, 1831), restored by Michael Schreiner 2013-2016 (I recommend visiting Michael’s blog posts about the restoration: #1 / #2)

  • 5-course Baroque guitar by Michael Schreiner (Toronto, 2011) after Voboam

  • 4-course cittern by Peter Forrester (Norfolk)

  • 4-course Renaissance guitar by Larry Brown

  • 3-course colascione by Pasquale Scala (Praiano, 2010), on long-term loan thanks to the generosity of its owner Eva Saphir.

Modern Instruments

  •  Ibanez Artstar AM100 6-string electric jazz guitar

  • Indie 7-string electric guitar with Floyd Rose Tremolo system

Plucked instruments currently belonging to the Tafelmusik JLIB (Jeanne Lamon Instrument Bank), available for use to select participants and alumni from the Tafelmusik Summer & Winter Institutes :

  • 15-course theorbo by Günther Mark (Bad Rodach, 2013)

  • 5-course guitar by Wilma van Berkel (London, ON, 2019, student model after Stradivarius)

Plucked instruments belonging to Oberlin Conservatory, available for students of the Baroque Performance Institute:

  • 14-course theorbo after Kaiser by Michael Schreiner

  • 5-course Baroque gutiar after Voboam by Michael Schreiner

Lute Gear

I have custom instrument cases made by Victor Vorko, Jack Sanders, IKA, & Kingham.

Boveda 2-way Humidity Packs. I keep these in all my instrument cases and I believe they save me hundreds in repairs. You do have to learn to keep your case lid shut all the time (so the pack doesn’t wear itself out trying to change a whole room’s humidity level).

I’m a big fan of Nylgut strings made my Aquila Corde Armoniche and distributed by Aquila USA. I also use gut strings sold by Gamut Music, rectified nylon strings made by Pyramid, and carbon fibre bass strings (KFG) by Savarez.

Technology

Recording gear

I’m a bit of a gearhead, and little by little I’ve been building a modest home/mobile recording rig. Here are some of the most useful purchases I’ve made so far.

  • The Vanguard Audio Labs V1S pencil microphone pair. An incredibly versatile stereo microphone kit that sounds fantastic.

  • 2x Audio-technica AT2035 large-diaphragm cardioid condenser mics.

  • 2x Line Audio CM3 microphones.  These tiny cardioid condenser mics have a stunning sound quality far beyond their price point.

  • Sound Devices MixPre-6 II. A six-channel recorder and audio interface/mixer. I LOVE this thing.

  • Sound Devices USBPre2.  This is probably the most useful piece of audio gear I ever bought, kind of an audio engineer’s swiss-army knife. Using it now as my main computer interface.

  • Tascam DR-100MKIII digital recorder. Fabulous for throwing into your backpack to record rehearsals or concerts.

  • Panasonic Lumix G85 and GH5 mirrorless 4K cameras. I use these for making Youtube videos and some amateur photography & videography.

 

Other gear

 

Software

  • Merging Pyramix Native 11. A highly complex DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for professional audio engineers made in Switzerland which I’ve managed to somehow get around as an amateur.  I’ve used this amazing tool to edit my own recordings, most recently the Toronto Chamber Choir’s 2019 A Voice of Her Own release.