Is There a Mandolin Building Camp?

[JonZ]

I have a 13 year old son who is constantly building instruments: kick drum, jaw harp, digeridoo, etc. He plays the violin, but is also interested in the mandolin.

Is there any type of camp that walks you through a build?

[Chris Oliver]

Jon,

Rockygrass fest has a mandolin building class where the participants assemble a kit in 4 days. http://www.bluegrass.com/rga/building.html

http://www.bluegrass.com/images/rga/RGA08-Mandolin-Russ.jpg

If you need to stay local and are unable to find anything, consider a guitar building class (if available). Many of the same skills, materials, tools, acquisition syndromes are used/needed for both. :mandosmiley:

[HogTime]

Check out Roger Siminoff's site. Really not a camp, with onsite lodging, though. So you couldn't send your son off alone to it.
http://www.siminoff.net/luthierie_camp/index.html

[Bill Snyder]

Rick Turner does a mandolin building class every now and then. He is in Santa Cruz, CA. He has even done his class in Australia.
Don Kawalek does workshops also where you leave with an instrument you built. He is in Virginia. He has one coming up in April talked about in this thread. (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?67377-April-Workshop)

[Audio Artillery]

Junior colleges sometimes have guitar building classes. Sounds like a motivated kid, you may just want to get him some books and some wood and see what happens :).

[dunwell]

Red Rock Community College in Denver/Golden, Co.

http://www.rrcc.edu/finewood/courses.html (http://www.rrcc.edu/finewood/courses.html)

I think you can do an F-style if you want. Contact Robbie O'Brien there for more details.

Alan D

[Geoff B]

Red Rock Community College in Denver/Golden, Co.

http://www.rrcc.edu/finewood/courses.html (http://www.rrcc.edu/finewood/courses.html)

I think you can do an F-style if you want. Contact Robbie O'Brien there for more details.

Alan D

I teach the class at Red Rocks if you are interested (though maybe a little premature at this point!). I'm considering doing a summer session, but not in the near future (this summer at least).
I've known some folks who did the Rockygrass Academy who really enjoyed it and came out with a cool flat-top mandolin. Highly recommended for the overall experience, as would be any of the other suggestions. That's very cool about your son, keep him motivated!

[Paul Hostetter]

Rick Turner's class gets top marks from me, and since you're in Hemet, it's worth checking in directly with Rick to see if he has something scheduled down your way. He does get around.

Alternatively, there are some really nice kits for carved mandolins that are worth investigating. Check the archives, but Stew-Mac and Int'l Violin have good ones that result in a) a great learning experiences and b) respectable instruments.

[Michael Lewis]

Stewart-MacDonald (stewmac.com) has a video done by Don MacRostie that covers making a mandolin. It is designed as a guide for assembling one of their kits but also has enough basic information to make a mandolin from scratch. Check out their web site for further details. Cumberland acoustic also offers flat top mandolin kits at reasonable prices.

As a first fretted instrument I would recommend making a simple design like an "A" model, and flat top will be easier than a carved top but both are within the abilities of most folks if they are interested.

[Steve Sorensen]

Check out renting the Don MacRostie videos on SmartFlix.com. Really cool site with a lot of wood working dvd rentals.

Steve

[Jim MacDaniel]

I just attended Rick's class at the Crucible in Oakland, which is the same class described in the Rockygrass link. It was a blast, and that campfire mandolin I took home "in the white" after the fourth day is LOUD. I'll post pics shortly, in the white, as well as after I put a finish on it. (Applying the finish is not something that could be done in class for practical reasons, since several more short class days would be needed to apply a coat, wait overnight to cure, sand, apply another coat, wait overnight, etc.)

[EdHanrahan]

Joe Cleary, a frequent poster here, coming up in October in Vermont. More expensive than many, but also 3 weeks, and only $250 more than his finished (superlative!) A-style without the instruction.
http://www.vermontinstruments.com/building-courses/mandolinbuilding.html

Personally, I'd maybe want to do a pancake kit before going there, but his stuff is just so beautiful that I had to mention it.

[JonZ]

We don't really have the tools to tackle the project at home. (Most of his creations are heavy on wire and duct tape.) However, he has many wood working relatives in Texas, and might be able to work through a kit with one of them.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Don Grieser]

(Most of his creations are heavy on wire and duct tape.)

Maybe Red Green does a mandolin building workshop. Your son has already discovered the handyman's secret weapon. ;)

Good luck with the project. I've seen kids at RockyGrass just beaming when they play their finished instruments. It'll be great fun however you decide to do it.

[Mattg]

....I've known some folks who did the Rockygrass Academy who really enjoyed it and came out with a cool flat-top mandolin....

What you meant to say Geoff is that you know cool people that built an enjoyable mandolin at RockyGrass. :cool:

The slots for mando building at RGA are probably full but they open up from time to time as folks cancel. Check out http://www.bluegrass.com/ for more info. This is what got me started on the whole mandolin thing. It was alot of fun.

[Jim MacDaniel]

Rick's next four-day class in Oakland is scheduled for the weekends of April 30 and May 7: link (https://store.thecrucible.org/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=415_445_619&zenid=kog98kmjhf9avt01b7lsgvglk4)