• Roosebeck Tenor Lute-kulele — Walnut Variegated front view
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Tenor Lute-kulele

Roosebeck Tenor Lute-kulele, Walnut Variegated

Roosebeck Tenor Lute-kulele, Walnut Variegated
Round-Back Bowl Walnut Spruce Top

Ideal for: Fingerstyle ukulele players and anyone drawn to early music aesthetics

The lute-ukulele we invented, in a walnut-necked tenor.

The Lute-kulele is our own creation, a hybrid we built to bridge two worlds: the portable playability of a ukulele with the round-back construction and tonal depth of a Renaissance lute. This tenor-size instrument pairs that lute bowl with a walnut neck for extra warmth in the voice and a smooth feel under the fingers.

Full, Balanced Six-String Voice

Six strings on a 430mm tenor scale, including doubled second (E) and third (C) strings, produce a full, balanced sound uncommon in ukuleles. The European spruce soundboard delivers the dynamic response you expect from a premium instrument, and the walnut neck adds warmth across the tonal range.

About the doubled courses: Doubling the second and third courses is a lute technique, not a standard ukulele feature. It gives the instrument a fuller, more shimmering voice that sits between ukulele brightness and lute depth.

Round-Back Bowl, Historical Rosette

The body features alternating staves of rosewood and lacewood in a round-back bowl shape, topped with a European spruce soundboard. A rosette design inspired by museum examples from the 16th and 17th centuries adorns the sound hole.

Friction tuners, a cattle-bone nut and saddle, and a rosewood bridge complete the instrument. An end-pin strap button is standard for standing play.

Why walnut for the neck: Walnut is warmer and slightly darker than rosewood. On the neck of a lute-kulele, it rounds out the bright top end of the spruce soundboard for a more balanced voice.

A Roosebeck Original

The Lute-kulele doesn't exist anywhere else, we invented the format. If you love the ukulele but want something with more depth, character, and historical resonance, this is your instrument.

New to this instrument: Tuning and basic technique translate directly from a standard tenor ukulele. The doubled courses take a few minutes of adjustment for strumming, but fingerstyle players find them immediately rewarding.

Technical Specifications

Strings 6 (with doubled 2nd & 3rd courses)
Scale 430mm (17 inches)
Size Tenor
Body Variegated rosewood / lacewood staves
Neck Walnut
Soundboard European Spruce
Nut / Saddle Cattle bone
Tuners Friction
Dimensions 22 inches L × 9.5 inches W × 7 inches H
Weight 1 lb

What's in the Box

Every Lute-kulele ships ready for standing or seated playing.

End-Pin Strap Button Installed

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

Questions about this instrument?
Talk to our team  or browse all tenor lute-kulele.
View full details

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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