A Sawn-off Shot-Lute....

This instrument was a very low cost eBay find. it is - or was - a Uyghur long necked lute from Eastern Turkmenistan [now called Xinjiang and part of Western China] Originally it would have been twice as long, but I guess it got damaged somehow, so someone shortened it and also put a new front onto it, and made it a unique instrument - a one of a kind. So, I had to find a tuning for it, and this is the result. I toyed with the thought of putting tied frets on to it, like many Central Asian instruments have, but have decided to keep it fret-less. It has a very pretty back, all inlaid with bits of bone and dark wood, which is pretty typical for Uyghur instruments. I have a great love of Central Asian - Silk Road - instruments, they seem to have so much mysterious charm to them. Hope you enjoy it :)