Re: Trying to learn what makes a great new build (not vintage) ..
First of all I like the way you posed this question: not who but what makes a great new build? The responses are so far are right on the mark. I'll add a little to the discussion from a slightly different perspective.
I'm not a luthier, nor do I want to be. I have done some woodworking, strictly amateur, and I'll use an analogy from that angle. I have made a certain keepsake box that I give as presents to family for various occasions, about a dozen in all to date. They all come from the same pattern / design. Each one has subtle differences between them. I CAN honestly say that the latest one is nicer than the one before it, etc. But only incrementally. So experience in building a project is, in my opinion, a big factor in what you can expect in the final result. Being able to reproduce an instrument (especially in todays day and age with CNC machines, automation, etc.) that looks just like the last one and the previous one is very doable. And yes some, not all, of these are fine instruments. But instruments aren't auto parts!
All things being equal (wood, glue, finish, etc.) I feel that what makes a great, versus good, instrument is an experienced builder who knows how to bring out the best in his individual instrument, one perhaps incrementally better than the last.
Thus I'll propose that "What" becomes "Who".
Ratliff R5 2007, Capek A5 2003, Washburn M5S-SB Jethro Burns 1982, Mid-Mo M-2, Epiphone MM 30 Bk mandolins, Harmony Batwing 1970's, George Bauer bowlback early 1900's Philadelphia.
"Don't cloud the issue with facts!" Groucho Marx
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