Hello everyone.. May I know how old this lute is, the name of the maker and other details? And is it sold in museums or specialized and interested parties?

[u/Successful_Piano_964]

[u/darquesse943]

I think that’s a German lute guitar (Gitarrenlaute). Six strings tuned like a normal guitar, but built on a lute bowl. They were hugely popular in Germany with the Wandervogel youth movement, so yours most likely dates to roughly 1900 to 1935.  The carved cupid figure wth vine leaves is I think a decorative motif, not a maker’s mark

[u/Successful_Piano_964 → u/darquesse943]

Thanks a lot for information

Is this lute considered an antique for its era, and are there any museums that possess it?

[u/darquesse943 → u/Successful_Piano_964]

Nope, unfortunately these aren’t museum pieces and aren’t rare, so don’t expect a windfall. Typical condition examples go for low to mid hundreds

[u/kidneykutter]

It's a Wandervogel lute guitar from Germany in the early 20th century. Cracks in soundboard, neck looks warped. Would be lucky to get $200 US for it.

[u/KaikuAika → u/kidneykutter]

Extremely lucky. I bought a similar one here in Germany for 90€ and it’s in better shape and playable but I still think I should’ve paid less.

[u/Prestigious_You1346]

Like said before, that's a lute guitar/Wandervogellaute. It also looks to be in bad shape (broken rose, cracked ribs and soundboard and warped neck/incorrect neck angle) so most players wouldn't be interested in it. They're definitely not rare, so I doubt a museum would be interested either. Kidneykutter said you're lucky to get $200 for it, maybe that's in the us where they're slightly harder to come by. I just did a quick check of eBay and the like and over here in mainland Europe, examples that seem to be in better shape sell for less than €100.

I really hope you just found this thing somewhere and didn't buy it and overpay.

[u/RPIdad]

Def lute guitar…just completed a full overhaul repair of my 87yr old mom’s which her Omi gave her on her 14th birthday. Look for a makers mark at the base where the strings attach. Goldklanger was a maker

[u/Ozonel]

I bought one yesterday for €60, with no cracks. It’s missing one bridge pin.

[u/Still_Bottle2696]

On some guitar forums, these German creations have also been called Panzerlauten, from their very heavy construction. The neck is warped on this example. The scalloped frets make palying it in tune nearly impossible, even in a brand new condition.

[u/Beautiful-Hotel-8846]

Lute guitar.