Did she really make this?

[Cary Fagan]

Here's a supposedly hand-made mandolin for sale that is clearly built from a Saga or IV kit. This isn't the first time I've seen a kit build passed off as something else. Anyone familiar with these kids (I've built one) will recognize it. I don't mean any ill-will towards the seller-builder but I do think that if it's from a kit, the seller ought to say so.


http://www.ebay.ca/itm/New-Clarinda-Mandolin-Solid-Hand-Carved-Spruce-Maple-Made-in-the-USA-/311136371840?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item48712c4480

[Timbofood]

Kit or not, seller claims they made it. It's not my particular way of selling something, I don't see anything deceptive there. Anyway, I am not going to buy it.

[MikeEdgerton]

Many instrument builders buy parts such as backs and sides from Siminoff and Stewmac as well as others. I have a hard time faulting her for that. With that said that kit doesn't look like it came out that well. I've been watching cafe members pop those out for years that looked more professional.

[Jeff Mando]

She is definitely walking a fine line. She doesn't mention it was from a kit, which makes ya think she did more hand-crafting than she probably did. She says she made the top out of solid Sitka spruce, which sounds like she took it down from a larger board, rather than a kit. Then again, we don't expect her to have cut the tree down, do we? Like Mike says, many builders get their wood from suppliers, so? Of course, a totally handmade USA mandolin for $500? Let the buyer beware! (might be a banjo killer, who knows?)

[Jeff Mando]

There is an old Italian tailor who has a shop near where I worked a few years ago. He is probably in his 80's and learned the trade as a boy in Italy, starting with cutting fabric. And, if you have him make you a suit, he measures you, cuts and sews the fabric himself from start to finish--totally hand made. However, in his shop he also has mens dress shirts on his shelves, that are very nice (and expensive). I asked him if he made shirts, he said, "No, I order them from Mexico!" Of course, he puts his label in them, so.....

[jclover]

"Return Policy: ...all sales are final."

No thanks.

[David Newton]

14 day money back or item exchange, buyer pays return shipping

[jclover]

14 day money back or item exchange, buyer pays return shipping

I noticed that, but when they tack on "all sales final" too, then it seems they are trying to have it both ways. I like things clear, to me, this is not. Maybe this is a standard ebay thing though, I dont shop there.

[billhay4]

Interesting thing is that she can't even buy the kit and parts for this. Unless she's buying them in bulk. I suspect it's not a kit from one of these sources at all.
Bill

[PJ Doland]

Roger Borys sold laminate plates to Jimmy D'Aquisto. Does that mean D'Aquisto guitars weren't "handmade?"

[bart mcneil]

Quality of build aside, I don't think she is obligated to say it was built from a kit. Do you ask if every mando you are considering buying was made from a kit? I don't. But of course you, as an educated buyer, know that in this case it is a kit mando. So you are a bit better informed than the average buyer. But I really don't think she is being deceptive in her description.

[Cary Fagan]

Interesting variety of opinions. I think there's a difference between buying some parts or plates and a kit. I myself never tell people I built my mandolin. I always say I built it from a kit. I mean, 2/3 of the work was already done. If you look at the shape of the headstock, cut down from the kit shape, at the way the fretboard extension is attached to the top, at the volute and the neck shape, you can see it's from the kit. And if you know anything about them, you know about their wood quality, etc. I just think being above board is a good thing. Especially when you make rather extravagant claims about the quality of the instrument. Other people have sold kit builds, saying so, and that just makes sense to me. That being said, I just thought it was of passing interest; not trying to make a big thing of it.

[MikeEdgerton]

Interesting thing is that she can't even buy the kit and parts for this. Unless she's buying them in bulk. I suspect it's not a kit from one of these sources at all. Bill

Actually Bill, she can. That's a Saga kit that sells retail for $114.00 with everything except the glue and the stain and if she's a Saga dealer then she's buying it wholesale. I will note she changed the tailpiece.

[Austin Bob]

I looked up the definition of the word make, and it shows the following:

1. form (something) by putting parts together or combining substances; construct; create.

So yeah, since she put the parts together, she did make it. Should she have disclosed it came from a kit? I probably would have, but it's her decision. Buyer beware.

[Cary Fagan]

Just to continue for the fun of it (because I don't think this is too serious), read the description and then remember it's a kit and see if it feels right or accurate to you. For example "The back, neck, and sides I made out of figured maple..." In fact, she didn't make the neck, Saga did. She just attached it to the body and shaped the top of the headstock. And she didn't make the sides either, they were cut, bent, and attached to the top.

