# Instruments and Equipment > Builders and Repair >  Mandolin Kits

## Mando Tristan

I've been looking at various mandolin kits and thought about getting one, but there are several to choose from. There is one here:http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2012/Main/415 and then there are the ones available from Stewmac and International Violin. Any opinions on which would be best? Also, should I do an A or F style, I've done projects like this before. 
-Tristan

EDIT:
International Violin Kit: http://www.internationalviolin.com/i...x?ItemCode=MK1
Stewmac F Style: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Kits/Man...dolin_Kit.html
Stewmac A Style: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Kits/Man...dolin_Kit.html

----------


## Folkmusician.com

I believe the Grizzly version is laminated.

----------

Chuck Holton

----------


## Bill Snyder

*Roger Siminoff's kits* are supposed to be top notch, comparable with the ones from StewMac plus I believe he will customize one for you with your choice of woods.

----------


## Mando Tristan

> *Roger Siminoff's kits* are supposed to be top notch, comparable with the ones from StewMac plus I believe he will customize one for you with your choice of woods.


His kits do look nice! But they are the most expensive. I think I like those the best of all the kits I've seen, plus they are customizable with different woods (http://www.siminoff.net/pages/simino...9.options.html) and come in different levels of completion. I have now caught a new kind of MAS, DIY-MAS. His customizing options do beg the question, which wood is best for a great mandolin?

----------


## multidon

> I've done projects like this before.


What do you mean exactly? You've built mandolins before? Musical instruments before? Coffee tables? Not to be smart but the answer is going to depend on your level of experience. For bang for the buck, the IV kits are impossible to beat (the A f-hole is Saga, the rest are sourced especially for them). But they have no instructions! You have to buy a guidebook like the Siminoff, and even then there are those who will tell you not to follow it exactly. Fortunately, if you search "IV kit" on the forum you will find a boatload of suggestions from folks who have had great success building with that kit. Of course the parts are imported, and the included hardware really needs to be swapped out, increasing the cost. The Stew Mac kits come with pretty good instructions but they suggest buying the instructional DVD to go along with it which is even more detailed. The components of that kit are made in USA and come with no hardware, leaving those choices up to the builder.

As to wood choice, the conventional wisdom is that spruce top/maple back and sides is the best combination. That being said, many other combinations have been tried, such as cedar or redwood for the top or mahogany, rosewood, walnut, or birch for the back and sides. All have been used successfully. Again, you can search posts on the forum for those wood type key words to find a lot of opinions on how they affect tone.

----------


## Mando Tristan

I have built a striking engine from a kit along with many woodworking projects, and built a working calliope. I think I will look into a Siminoff or a Stewmac kit since they have gotten good reviews and have good quality. Start with the classic wood combo and maybe try new woods as time goes on. Maybe even become a luthier and try other more exotic woods since there is a specialty lumber shop near me, woods like birds eye maple and purple heart. 
I guess I'll have to start saving some money so I can afford to nurse my case of MAS.

----------


## kkmm

The Grizzly kit appears to be laminated top as it does not mention "solid top" (never seen one forgetting to advertise their solid top).
The IV kit is the best choice for the money as it has solid wood all around. I plan to buy this kit next.
I am about to complete my SMF01 kit (F style mandolin, laminated), the Grizzly kit seems to be as simple as thsi SMF01 kit as well from the photo (but I am not 100% sure) as there are no details.

----------


## Fretbear

The Stewmac and Siminoff kits both contain materials of the highest quality. The Stewmac does not offer options, for instance if you want a radiused board, you either have to buy the kit as is with it's flat board plus purchase an additional radiused board, or else buy the kit by assembling the separate pieces in your order to make it up, which loses the discounting of the kit parts. The top and back still require serious and careful graduation to proper specs., and along with binding the scroll, are the most demanding aspects of the kit. The pre-cut dovetail in the assembled rim set and neck heel is critical to providing the precise neck angle that results. Binding the peghead and back is entirely optional.

Siminoff will sell you a kit in just about any stage of construction and will graduate tops and backs in your choice of material.

----------


## Mando Tristan

Sounds like Siminoff is the best available, time to save more money. Has anyone here done any of his mandolin kits?

