Ray153 27th September 2007, 08:51 PM I am giving serious thought to learning to play the violin and would much prefer to learn on an instrument I have had some role in making. Stewart-MacDonald sell a violin kit that has caught my eye.
Does anyone here have first hand experience with this particular kit?
From what I have seen the company appears to have a good reputation and while I know that it will never end up a Stradivarius, I would like to try making my own instrument.
Or can anyone point me in the direction of a similar company and product in Australia?
Google didn't seem to have many hits when I searched but I may well have been holding my tongue the wrong way at the time........
Paul B 28th September 2007, 10:34 AM Stew mac are a great company to deal with I buy stuff from them all the time, never been duded yet. I guess most if not all guitar makers buy stuff from them at some point. All the wooden bits and pieces I've bought from them (bridges, fingerboards etc) have been great quality.
I haven't built one of their violin kits but I've had my eye on them for some time. Can't beat it for price.
Sebastiaan56 29th September 2007, 06:08 AM Hi Ray,
I have bought mandolin kits off this mob http://www.internationalviolin.com/home.aspx cheaper than Stewmac, which for a brutish thug like me means less cash outlaid blown when I have an inevitable learning experience. They also offer a whole range from prebuilt and in the white to roughed out timber.
I dont know of any aussie kits, sorry. There are violin makers in the AAMIM, you could try there.
Sebastiaan
Ray153 29th September 2007, 08:25 PM Sebastiaan and Paul, thanks for your input.
I had a look at the Int Violin Co site, interesting how impressions are formed and the value of pictures, painting a 1000 words comes to mind. More confident with Stew Mac products I think because there seem to be more and better detailed pictures of their products. Or maybe I am just easily fooled......
I think I would get more out of completing more of the instrument myself, sure, risks are greater but that is half the fun. I think that Stew Mac will get my hard earned on this one......
Ray
contrebasse 30th September 2007, 09:29 AM If you really need to know about stewmac kits I'm sure someone here
http://www.maestronet.com/forums/categories.cfm?catid=4
will have experience or an opinion. If you're building a VSO you need to be a member of that forum!
Ray153 4th October 2007, 09:28 AM Thanks for the link Contra, interesting site. I did note that their page of suppliers has no listing for Stew-Mac, not sure what to read into that, if anything.
There is a fairly obvious warning flag on the secure purchase site for Stew-Mac about DHL shipping or any other courier company for that matter and Customs.
My reading of the Customs site suggests that there would be either zero duty to pay or at worst 5%. Does this correspond with any experience of Customs and musical instrument materiels/parts/kits/completed pieces that any forumites have imported?
Sebastiaan56 4th October 2007, 05:02 PM Thanks for the link Contra, interesting site. I did note that their page of suppliers has no listing for Stew-Mac, not sure what to read into that, if anything.
There is a fairly obvious warning flag on the secure purchase site for Stew-Mac about DHL shipping or any other courier company for that matter and Customs.
My reading of the Customs site suggests that there would be either zero duty to pay or at worst 5%. Does this correspond with any experience of Customs and musical instrument materiels/parts/kits/completed pieces that any forumites have imported?
Never had a problem, but then Ive always been under $330US,
kiwigeo 7th October 2007, 11:30 AM I just received a $600Aus wood shipment....Customs boys opened it to have a peak (the bloke is probably a luthier!) but nothing was removed and no customs or tax applied.
Ray153 7th October 2007, 09:32 PM Thanks for the replies guys, will be spending up soonish
Willbill 15th October 2008, 09:28 PM Ray153 G’day mate,
It just so happens that I’m building a stewmac violin right now. I recon it’s great; all the specialised stuff is done. You could go to as little or as much trouble as you like, the more you put into it the better oncourse. I decided from the start to take my time and do the best I could. I suggest reading all you can on the subject. The instructions you get with it are good, but to build a better instrument there is more you need to understand. I bought a book on how to build a violin from stewmac when I ordered the kit as well as some tools, but I also got books from the library, found more information on the Internet and Utube has heaps of info on the subject. You can download the instructions for the kit from the stewmac site without buying anything, I did this and read them several times before I ordered the kit, and it only took a week to get here. I’m very happy with it.
A word of warning. Be very careful whom you take advice from. I ruined my finger board because I took advice from the owner of a music shop, I’ve known this guy for more than 30 years (I’m a guitarist) he wanted to see the kit and how I was progressing he noticed the fingerboard had a bow in it and suggested I sand it out so I did; bad advice, while he knows a lot about guitars he knows nothing about violins I’ve since found out from a violin maker on a website that they are supposed to have a slight bow, so be careful, and violin varnish is hard to find locally. Anyway I wish you luck let me know what you decided.
contrebasse 18th October 2008, 07:44 AM Was it actually scoop or was the board perhaps warped? Hard to tell if you're new to it.
If you sanded out the bow ("scoop") all may not be lost, and the plus is that you'll learn how to plane new scoop in the board. That's "luthier skills advanced" though. There should only be about 1mm maximum scoop in a violin fingerboard on the bass side.
Willbill 18th October 2008, 10:18 AM Contrebasse,
Thanks for your reply. The board was scooped because it was perfectly flat on the underside. I do intend to have a go at re-scooping the fingerboard. But I’ve already set the neck, if I take anymore off it will be to low. Fortunately I bought two kits, one was for my 17-year-old daughter. We were going to do the project together but she has since moved to Brisbane and hasn’t started hers, so I’ll use hers for mine and re-scoop mine to use on hers and set the neck accordingly, problem solved.
My biggest set back at the moment Is Violin varnish, I want to use spirit varnish but can’t find anyone in Australia that sells it. I got a recipe from a web site so I’m trying to find some ingredients. Seedlac, Gum mastic, Gum sardarac and Lavender spike oil. Can you help?
Regards Bill.
contrebasse 18th October 2008, 12:17 PM Paytons might have some. Why not use tinted hard shellac?
Willbill 18th October 2008, 01:30 PM Paytons might have some. Why not use tinted hard shellac?
I didn’t realize I could use shellac, everything that I’ve read talks about using special violin varnish to preserve the tone quality of the timber.
So shellac would be alright?
:?
Willbill 20th October 2008, 01:13 AM Paytons might have some. Why not use tinted hard shellac?
Contrebasse,
Thanks for that tip on Hard Shellac.
I’ve just checked it out, looks like the stuff I need.
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