This is an archtop 10-string cittern in Indian rosewood with a bearclaw Sitka spruce top and flat back. It has a short scale (530 mm), allowing you to use mandolin fingering with a little stretching. Normally tuned G-D-A-E-A, the high A string allows you to get those high A, B, C and D notes in fiddle tunes without shifting your hand up the neck.

Construction features include a user friendly bolt-on no-heel neck, unequal X-braced carved top, and X-braced flat back. The neck has a modern 2-way adjustable truss rod, and the bridge is adjustable.

Decoration includes massive Paua abalone inlays on headstock, fingerboard and tailpiece. Bindings, back stripe and all fittings are cocobolo rosewood with white veneer edges framing the body. The neck is beautiful birdseye maple. Altogether quite stunning.

The sound is loud, smooth, and even over the entire range. Chords are very rich and it has a nice "chop", though of course some chords are harder to finger! This is a great instrument for Celtic or old-time music, or to accompany singing.

Note: Some of the photos depict an earlier tailpiece with the string pins on the bottom. This looked great, but proved to be too difficult to change strings. The tailpiece with string pins on top is currently in place.

Price: $1800