----------


## Fretbear

I have never used the Siminoff kit, and would assume it to be of excellent quality. I just checked the options and comparing the #1 Sim F5 mandolin kit to the Stewmac F5 mandolin kit price-wise is not as straight forward as it would seem. The Stewmac kit has a stock German (European) spruce top, which on the Sim is an additional $46.00 option over the Sim's standard Sitka spruce top. The Stewmac has a stock pre-assembled rim set, which is an additional $200.00 option on the Sim (and includes the installation of the top soundboard) I had no problem using the Stewmac pre-assembled rim set. The Stewmac has stock pre-drilled tuner holes, which is an additional $15.00 option on the Sim. The Stewmac has a stock highly accurate pre-cut neck and body-block dovetail, an additional $29.00 charge on the Sim. The Sim seems to include the top and back graduating whereas the Stewmac still needs to have this done to it. You must shape and install the peghead veneer and install the trussrod on the Stewmac, whereas this is already done on the Sim. If you add all these options and remove the construction manual book from the Sim, it totals out at $839.65 for the Siminoff versus $556.00 for the Stewmac. The Sim might still be the better purchase for you, but you should make the choice based on the options and the degrees of completion rather than just on the price, as they differ quite a bit. Neither kit contains tuners, bridge or tailpiece, these are all purchased separately.

----------


## bmac

Were you a novice woodworker i would recommend the International violin kit because it allows you to get an understanding of construction without making big mistakes. These kits are great for the novice but you are well beyond that level. Or actually get this kit and put one together as a process of understanding how they work. And then build one from scratch. You can put one of these kits together in just a few days. (Probably less with your experience) 

However with your woodworking knowledge you should be able to make your own using Siminoffs "Constructing a Bluegrass Mandolin" book and plans and save yourself a few hundred $. The book is very useful no matter what kit or plans you use. The book used to come as a package with the International Violin kit. but I think it is now sold separately. It undoubtedly comes with the Siminoff kit.

----------


## Dick Hutchings

If you have enough woodworking chops, buy the Siminoff book and build from scratch. All the shaping and bending is where the fun and satisfaction comes from. I've built three from his book so far. I use what I want out of it but I'm pretty sure if I followed it exactly, I'd still end up with a good mandolin.
Just my opinion.

----------


## Mando Tristan

Ok, thanks for all the advice guys! I think I will get the IV kit with the book to start. Then I can move on to making my own mandos, I have a nice stack of maple boards sitting the basement. Now I just need to order the IV kit and get started.
-Tristan

----------


## HogTime

> Sounds like Siminoff is the best available, time to save more money. Has anyone here done any of his mandolin kits?


I've been working on a Siminoff F5 kit for a while.  Check out my blog (see below).  Roger gives you excellent building support by email (or phone).

----------


## Mando Tristan

> I've been working on a Siminoff F5 kit for a while.  Check out my blog (see below).  Roger gives you excellent building support by email (or phone).


Thanks, your blog is really informational for anyone who wants to do one of these kits. Sounds like a Siminoff kit would be a really good option, especially if you need help, he is available to help people on a specific level with his kits and the forum here is just an all around good resource for doing anything with a mandolin.

----------


## Tom Haywood

I think kits are a great way to start. But there is a misconception that they are like airplane model kits, where everything you need is in the box and cut to fit precisely - just glue it up, paint it, put on the decals and you're done. Not so. You may get closest to this with Siminoff and fairly close with StewMac, plus getting the help you need from them to get it the way you want it. I did a Saga and an IV kit a while back, and both required serious carpentry skills to fix problems they came with. It was great experience, but required a lot of time and patience. With perseverance they resulted in great mandolins.

----------


## Barry Wilson

I ordered the kit from Don Kawalek. Should be here any day. it comes with all the hardware and crap. I figured I saved on shipping that way too. I haven't seen the kit yet but reviews sounded good.

----------


## Bill Snyder

> I think kits are a great way to start. But there is a misconception that they are like airplane model kits, where everything you need is in the box and cut to fit precisely - just glue it up, paint it, put on the decals and you're done. Not so. _You may get closest to this with Siminoff and fairly close with StewMac, plus getting the help you need from them to get it the way you want it. I did a Saga and an IV kit a while back, and both required serious carpentry skills to fix problems they came with._ It was great experience, but required a lot of time and patience. With perseverance they resulted in great mandolins.


