Commissioning a Build

[Geiss]

~o)~o)
In the perfect world, would it be useful or desirable for a customer to sit down face to face with his/her chosen luthier prior to undertaking a build to allow the luthier to hear the player on his/her existing instrument?

I've taken trips for lesser reasons in my lifetime and am interested to hear what other forum members think about this rationale for such a road trip.......

It would be a mandolin that I would hope to get old with.

Thxz,
David

[Andy Miller]

Sounds to me like a good way to communicate your wants/needs to the luthier, and a good fun reason for a roadtrip.

[JEStanek]

I didn't meet with the men who built my custom instruments but I did have chances to see, hear, hold, and play some of their handiwork. That said, phone conversations and e-mails about what I was looking for, getting a feeling that we understood each other and then giving them the space to do their job worked out great for me.

So my answer is, in a perfect world, yes visit them in person. In our real world, try and hold and try some of their work then communicate with them via phone and e-mail to see if that builder is the right person for you. They will be building a mandolin. You must first build a relationship.

Jamie

[Jim Kirkland]

This is my first custom build by someone else. I visited Butch Click (Frankford, IN) about a month ago and laid out what I wanted. We picked the wood and decided on the hardware, fingerboard, and neck. I sent him pics, today, of the color I wanted. It should be ready for a test run in the white in about 6-8 weeks. Butch sure is a nice guy and has been sending pics thru email. I will do a post as things come along.

[Fliss]

I haven't commissioned a mandolin, but I've commissioned a couple of guitars and in each case I met with the luthier and discussed what I wanted. I don't think it's essential, although a phone call at least is probably good, but I certainly think it helps. In my (extremely limited!) experience, custom builds work best when you have good communication with the builder, and a clear idea of what you want from the instrument.

Fliss

[Ivan Kelsall]

For me a good deal of the interest & enjoyment of being able to have a custom built instrument made, would be to visit the builder. Even from this side off the pond,i'd take a trip to talk with 'whoever' it was. I hold these guys in high esteem & to meet & possibly see them in action in their workshops would be a terrific experience,plus,you could actually see the woods they have in stock & maybe chose your own little pile from which your instrument will be built.I could think of a dozen good reasons to visit,but to 'meet my maker' would top it off - you lucky person !!,
Ivan:cool:
I

[Michael Lewis]

Good advice given previously, get to know the work of your luthier so you know what to expect in regard to fit and finish, tone, and feel. A thorough and good understanding of what you expect is due the luthier, as you are entering a contract. It is different for each person / personality.

Some makers are very good at keeping their clients updated on every little detail, some don't work that way. You need to discuss this with your luthier so both of you are comfortable and know what to expect.

[JGWoods]

In my perfect world luthiers come to me begging to give me an instrument for free just so they can say I play one....nah, ain't gonna happen.

I have had a few custom made instruments and my conclusion is that whatever you get it will not be just what you hoped for. It may be really good, great even, but it will be a surprise in some ways.

If you really want a certain sound and playability/setup, feel and fit, then you have to go and play already made instruments until you find the one that is for you, then take it home.

I sold every custom instrument I ever had built and now I am living happily ever after with store bought stuff that I played before I bought.

[Philphool]

In my 2 experiences with custom builds, I started out with the premise that the builder already made mandolins that generally look and sound the way I like them. That predetermined the wood and graduations.

Then, the decisions that we discussed were:

Will the finish be more red or more yellow.
How wide will the nut be.
Flat or radiused FB.
What type frets.
What shape neck, V or round.
What type binding.

That was about it. I was lucky enough to be able to do most of this in person.

Oh yeah, and "how much is this gonna cost me?":grin:

[Geiss]

Good observations and many thanks......JG what you said somehow really resonates with me (and I thought I was dead set on a new build).

There are a couple of interesting instruments used nearby and I was surprised that one private seller was not keen on a meeting.
That's one I will stay away from......

Best,
David

[sunburst]

I like to know as much as I can about the player, the player's wants and needs, what he/she plays, how loud, how much etc. etc.. It all informs what I might build for him/her. If you can meet with your builder, I think it is a good idea. It can help both of you with your expectations.

[Matt DeBlass]

The only custom made instrument I have, and the only one I'm likely to be able to afford for a while at least, is my bodhran. I actually hung around with and sessioned with the builder (Mike Vignoles) while I was in Ireland. Customization on this was pretty basic, he gave me options (size, crossbar, head thickness) and I picked what I wanted, but the fact that I had met the guy and held and played examples of his instruments carried a lot of weight. Hopefully when I can afford a multi-thousand dollar mandolin, I'll be able to say the same.

I'm happy to say I've been seeing more of his builds at local sessions in the decade-plus since I bought mine, and selling for significantly more than I paid.

[Eric Hanson]

This is my first custom build by someone else. I visited Butch Click (Frankford, IN) about a month ago and laid out what I wanted. We picked the wood and decided on the hardware, fingerboard, and neck. I sent him pics, today, of the color I wanted. It should be ready for a test run in the white in about 6-8 weeks. Butch sure is a nice guy and has been sending pics thru email. I will do a post as things come along.

I worked with Butch on a build a little over a year ago. Really nice fellow. Nice mandolin. Wonderful sound. I had played a few of his at a shop in Nashville, IN and liked the sound, thus went forward. Saw hello to him for me when you see him again.

[Jim Kirkland]

I worked with Butch on a build a little over a year ago. Really nice fellow. Nice mandolin. Wonderful sound. I had played a few of his at a shop in Nashville, IN and liked the sound, thus went forward. Saw hello to him for me when you see him again.

Small world. I found one of Butch's mandos in a small music store in Nashville, IN also. It belonged to the store keeper and was not for sale. He was kind and let me play the mando. I have been shopping for a while, looking for something special. I was impressed and made contact with Butch and things went from there. I will past your comments to Butch and will post a pic when complete.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

David,
Make the trip. I very much recommend sitting down with your luthier and your current instrument. Describe what you like and don't like about it. Play it for him or her. Discuss picks, strings, woods, thumbwheels, etc. There's at least a terabyte of non-verbal info in all that verbal interaction.

Daniel