Early Plucked Instruments in Canada (EPIC)

About the EPIC Instrument Bank

The EPIC Instrument Bank is a collection of early plucked instruments which are available for rental. Our mandate is to promote the playing of lutes and other historical plucked instruments in Canada.

The instruments in the bank are donations from generous donors sympathetic to this mandate. The bank’s focus is on Renaissance lutes for now, but we hope to add other types of historical plucked string instruments to the collection.

It can be difficult for a beginning lutenist to source an instrument that is well set up. To begin with, good lutes are difficult to come by and often expensive. Many players who have wanted to try the lute have been frustrated by luthiers’ long waiting lists and substantial prices. Many end up with cheaper instruments which are not set up well, don’t fare well in Canada’s climate, or may not be a lute built on historical principles.

This is where EPIC comes in. Renting through EPIC allows Canadians to try a quality student lute without the upfront cost of purchasing a new instrument. Renting an instrument can give a student (and teacher) time to figure out what kind of lute would suit best. Renting also allows a player to begin learning until the right used instrument comes up for sale or a custom order can be finished.

EPIC is for all stages of life! Parents can rent an instrument for an interested child, colleges or universities can rent an instrument for students to try, and EPIC can also be a starting point for a retiree interested in trying early plucked instruments as a new hobby.

EPIC instruments can be rented for a set number of months with automatic renewal options. Every instrument will be set up by a specialist luthier in advance of pick-up or shipping. All details are laid out in the rental contract.

Please contact our program administrator Lucas Harris if you have any questions.

EPIC Instrument Catalogue

Our rental contract will explain the terms and conditions.

A few points are worth making here:

• We do require a reference from a teacher or other contact. We must be assured that you can be a trustworthy custodian of a valuable and fragile instrument, and we reserve the right to approve or deny rental requests at our discretion.
• Our preference is for longer-term rentals (6 months or longer), though shorter-term rentals may be possible.
• Lutes are fragile and finicky. If you are approved for a rental, we’ll give you instructions about how to care for your EPIC instrument, including storing it at all times inside its case which will contain a gel pack that regulates the humidity.
• We prefer to arrange the pick up /drop off of instruments in person by appointment, though it may be possible in some cases to deliver or ship instruments for an extra charge. Please contact us for details.

The following is a listing of the lutes currently available for rental through EPIC. Please contact us for more information or to request a rental, click here.

Click on the thumbnails below to open an image carousel where you can view larger images of each instrument.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

EPIC ID Number:1

Lute Type: Renaissance

Number of courses: 7

String Length: 60cm

Case: Soft gig bag

Maker: Musikkon

Donor: Gary Simkins

Full Rental Rate: $70.00

Student Rental Rate: $50.00

Rental Status: Available

Current Contract End Date: n/a

Base Location: Toronto

Contact: Lucas Harris

Description:

Premium lute from Musikkon in Ireland

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

EPIC ID Number:2

Lute Type: Renaissance

Number of courses: 8

String Length: 60cm

Case: Soft gig bag

Maker: Musikkon

Donor: Gary Simkins

Full Rental Rate: $70.00

Student Rental Rate: $50.00

Rental Status: Available

Current Contract End Date: n/a

Base Location: Toronto

Contact: Lucas Harris

Description:

Premium lute from Musikkon in Ireland

1 2 3 4 5 6

EPIC ID Number:3

Lute Type: Travel lute

Number of courses: 8

String Length: 60cm

Case: Soft gig bag

Maker: Musikkon

Donor: Gary Simkins

Full Rental Rate: $55.00

Student Rental Rate: $40.00

Rental Status: Available

Current Contract End Date: n/a

Base Location: Toronto

Contact: Lucas Harris

Description:

Travel lute from Musikkon in Ireland

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

EPIC ID Number:4

Lute Type: Renaissance

Number of courses: 10

String Length: 65cm

Case: Vintage wooden

Maker: Bruce Duncan

Donor: Brad Walton

Full Rental Rate: $85.00

Student Rental Rate: $60.00

Rental Status: Available

Current Contract End Date: n/a

Base Location: Toronto

Contact: Lucas Harris

Description:

An excellent 10-course lute made in the 1980s by Bruce Duncan

Renting an EPIC Instrument

You need to fill in an online form in order to rent an EPIC instrument. We will then get in touch with you and take you through the rental process.

EPIC Instrument Donations

If you have a historical plucked instrument you’re ready to part with, please consider adding it to the EPIC instrument bank as a tax deductible donation. Please contact us if you’d like to discuss it.

Donating an instrument to the EPIC collection saves you the hassle of finding a buyer (which can take time) and the expensive/risky business of shipping a fragile instrument, particularly overseas. You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that your instrument will be used to promote lute playing in Canada for years to come.

It must be a quality historical plucked instrument (lute, early guitar, etc.), preferably in playable condition and with an appropriate carrying case. Donors of instruments that are accepted into the EPIC Instrument Bank will be issued a tax receipt for the value of the instrument (we will arrange a professional evaluation), and will be recognized as a valued EPIC donor.

Though EPIC is administered in Ontario, we’re also interested in considering instrument donations from other provinces. We’d like EPIC to eventually include instruments that “live” in various cities across Canada. When instruments are not out for rental, they can be housed with trusted lute teachers, lute builders, and other early music professionals.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our first EPIC instrument donors:

• Gary Simkins (EPIC 1, EPIC 2, and EPIC 3)
• Brad Walton (EPIC 4)

Monetary tax-deductible donations can also be made to our parent organization, CRMSS, and earmarked to support EPIC. The funds can be used to maintain and promote the current collection or even to purchase new instruments.

About EPIC's Administrators

The EPIC Instrument Bank is a project of lutenist Lucas Harris and luthier Wilma van Berkel, who for many years mused about how getting a decent lute could be made easier and more affordable.

Lucas Harris is one of Canada’s leading lutenists, based in Toronto, Ontario for over two decades. In the spaces between his busy performing career, he teaches the lute at the University of Toronto and Case Western Reserve University, in the summer at the Canadian Renaissance Music Summer School and Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, as well as privately. Learn more about Lucas at www.lucasharris.ca or contact him here.

Wilma van Berkel is a professional luthier based in London, Ontario. Having studied with renowned Canadian luthiers Travis Carey, Grant Tomlinson, and Ray Nurse, she builds and repairs lutes out of her home shop, and has made instruments for several notable lutenists including Nigel North. Learn more about Wilma at www.wilmavanberkel.com or contact her here.