Official Luthiers Forum!

Anyone of you have tried one of these? I just bought a dulcimer kit... I tought that for the price i could have a nice dulcimer... It comes with walnut back, sides, top and fretboard... so i bought also a dulcimer size WRCedar top... it'll be better.

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Stew mac makes very good kits. I have never purchased the dulcimer kit though I might since i always wanted a dulcimer...mike

StewMac is great to do business with. Their stuff is sometimes pricey but is always top quality IMO and if you don't like it, they will cheerfully accept it back without imposing a "restocking fee." Never, ever had a problem ordering from them.

_________________
It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia

I have seen and heard 4 stew mac kit guitars, 3 D size and Andy Birko's 12 fret 000 and they all sound quite good, the woods were very nice and the look of the completed guitar was depended on the skill of the builder. Andy's 000 looks and plays quite good. I have never bought any tonewood or kits from them but their tools are as advertised though a little costly for what they are, but often they are the only supplier of that tool.

Fred

_________________
Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Also check over on the Kit Guitar Building forum... They are a dedicated (But low traffic) forum for kit guitars.

http://www.kitguitarsforum.com/forum/index.php

The forum's owner Bill Cory has published a couple books specifically dealing with building guitars from the various Kits available.

Thanks

John

There is a kit forum here too....

I've built the 000 kit from StewMac. The guitar plays well and sounds pretty good. There are a few things I wish I had done differantly, but these are my fault. I'm happy with the quality of the kit. I'm now building #2 from scratch. The knowledge I gained from building the kit has been extremely valuable. You won't regret it.

Good Luck,

_________________
- Ben Pak
North Wales, Pa.

Don't do it!!!! Stop while you still can..... If you proceed beyond this point you are risking your hard earned cash, your relationship(s), your sofa.....

On the other hand if you purchase a Stew-Mac kit you may IMHO expect:

1) Excellent quality materials

2) Customer service that is second to none

3) A time tested design that can produce an instrument in the case of the dread that some authors and builders have claimed rivals a $2,000 guitar

4) Unique assembly method that does not require the builder to purchase or make radius dishes or an outside mold... This is a huge savings

5) Documentation and instructions which I think are the best in the business (again my experience is with their guitar kits). I am not sure if this is true for the other kits that they offer but you can download the dread kits instructions free-of-charge and get a very good feel for what you are getting into.

Good luck