I built one of the kits from IV about 7 years ago and I thought it was pretty easy, but I had already scratch built a mandolin. As for the Siminoff and StewMac kits it is my understanding they both have more work to do on them than the IV kit.

----------


## fatt-dad

I'm very happy with the way my IV kit (a-model) turned out.  If I were to build another kit though, I think I'd do the Stew-Mac kit next.

f-d

----------


## Mando Tristan

Looks like the IV kit is already pre assembled in some places. Looks like the soundboard, rim, and lining are already together. The Stew-Mac and the Siminoff kits are carved, but not assembled at all. From a learning perspective, the Siminoff kit looks like the best. He offers support, his kits come with his book, there are more options and stages of completion available, and he makes everything to order the way you want. Now if I could afford the money to get one of his kits, it looks like it could be around $750 with the kit, an assembly fixture (1 time buy thank goodness), and the tuners.

----------


## Matt the Mead Maker

You'll have to do shaping and thicknessing (if that's a word) on the top and back plates with the stew Mac kits. Not to mention carving the scroll, shaping and fitting the neck, etc. I built a stew Mac kit as my first build and it turned out stellar. Easily keeps up with mandos in the $2000 price range but the satisfaction and sentimental value are over the top. It was a ton of work/fun. 

Thankfully, I have a luthier friend who helped me with some of the trickier parts such as setting the neck.

----------


## fatt-dad

Here's the link to the stew-mac a5 kit:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Kits/Man...etails#details

it says the sides are bent and the tail block and neck block are in place.  I think that would be a great starting point!

f-d

----------


## Mando Tristan

From reading other threads, it sounds like the StewMac SFM-01 is laminated, not solid wood. I think I will go with Siminoff, whether the actual kit or just the book I'm not sure yet. I'm leaning towards the kit since I'd get a feel for building the mandolin and then I'd have the book so I could build my own. I think I'll save my money and get it as a summer project. He says people have told him it took about 8-10 weeks to complete in their spare time, plus there is not much else to do here in the south in the summertime.

----------


## Bill Snyder

I can't imagine what you read that would indicate that the StewMac kit is laminated. The SFM-01 kit is not from Stewart MacDonald. It is one of THESE cheap kits from ebay.

----------


## Mando Tristan

Oops! My bad. There was another older thread here that was talking about both and confused me. So everyone just disregard the first scentence of my previous post. For whatever reason I can't edit it.

----------


## kkmm

The SFM-01 kit is indeed laminated , top / back and side. I just almost complete this kit. Still need to stain and apply finish.
Not a bad one to start learning building mandolin, I do it to build up my confidence. My next kit will be either IV kit or StewMac which requires a lot more works and therefore will learn more.
Mandolin building seems to get into me and I plan to turn it into a hobby.

----------


## Mando Tristan

If you want to start scratch building mandolins as a hobby, visit Roger Siminoff's  site. He sells a lot of tools and things for mandolin making. His website is Siminoff.net. Im looking at maybe getting one of kits this summer, if I can spare $570. So hopefully it will be  :Mandosmiley:  and not  :Crying: 
Beware of DIY-MAS

----------


## Mando Tristan

After much deliberation and thought, I think I have figured out what I am going to do: I am going to get Roger Siminoff's book and try to build a mandolin from scratch. I will save my money up though so if I change my mind, I can get a kit, or I can get a nicer mandolin until my luthierie skills improve to the point where my mandolins equal or surpass a $500 mandolin. I have my eye on a nice Michael Kelly at a local music shop, curse MAS.  :Mandosmiley: 
-Tristan

----------


## Dick Hutchings

Yay!! :Mandosmiley:  Get started :Popcorn:  :Popcorn:

----------


## Mando Tristan

Got to order the book and find some spruce. Does anyone know if brown or white maple are good for mandolins, I've got several boards of each. 
Also, does Roger Siminoff's book contain plans to make the jig for the mandolin like the ones he sells on his website, or is one easy enough to make from the mandolin plans?

----------


## timv

> Also, does Roger Siminoff's book contain plans to make the jig for the mandolin like the ones he sells on his website, or is one easy enough to make from the mandolin plans?


