Some of you may know that I ‘played’ the violin for a short while back in a previous life (about 40 years ago). About a year and a half ago, in something that must have been like a late mid-life crisis, I decided that at nearly 60 years of age, it was likely now or never. I got out an old violin I’d been hauling around with me for over 40 years, tuned it up, found a music teacher, and can happily say I’ve been annoying people ever since.
As I’ve learned to play, I’ve developed a fascination with the art/science of luthiery. While perusing Ebay for repair parts, I noticed complete kits available, ready for assembly. I thought to myself, “How cool would it be to play on an instrument built with your own hands?”
The kit I settled on is one from a company called Stew-Mac in Ohio. While I’m sure most, if not all the parts are actually made in China, the comments on this outfit were virtually all positive, and many said they were actually quite impressed with the quality of the finished instrument for just a few hundred dollars.
I have no idea how long it will take, though I’m sure it will be at least several months my plan is to youtube the complete process from start to finish. You can watch the intro segment here. Feel free to subscribe to my youtube channel, and by all means drop comments!
The Prairie Fiddler 