Obscure Renaissance instrument of the week, the mighty theorbo:
You don’t get to see the neck in all its bizarre glory in the video. Here’s a picture. Here’s another. The idea is that it’s a lute with its own bass accompaniment, but in order to fit such a range on a single instrument, the bass strings have to be much longer than the rest. It’s a SUPER-LUTE (and not to be confused with the archlute, which is a similar idea but not as low or unwieldy).
Heh…I first read that as “its own brass accompaniment” and wondered how the heck that would work.
Hey, you’re the one who’s always tinkering with things. New project for you: LUTROMBONE. Or maybe TUBUITAR.
Superlute and Archlute.
That sounds like a superhero and a villain, Lute style!
And I thought the harp guitar was nuts….