By the way, those are the same cheap tuners that came with my Saga kit. (They work ok.)

[billhay4]

I was speaking of Stew-Mac and Siminoff.
Bill

[brunello97]

Quality of build aside, I don't think she is obligated to say it was built from a kit. Do you ask if every mando you are considering buying was made from a kit? I don't. But of course you, as an educated buyer, know that in this case it is a kit mando. So you are a bit better informed than the average buyer. But I really don't think she is being deceptive in her description.

Quite a low threshold of truthiness proposed (or forgiven) here. Caveat emptor is a warning, not an ethic.

Lying by omission. (http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Lying_by_omission)

Mick

[bart mcneil]

"Quite a low threshold of truthiness proposed (or forgiven) here. Caveat emptor is a warning, not an ethic.
Lying by omission."

We are all capable of fudging the truth a bit to make a sale or to make our product more accessible to the buyer. Using lesser quality wood and covering the defects with paint is one good example used by Gibson as well as other manufacturers and builders. Does a builder have to state that his tailpiece and tuner and bridge are off the shelf from suppliers? Historically many factories used necks supplied by other factories and put their own label on them. Many brands of mando were never manufactured by the company on the label but bought wholesale and relabeled. To pick on this young woman for her sin is to excuse major manufacturers, builders, and retailers who commit the same crime every day to the tune of many thousands of dollars.

So, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.".

[Cary Fagan]

well, one last post from me. I think if the seller just said this was an all solid wood instrument, hand-graduated top and back, hand-carved tone bars, it wouldn't have raised a red flag for me. But she implies something quite different, that this is a luthier hand-built instrument. However, I'll say again I don't think it's that serious a misstatement. I just prefer more straightforward dealing.

[allenhopkins]

Seller talks the talk of a luthier -- but shows the skills of a home hobbyist. And no one who knows anything about small-builder instruments would believe that a luthier could do all that she claims to have done, and sell the finished product for less than $500.

I'd be willing, under certain circumstances, to pay a skilled person $350 to assemble and finish my $150 Saga kit. And if the seller had represented the mandolin as a well-completed kit instrument, the price wouldn't be unreasonable -- all-solid-wood, top and back carved and graduated by hand, tailpiece upgrade, good strings and set-up.

But it's being represented as a product of the luthier's art, and the marginal disingenuousness involved tends to arouse suspicion.

[sunburst]

We're into a line drawing exercise again; where do we draw the line between hand made and assembled from a kit? Everybody has a different answer. Many folks who start out building with kit instruments are rightly proud of them when they're done, and consider them to be something they built, put their name on them, give them serial numbers etc..
I've only built one kit. I put my name in the "hat" to be potentially drawn to win a Martin guitar kit, and lo and behold they drew my name! That box of parts sat around for a while and I finally decided to go ahead and put it together. When I started, I looked it over and immediately started thinking about swapping out parts for ones that were better or more to my liking, avoiding some of the production compromises inherent in production parts... then I decided that I would build it straight from the box without swapping out parts (other than the bone nut and saddle I used, rather than the supplied micarta). This way, if anybody asks I can tell them what to expect from a well assembled Martin guitar kit. (BTW, it was a HD-28 kit, and the finished product was at least the equal of a Martin HD-28.)
So, I did no design work and I did not select the materials. I made no important decisions about the build, they were all made by the folks at Martin who designed the guitar and assembled the parts for the kit. I didn't put my label in it, I didn't put my name on it, I didn't include it in my records, it has no serial number... basically, I don't consider it to be an instrument that I built, only a kit that I assembled. That probably puts me at one extreme when drawing the line between building and kit assembling, and there are those at the other extreme who would consider the kit I put together a full fledged build. It either incorrect? I think not.
I do think there is an element of deception in the Ebay seller's description of the instrument, but that's just my opinion.

[bart mcneil]

What you say is true and reasonable, but we are talking not about an experienced luthier but a young woman who put together a kit mando and is trying to sell it. What should the ad say? "Built by an incompetent first time mandolin kit builder. Please ignore mistakes and poor finish."? That would be an honest statement. But it will not help in her sale. Were we to require honesty among sellers and sales people half of them would be in jail.

I would cut the woman some slack. In time she may turn out to be a fine luthier, but not just yet. In the mean time "Let the buyer beware".

