View Full Version : Are these two kits the same ?
I am planning to build this IV kit from one of the two kits below:
http://www.internationalviolin.com/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=MK0
eBay also listed a similar one (SAGA mandolin kit) at lower price (free shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380711374670?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
My question is: are these two kits the same kit ? If they are different, do they have the same quality ?
Bill Snyder
Nov-09-2013, 11:00am
Yes they are the same. There is a HUGE difference though. If you have any problems with the kit from International Violin Ken Wise will most likely do whatever he needs to to make it right. I doubt that can be said about the ebay seller.
Int. Violin's other mandolin kits are NOT built by SAGA. Ken has them built just for International Violin.
Bill,
thanks for your quick answer.
So "full support" justifies the cost difference then.
MikeEdgerton
Nov-09-2013, 11:11am
They are indeed one of these (http://www.sagamusic.com/products/product-details.aspx?item=AM-10).
Bill Snyder
Nov-09-2013, 11:17am
If you get the kit from the cheaper source and there are no problems with the kit then you are money ahead. If you receive a kit and a problem with it pops up then having someone that will swap it out or send the needed part out is worth the difference in price.
I don't know how often they have problems all I know is that if there is one it is nice to have someone willing to stand behind what they are selling.
pfox14
Nov-09-2013, 1:09pm
Does the International Violin kit have a real spruce top that is carved? Seems like an awfully good price if it is.
Yes, mine all have solid spuce tops (two sides with joint at center).... Not that I am a wood expert but that is the way they were sold to me from International Violin several years ago. It is probably not the highest quality spruce as you might find in a much more expensive kit and it is not book matched, but it is good. There has been some occasional comments that the spruce sometimes has small defects in it..... I have not really found that true on the three I built although there was a small defect (hardly visible) in one of mine. In my experience the headstock veneer is so thin and uninteresting that it should be replaced by a more interesting and durable veneer.
When you purchase I would suggest getting the Constructing a Bluegrass Mandolin book by Roger H Siminoff. It is the standard and is a wonderful resource on mandolin building...This was a part of the kit some years ago but is now sold separatly I believe....
I would highly recommend the kit and the book mentioned above..
bigskygirl
Nov-09-2013, 6:15pm
There is no customer service support for the Saga kit, many come without instructions but I posted them a while back and you can search the forum for them.
You may luck out and get a good kit, on mine the back was cut too small but I made it work. I built mine to just learn about things and if I did another I would get the IV kit.
Bill Snyder
Nov-09-2013, 6:25pm
Paul, the kits are the same. Both are all solid woods, spruce and maple. They are carved not pressed. At the very least you have to clean up all the tool marks but building a thickness gauge and contouring the plates is better yet. I built one in 2005 and it has shown no problems. Mine even has a VERY flamed back. I am sure some people are tired of seeing it but if you are interested you can see it HERE. (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=97853&d=1359813638)
Bigskygirls comment:
"There is no customer service support for the Saga kit, many come without instructions but I posted them a while back and you can search the forum for them."
The instructions which come with the Saga kit are barely adequate and even they recommend using the Bluegrass Mandolin book by Siminoff for custom build and fine tuning for best sound.... Highly recommended....
Buying from International Violin is a really good idea... there have been several threads dealing with the fine customer service when buying the kit from them.... Perhaps that would account for the higher price and as Bill Snyder said, the higher price is well worth it if you need or want the support. In fact I believe International violin keeps a few kits unsold to use parts if there are complaints by customers for damaged or missing parts. This service has been discussed in a previous thread on the kit. Kit buyers have dealt directly with International Violin for parts,,, Not Saga.
belbein
Nov-09-2013, 7:48pm
I bought the Saga kit from the internet at a hefty discount from IV. it came with no instructions. The top was a piece of spruce crap. the back had a huge discoloration. i complained about it here and found that nobody else had the same problem--Ive concluded that i got sold something that failed quality control. I know nothing about IV's customer service, but it can't be worse than the nothing I got from my seller. go IV ... and buy Simonoff's book on building. (The tap tuning book is crap. )
buchrob
Nov-09-2013, 9:07pm
The above kits are a good way to gert your feet wet and tell you how much you don't know.
Just stay away from anything eBay from Ripley Mississippi advertising first quality instruments in kit form.
Not mandolin, but tuning machines were wrong, strings were awful etc. on a steel-guitar kit I bought last year. Believe me folks, it doesn't get more basic than a steel guitar: a slab of wood with 2 L-brackets to act as bridge and nut, no action under an inch.