• Roosebeck 8-Course Travel Lute — Rosewood front view
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Lute

Roosebeck Travel Lute, 8-Course

$559
$559
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15 Strings / 8 Courses Solid Rosewood Spruce Top Travel-Size Gig Bag Included

Ideal for: Early music students, workshop attendees, and lutenists on the move

A real Renaissance lute in a travel-friendly size.

The 8-Course Travel Lute gives you the authentic sound and playing experience of a full-size lute in an instrument built for portability. Perfect for early music rehearsals, workshops, and gigs where space is tight. One of very few affordable travel lutes available anywhere.

Warm, Intimate Lute Voice

The spruce soundboard produces warm, resonant tone with the intimate character that defines the lute. Rectified nylon strings deliver warm treble tone, while silverplated copper wound bass strings add the classical richness that lute repertoire calls for.

About the tonewoods: Eleven solid rosewood staves form the bowl. Rosewood is a dense hardwood prized for warmth and resonance, and the spruce top responds dynamically under the fingers.

Built for Portability, Built Like a Lute

The body is built from eleven solid rosewood staves, with a rosewood neck, fingerboard, and pegbox angled at 135 degrees to reduce overall depth. Eight nylon frets on the neck and four rosewood frets on the soundboard provide the correct Renaissance fretting.

Why the angled pegbox: The traditional 135-degree pegbox angle isn't just for looks. It reduces the overall footprint of the instrument and changes the string break angle at the nut, both practical considerations for a travel lute.

Ready for Renaissance Repertoire

Fifteen strings are arranged in 8 courses (one single, seven doubled). Recommended Renaissance tuning: G4, D4/D4, A3/A3, F3/F3, C4/C3, G3/G2, F3/F2, D3/D2. This tuning opens up centuries of lute tablature.

New to lute? Renaissance lute tablature uses a system of letters on lines rather than modern notation. Once you learn it, you have access to thousands of pieces written between roughly 1500 and 1650.

Technical Specifications

Courses / Strings 8 courses (15 strings)
Recommended Tuning G4, D4/D4, A3/A3, F3/F3, C4/C3, G3/G2, F3/F2, D3/D2
Scale Length 23.5 inches (597 mm)
Strings Rectified nylon, silverplated copper wound basses
Body / Bowl 11 solid rosewood staves
Soundboard European spruce
Neck Rosewood
Pegbox Rosewood, 135° angle
Bridge Rosewood and lacewood
Nut Bone
Tuning Pegs Rosewood friction pegs
Frets 8 nylon (neck) + 4 rosewood (soundboard)
Overall Dimensions 33.5 in L × 10.25 in W × 5.5 in H
Weight 1.75 lbs
String care: Lute strings carry no warranty, and makers suggest replacing them every 3 to 4 months. Keep a spare set on hand, wipe the strings with a dry cloth after playing, and plan on fresh strings if the instrument has been stored for a while.

What's in the Box

Every 8-Course Travel Lute ships ready to travel with you.

Padded Gig Bag Owner's Guide (PDF)

Have questions about this instrument? Contact us or browse all Lutes.

Questions about this instrument?
Talk to our team or browse all lutes.
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Roosebeck Travel Lute, 8-Course

$559
$559

Watch & Listen

Hear it played

Tradition you can feel, craftsmanship you can hear.
Solid tonewoods
Cured, cut, and chosen for sound.
Voiced by hand
Fretboards dressed, action set, bridges fit by our luthiers.
Made to be played
Built for working musicians, designed to sound better the more you play it.
Since 1973
Five decades of building instruments that last generations.

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