[MikeEdgerton]

I was speaking of Stew-Mac and Siminoff.
Bill

I assumed you meant that but this is clearly not either one of those and is the Saga kit from everything I see.

[mandolinstew]

looks like it was finished with shoe polish and a dirty rag without sanding

[Willie Poole]

She also says she likes to talk about mandolins and banjos so give her a call...She posted her phone number and you can ask her all of these questions and hopefully get some true answers, myself I don`t give a hoot...BUT I had a mandolin build from scratch (no Kit) for under 500 bucks and it is an F model and sounds great, it all depends on what the builder wants to charge for his/her labor...I know nothing about kits but have often wondered if I would like to try one, maybe one day....

[John Kinn]

She also says she likes to talk about mandolins and banjos so give her a call...She posted her phone number and you can ask her all of these questions and hopefully get some true answers, myself I don`t give a hoot...BUT I had a mandolin build from scratch (no Kit) for under 500 bucks and it is an F model and sounds great, it all depends on what the builder wants to charge for his/her labor...I know nothing about kits but have often wondered if I would like to try one, maybe one day....

Pm me the name of the builder, please!;)

[allenhopkins]

Pm me the name of the builder, please!

Apparently her name is Clarinda, she lives in Greenbriar AR, and you can contact her through eBay (link is in the first post on the thread).

And we can quibble over whether she's the "builder" or the "assembler," right?

[Jeff Mando]

I had a mandolin build from scratch (no Kit) for under 500 bucks and it is an F model and sounds great, it all depends on what the builder wants to charge for his/her labor...

There was a recent thread about a father/son team who build F styles and sold them on eBay for the highest bid. Can't remember the name, but most of the bidding stopped in the $500-650 range. If I remember correctly they had built around 50 mandolins. They looked really nice, too.

I think there will alway be somebody operating outside of the normal circles, maybe with a mindset of not competing with the "big boys" and not really putting a working wage mentally on their time. An advanced hobbyist, if you will. Having fun getting their mandolins out there and being played...

Don't know if this relates. I can take my car to NAPA and they do a great job, but everytime any repair is going to be $700-800, ($50-75 hr) it never fails. I've got a local guy who is an excellent mechanic and works for a garage during the day and in the evenings and weekends he is available to repair cars on his own. The same repair will be $200-300 "after hours" and he is happy to get the work. And I am happy to save some $$$.

[bart mcneil]

Rather than attempt to embarrass the woman, why not just invite her to join the Mandolin Cafe. She sounds like an enthusiastic musician. Perhaps she needs support more than a lecture.

[Perry Babasin]

Just a little plug for Clarinda... She is a reputable ebay seller, and actually does pretty good set-ups. She advertises that she likes to talk mandolin and she does, she doesn't just drop ship product. I don't know about this home-made model, but I have bought a couple of mandolins from her and she was forthright, communicative, and responsive... I would definitely buy from her again, but probably not this mandolin... NFI-BTW - I bought my 600 (in the avatar) from her.

[John Kinn]

Apparently her name is Clarinda, she lives in Greenbriar AR, and you can contact her through eBay (link is in the first post on the thread).

And we can quibble over whether she's the "builder" or the "assembler," right?

I was thinking of the builder who made original F-style mandolins that sounded good and cost $500. THAT is a good deal!

[Cary Fagan]

Well, one more comment. If I were the seller (and I've restored and sold about 25 instruments) I would want to see this thread and would find it very instructive. I think it's perfectly fair to comment on the practises of an ebay seller (and I acknowledge here we don't all agree).

Nor do I think we have lectured her. Although I do feel a bit lectured myself!

Mind you, I don't mind disagreement.

[Bernie Daniel]

Well, one more comment. If I were the seller (and I've restored and sold about 25 instruments) I would want to see this thread and would find it very instructive. I think it's perfectly fair to comment on the practises of an ebay seller (and I acknowledge here we don't all agree).

Nor do I think we have lectured her. Although I do feel a bit lectured myself!

Mind you, I don't mind disagreement.


Just because some do not agree with your assessment means you were "lectured"? That sounds a bit "thin skinned" IMO. You started the thread questioning the ethics of a seller so I think it is unreasonable to expect that everyone should accept your view point.

Personally, I think the seller might benefit from acknowledging the kit origins of the mandolin because that lets her use the "reputation' of the kit maker -- a company that has successfully made and sold perhaps hundreds of mandolin parts.

Not everyone cares who carved the wood as long as the mandolin is put together right.

