G'day Terry,

I seem to remember a lot of European instruments that fit your description of the "Folklaut" ... back in the 1950s/'60s.

I had always figured them as a modern attempt to produce something that had the appearance of an old lute ... but played simply, with no need for relearning tunings or techniques, by "folkie" guitarists.

Is there any evidence of this form having a greater antiquity ... perhaps as a regional instrument type?

Regards,

Bob