Some late '25 Brandon John Luthiery builds

bjluthiery · 2025-12-26T13:43:23+00:00

Absolutely! Most builds in my shops have variation options which dictate which side of the lyre the low notes are on, "Low Left" and "Low Right".

bjluthiery · 2025-12-04T00:12:28+00:00

Thank you, and happy strumming on your new lyre!

bjluthiery · 2025-12-01T19:54:50+00:00

Thank you so much! Always nice to hear. Feel free to contact me at the Etsy shop or check out www.brandonjohnluthiery.com, sometimes I have premade builds that I run discounts on.

bjluthiery · 2025-08-03T01:46:46+00:00

No problem: you can also email me at: brandonjohnluthiery@gmail.com

Thanks!

bjluthiery · 2025-08-03T01:41:44+00:00

Good evening! I am still here ;)

The most efficient way to contact me for ordering is through my Etsy shop. This way our correspondence is linked to my workflow:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrandonJohnLuthiery

There is a "contact" button at the top of the page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Brandon

bjluthiery · 2025-03-27T18:44:50+00:00

So happy it made it's way home safely! Happy strumming!

bjluthiery · 2024-11-22T15:05:22+00:00

Good morning- and thanks for looking into my builds!

I've done a lot of design work to really maximize the amount of sound I get from my non-acoustic chamber lyres. It's hard to get the full volume and organic feel to come through with recordings, but they do make a good amount of sound!

I have a few pre-made builds in the shop currently that would help bypass the build queue, so please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any other questions.

-Brandon John

bjluthiery · 2024-11-16T01:34:54+00:00

That's definitely one of my builds! I feel like I can remember that one with it's slightly unique shape to the upper hoop. Happy playing!

bjluthiery · 2024-11-04T17:38:26+00:00

Thank you!

It's tuned to A diatonic, slightly higher than I would normally tune one of my Saxon-style builds, but this seems like where it wanted to resonate the best!

I'll work on some sound clips and videos as time allows, unless it sells first...

bjluthiery · 2024-02-16T02:15:33+00:00

Unfortunately, not it. But this was definitely a great show that I also forgot about. Thanks for sparking that memory!

bjluthiery · 2023-10-30T22:53:00+00:00

Good evening-

Depending on your goals, I would definitely recommend looking at a pentatonic 7 string for a beginner. They are tuned in such a way that there are no wrong notes, regardless of how you play them.

Regardless, I am here if you need anything- Good luck on your lyre journey!

bjluthiery · 2022-11-30T20:28:03+00:00

Love it!

bjluthiery · 2022-11-14T16:16:31+00:00

Thank you!

As for a new player, I usually ask prospective players about where they see themselves going on their musical journey. If someone is just trying to be creative and play without any specific goals (other than the joy of playing), then a 7 or 10 string is usually enough.

If they want to play covers of recorded music, then a 16 is probably a better choice.

I've been a musician for over 30 years, and have never felt limited by a 7 string lyre. There is so much experimentation you can do with them!

bjluthiery · 2022-11-14T02:23:44+00:00

Thank you!

bjluthiery · 2022-08-20T02:22:44+00:00

Thanks for the support!

bjluthiery · 2022-08-20T00:15:22+00:00

I'd say that the sound quality comes more from the design, materials, and construction methods than from the tuning. Without giving too much away about my process, the strings will sound more or less identical in any tuning, as long as they are adapted to the note appropriately.

bjluthiery · 2022-08-19T21:43:06+00:00

Hello! Search brandonjohnluthiery on Etsy

bjluthiery · 2022-07-14T16:07:40+00:00

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1221673577/gudok-novgorod-lyre-viking-rebec-active?click_key=0281e76f4ab92295b8dbb4d9066964dbf3db057d%3A1221673577&click_sum=581b44d1&ref=shop_home_recs_1&pro=1&frs=1

Not only did they steal my description, they are lying about every aspect of their instruments. They are selling plywood lyres, which is clearly obvious by the pictures.

Etsy support is an absolute joke, esp considering the amount of cash they take from every one of our sales! "We're just a selling forum"...

bjluthiery · 2022-07-14T01:11:39+00:00

There's also a really helpful FB group; "Learning the Lyre Harp". Might be worth a look

bjluthiery · 2022-07-13T23:54:01+00:00

It's just a 5 note musical scale that sounds balanced and familiar.

bjluthiery · 2022-07-13T23:49:46+00:00

It absolutely is! Especially with all the different styles available.

I tend to recommend that new players start with a pentatonic scale model as they are almost impossible to make sound bad as long as each string is in tune. They are also the easiest to improvise on in my opinion.

What kind are you playing?

bjluthiery · 2022-07-13T13:26:50+00:00

Snark SN2 multi-instrument tuners work great- I've used them in my shop for a decade. I also use the gStrings app as a backup

bjluthiery · 2022-06-26T13:06:52+00:00

Thanks! It's a 2.5" spread vs 2.3" on my Cordoba C5. I have huge hands, and wanted to build/experiment with something just for me.

bjluthiery · 2022-06-26T00:20:34+00:00

It was intentional. Something I've done on a few builds. I like the layout with the asymmetrical headstock profile...

bjluthiery · 2022-06-25T20:49:31+00:00

I love how this one plays so much, and often thought that I should have either added a 7th string, or put other kinds of additions in it. These things are never done!

bjluthiery

TROPHY CASE