[Cary Fagan]

I was basically joking. And as I said, I don't mind disagreements. I don't expect all people to think the same way. I don't mind what anyone has said here, whatever I think of the individual comments. This post was about honesty in advertising which I think is a subject worth thinking about. I've made all my points but others are free to comment if they wish.

[Bernie Daniel]

I was basically joking. And as I said, I don't mind disagreements. I don't expect all people to think the same way. I don't mind what anyone has said here, whatever I think of the individual comments. This post was about honesty in advertising which I think is a subject worth thinking about. I've made all my points but others are free to comment if they wish.

OK well never mind then! :) I notice in your first post that you had put together a kit yourself -- which one? One interesting thing I learned from this thread is some kits cost much less than I had realized -- e.g., as low as $150. Hard to believe.

[Cary Fagan]

Hey Bernie, I built a Saga kit, which costs less than that. I tried to make it look less like a kit build by reshaping the neck and the fretboard end, etc. You can see it here:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?105847-Saga-(IV)-kit-finished&p=1287899#post1287899

I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out. My biggest error was getting the neck angle too low but a low bridge has pretty much dealt with the problem now.

[Tom Haywood]

I'm still trying to see the difference between a complete collection of parts that will make a mandolin, and a "kit".

[9lbShellhamer]

The ad is a tiny bit misleading...implying she hand-carved the top, etc, and she doesn't disclose it's from a kit.

I personally do an insane amount of research before I buy things. I mean...if someone is risky enough to buy a mando sight unseen from an unknown builder that's their choice.

Her reviews seem pretty positive though. I know she used to sell a lot of factory blems etc. There have been a ton of cafe posts on other items she's sold in the past...most of the posts with some sort of negative tone.

[Bernie Daniel]

Hey Bernie, I built a Saga kit, which costs less than that. I tried to make it look less like a kit build by reshaping the neck and the fretboard end, etc. You can see it here:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?105847-Saga-(IV)-kit-finished&p=1287899#post1287899

I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out. My biggest error was getting the neck angle too low but a low bridge has pretty much dealt with the problem now.

Very nice I think I might have looked at that thread actually. I especially like the finish on the top -- it has a cool vintage look to it.

[Jeff Mando]

I'm still trying to see the difference between a complete collection of parts that will make a mandolin, and a "kit".

Good point, Tom. I would have to think it comes down to the ability and craftsmanship of the person putting it together. Probably most noticable in the details, such as the finish quality and how the top is carved (if it is indeed, carved).

For example, most Fender electric guitars can be assembled with a screw driver and sellers on eBay will sell you every part that comprises a Fender. If I buy the parts and screw it together, do I have a genuine Fender guitar? Not sure, certainly not a factory Fender guitar. If I screw the parts together, does that make me a luthier? Of course not.

Another gray area with vintage Fender guitars is that the parts are modular, i.e., interchangable. What if someone had a 1964 Fender Stratocaster that was missing the original neck and then a genuine 1964 Fender Stratocaster neck was purchased on eBay with the correct date, finish, etc. If you screw them together, do you have an "original" 1964 Fender Stratocaster or some kind of a mongrel? Obviously, it didn't leave the factory that way, and nobody would know, but I bet a lot of guitars sold for big money probably have a similar history....(just realized this belongs on the stratocaster forum.....oops)

[sunburst]

I'm still trying to see the difference between a complete collection of parts that will make a mandolin, and a "kit".

I think it comes down to decision making. If I design the mandolin, select the materials, select the construction methods, etc.etc. then complete the mandolin, I've built a mandolin. If someone else designs the mandolin, selects the materials, selects the construction methods, etc.etc. and I complete the mandolin, I've assembled a kit.
As I've said, it's an exercise in line drawing. Where do we draw the line? As I see it, it's not so much a line as a shading from black to white, so to speak.

[Cary Fagan]

That makes sense, John, but what if a person builds a mandolin from scratch according to Simminoff plans and instructions. He or she isn't designing it but I'd still call that being a luthier.

As for a kit, I don't know how to define 'kit' generally but the saga and IV kits definitely qualify. The neck is shaped, fretboard installed and fretted. The sides are not only bent, they are already attached to the top. The f holes are cut. Etc. There is still a lot of work to do and how it sounds will depend in large part on how you finish graduating the top and bottom (my kit didn't need a lot) and fit and shape the tone bars. I doubt they can sound brilliant, but they can be pretty good. You learn a lot and it feels like a real accomplishment, I don't take any of that away. But having built one flat top from scratch, I certainly know the difference in time and effort.