Yeah, there aren't actual plans for the jig, but if you look at the pictures and read what he says about it, you should be able to figure it out. "Exercise left to the reader," as textbooks say... It won't be the biggest challenge you'll face.  :Smile: 

But do look at the pictures of them in his webstore. He's changed the design a little since the book came out.

----------


## Mando Tristan

I saw he sells plans for the templates and forms for the F5 mandolin in his store too, but he says you can use the plans in the book to make your own.
    What about maple varieties, I know there are a lot, but the two I have available currently are white and brown. Are either of those good or should I go find some curly or Birdseye maple?

----------


## Bill Snyder

Mando Tristan, I don't know what "white" and "brown" maple are. Do you know their taxonomic names, such as acer rubrum (red maple) or acer saccharum (sugar maple)?

----------


## Mando Tristan

> Mando Tristan, I don't know what "white" and "brown" maple are. Do you know their taxonomic names, such as acer rubrum (red maple) or acer saccharum (sugar maple)?


Bill, white maple (often called silver maple) is Acer saccharinum and brown maple is the heartwood of the white maple tree, although it can come from some other varieties. Its called brown maple by the lumber industry simply because it is brown, not because it is it's own species.
-Tristan

----------


## Mando Tristan

If neither would make a at least a decent mandolin, I can get some of the higher end species. I'm only a beginner, so I'm not looking for Breedlove quality, but I don't want something like a Rogue. Any advice one woods, or general mandolin making, would be appreciated.
-Tristan

----------


## Bill Snyder

Mando Tristan, here is a paragraph from the USDA Plant Guide on 
Acer saccharinum L:

_"Wood characteristics: The wood of silver maple is fairly hard, even texture, rather brittle, and easily worked (Panshin and deZeeuw, 1980).  It is used for furniture, cabinetry, paneling, flooring, woodturning, veneer, musical instruments, boxes and crates, tool handles, wagons, carts, and rails.  The wood is moderately heavy (SpGr 0.44-0.49 green and 0.51-0.55 ovendry).  Old heartwood develops a swirled pattern that is sold as birds eye maple. "_

A lot will depend on the wood you have in hand.

----------


## timv

If you're backing away from doing a kit, you don't have to go as far as prowling the lumber yards hoping to find the right stuff cut the right way. You can also build from scratch using tonewood blanks. The supplier will have chosen, cut, and graded it for exactly what you're doing. My impression from several years here is that most pro builders most of them time get their wood from companies that are in that business. Siminoff, Stew-Mac, International Violin sell wood for backs, tops, sides, and necks, but there suppliers such as Old Standard and Orcas Island ("Spruce" here on the forum) that just deal in tonewoods. Google and forum search are your friends as always.

----------


## Mando Tristan

Thanks Bill!




> If you're backing away from doing a kit, you don't have to go as far as prowling the lumber yards hoping to find the right stuff cut the right way. You can also build from scratch using tonewood blanks. The supplier will have chosen, cut, and graded it for exactly what you're doing. My impression from several years here is that most pro builders most of them time get their wood from companies that are in that business. Siminoff, Stew-Mac, International Violin sell wood for backs, tops, sides, and necks, but there suppliers such as Old Standard and Orcas Island ("Spruce" here on the forum) that just deal in tonewoods. Google and forum search are your friends as always.


I already have plenty of maple, including a nice 1x12, and all I need is some spruce. I may go get some tone wood blanks, but if I get the dimensions for the sloped blanks StewMac sells I can make my own on the bandsaw. Otherwise I can carve down a regular board with a combination of hand and power tools. I really don't need to go lumber hunting, there is an exotic hardwood place not far from me that sells a lot of specialty woods that have been used to make mandolins. 
-Tristan

----------


## Mando Tristan

Roger Siminoff's book came today, and all I can say is how impressed I am with it. It's the 3rd Edition so any of the corrections listed on Roger's website have been made. I feel well equipped to go and start making my own Mando. I may continue to make announcements on it here on the forum and definitely post pictures in the pictures section. The majority of announcements on it will be made on my Tumblr blog, the link is in my signature, with pictures from construction, videos, and audio once it can play.
-Tristan

----------