[Pete Jenner]

I don't see a problem with her saying she built it herself. The pictures tell the story. If I were her I would have blamed someone else.

[Bernie Daniel]

Good point, Tom. I would have to think it comes down to the ability and craftsmanship of the person putting it together. Probably most noticable in the details, such as the finish quality and how the top is carved (if it is indeed, carved).

For example, most Fender electric guitars can be assembled with a screw driver and sellers on eBay will sell you every part that comprises a Fender. If I buy the parts and screw it together, do I have a genuine Fender guitar? Not sure, certainly not a factory Fender guitar. If I screw the parts together, does that make me a luthier? Of course not.

Another gray area with vintage Fender guitars is that the parts are modular, i.e., interchangable. What if someone had a 1964 Fender Stratocaster that was missing the original neck and then a genuine 1964 Fender Stratocaster neck was purchased on eBay with the correct date, finish, etc. If you screw them together, do you have an "original" 1964 Fender Stratocaster or some kind of a mongrel? Obviously, it didn't leave the factory that way, and nobody would know, but I bet a lot of guitars sold for big money probably have a similar history....(just realized this belongs on the stratocaster forum.....oops)

Another instrument like that is a banjo. I found a 1929 Gibson TB-3 Mastertone neck (it was cut for a 2 piece flange) and I add glued back on some mahogany, and then re-cut it for a 1 -piece flange and re-fretted it. After that I just had to find a '60's era Gibson flange , rim, flat-head tone ring, bridge, resonator and a Grover Presto tailpiece and vola I have a "vintage" Gibson tenor banjo. Or something that looks exactly like one anyway. Except for the woodworking on the neck this was all done with wrenches, screwdrivers and pliers! :) And no it did not make me into a luthier -- but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express.

[Bernie Daniel]

That makes sense, John, but what if a person builds a mandolin from scratch according to Simminoff plans and instructions. He or she isn't designing it but I'd still call that being a luthier.....

For sure!

P.S. just bought a Saga kit for icks!

[Jeff Mando]

And no it did not make me into a luthier -- but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express.

Ya gotta love that big breakfast buffet!!!

[Bernie Daniel]

For sure!

P.S. just bought a Saga kit for icks!

I mean kicks! :redface:

[Petrus]

I mean kicks! :redface:

Well that depends on how the finish turns out! :grin:

[Petrus]

Another gray area with vintage Fender guitars is that the parts are modular, i.e., interchangable. What if someone had a 1964 Fender Stratocaster that was missing the original neck and then a genuine 1964 Fender Stratocaster neck was purchased on eBay with the correct date, finish, etc. If you screw them together, do you have an "original" 1964 Fender Stratocaster or some kind of a mongrel?

I've looked into this a bit (not necessarily for just Strats) but so far have found that it would cost you about the same amount of money to buy the parts separately as to purchase an assembled instrument, depending on the specific situation, so there doesn't seem to be the amount of savings involved that one would think.

Also, what's to stop a quasi-luthier from taking a kit and making a few minor modifications to it (doing a little bit of sanding here and there), then calling it hand made? The kit has been uniquely modified by hand.

[jim simpson]

Speaking of making a kit look like your own, I think it would be cool if the kit makers included a blank oversized headstock. One could then make a snakehead or any shape one would want.

[Jeff Mando]

To paraphrase a famous person: "She didn't build that! Somewhere along the line she had a teacher who inspired her. You think you're smart? There's a lot of smart people out there! How about the road leading to your workshop--you didn't build that! How about the bridge that the UPS truck drove over to deliver that kit? You didn't build that bridge. You think you work hard? There's a lot people that work hard everyday...."

tee hee hee

[Cary Fagan]

Hey Jim,
I got a snakehead-like shape to my saga build, which I 'borrowed' from someone else on the cafe who put up pics of his. The real problem is that the tuner holes are already drilled and that limits what you can do shape-wise. You can narrow the headstock a certain amount (which means the upper tuners are sticking past the edge of the headstock a bit more than the bottom, but you don't really notice it) but only so much. Of course you can plug and re-drill the holes but I didn't want to and was happy with the resulting shape.

[Bernie Daniel]

Speaking of making a kit look like your own, I think it would be cool if the kit makers included a blank oversized headstock. One could then make a snakehead or any shape one would want.

The headstock is blank and over sized so you can do modify the shape if you want with the kit mandolin.

Also to point that Petrus made -- the $115 IV kit contains a nut, bridge, tail piece, binding, strings & tuners -- what else do you need?! :)

I don't need another mandolin so on my kit project I intend to re-graduate the top using a calipers and thumb plane, and probably plug the tuner holes, overlay the headstock with rosewood veneer then re-drill the tuners holes, do some MOP inlay and maybe upgrade the tuners.

When I am done I will sell it just like the person who is the subject of this thread! :)

Then we can have a thread entitled "did he really make it?" -- :))

[journeybear]

I've been reading this thread with passing interest but haven't piped up because I've had not much to contribute, my position having been stated and restated a-plenty (deceptive or misleading, if not outright fictitious, wording in the ad). But I just found myself wondering this:

Cary, would you mind posting some photos of your kit build? I'm having a bit of trouble picturing it in my mind, and it might be instructive for others too, to compare, or just learn. But only if you feel comfortable about doing so. Thanks!

[Cary Fagan]

I did give a link to some pics on an earlier post, but here it is again. And if you do a search you'll find some other builds with nicer finishes than mine. I've thought of doing another, having learned a lot the first time, but I haven't worked up the energy yet.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?105847-Saga-(IV)-kit-finished&p=1287899#post1287899

[Cary Fagan]

And Bernie, I agree that a rosewood veneer on the headstock looks good. I think it matches the fretboard and so looks better, in this case, than ebony.

[journeybear]

Thanks for reposting the link. Guess I skimmed past it before. It looks really nice, to these non-expert (and tired) eyes.

[Petrus]

When I am done I will sell it just like the person who is the subject of this thread! :) Then we can have a thread entitled "did he really make it?" -- :))

And don't forget to have your name legally changed to Loar Fern Gibson. :grin:

[Bernie Daniel]

And don't forget to have your name legally changed to Loar Fern Gibson. :grin:

I could consider that certainly but I was thinking of inlaying "The Kit" on the headstock!! :mandosmiley:

[Timbofood]

No, "A" Kit:))

[Bernie Daniel]

No, "A" Kit:))

That would be less work!

[journeybear]

Nah, better stick with "The Kit," so it will fit in with "The Gibson," "The Weber," and "The Loar." If you go with "A Kit" it's bound to cause endless confusion if it appears on an F-style. :grin:

Of course, years down the road, once your mandolins have made their mark and are respected and sought after by mandolin cognoscenti, there may well be heated discussions regarding whether or not a certain mandolin is a genuine "The Kit" or just a kit or, horror of horrors, a "The Kit" kit. :disbelief:

[pheffernan]

Kitsch?

[Timbofood]

Phef, then it would need a scroll! Sorry to all us "F" guys!
I know there is at least one converted "Lumpy" out there which says "nosbiG A" if you catch my drift.
Finished out it looked pretty darned nice! One of the joys of living in Kalamazoo, "interesting projects" rear their heads from time to time.

[bart mcneil]

Willy:

For a first kit these a can be a very rewarding experience and will at least give you an idea as to whether you might want to take on a more expensive and more complicated kit like the Siminoff kit. I built mine just to understand how a sophisticated mando works and how to fine tune its sound.

[bart mcneil]

Willy:

For a first kit these a can be a very rewarding and educational experience and will at least give you an idea as to whether you might want to take on a more expensive and more complicated kit like the Siminoff kit. I built mine just to understand how a sophisticated mando works and to learn how to fine tune its sound.

[Cary Fagan]

A kit is an excellent way to begin.

Speaking of honesty in advertising, I can't resist mentioning this add for a mandolin that needs "small repair." Of course the photos are a little more specific.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-OLD-MANDOLIN-ANTIQUE-STRING-MUSICAL-INSTRUMENT-FOR-SMALL-REPAIR-/181480056280?pt=String_Instrument_Parts_Accessorie s&hash=item2a410de5d8

[Austin Bob]

A kit is an excellent way to begin.

Speaking of honesty in advertising, I can't resist mentioning this add for a mandolin that needs "small repair." Of course the photos are a little more specific.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-OLD-MANDOLIN-ANTIQUE-STRING-MUSICAL-INSTRUMENT-FOR-SMALL-REPAIR-/181480056280?pt=String_Instrument_Parts_Accessorie s&hash=item2a410de5d8

Well, it's a small instrument, so obviously it just needs a small repair. LOL

At least it looks well played.

[journeybear]

Well, it looks played. ;) Nice touch - leaving that string attached. Wonder if it can be restored? :confused: