MIMF

Hello, builders!
I send my thanks to Charlie for accepting my request to join - I am very excited to be a part of this forum! I am just preparing for my first instrument build, and the MIMF has already been a great help to me.
I sing Celtic and maritime traditional ballads here in Northeastern New York State, and play acoustic guitar and Irish bouzouki. I have wanted to to build fretted instruments for quite a long time now, and finally have decided to get a start on it, (beginning with a simple teardrop mandolin).
I have had much opportunity to gain woodworking experience; my day-job is as Facilities Manager/Tech Director for a non-profit theater, we live on and operate a small farm, and my father is a professional house carpenter. Certainly, there's a world of difference between a bouzouki build, a barn repair with an impact driver and pressure treated 2"x8"s, and building a grown sugar maple into a realistic theatrical set, yet I'm looking forward to the challenges with much anticipation.
Many thanks,
~Kristoffer Ross

Welcome to the Forum, Kristoffer!

Welcome! I have always wanted to make an Irish Bouzouki but I know I would never learn to play it. This place will certainly get you off in the right direction. Go through the library here as much as possible. It will answer questions you didn't know you had and help you figure out new questions to ask here.

Thank you both, Jim and Bryan! I am indeed finding the forum fascinating* reading.
Thanks again,
~Kristoffer
*The alliteration was not intended, but I'll leave it in there.

Welcome Kristoffer. My first acoustic instrument build was an Irish bouzouki (because the wood wasn't big enough for a guitar.) It turned out OK - I built it from a photo on the internet and scaled everything from that. I still haven't learned to play it except strumming, and probably never will. Here's a link to it.

http://www.mimf.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1821

One important thing I learned after I built it was the fret marker goes on the 10th fret in mandolin family instruments (after I'd put it on the 9th like a guitar.)
Don't be afraid to dig in and build what you want - the worst you can do is destroy wood and waste time.

Hey, Peter,
Thank you for saying hello: I remember seeing your 'zouk last year, and being very intrigued by the headstock carving. As to playing, they sound great strummed anyway! I'm still trying to wean myself into keys other than modes than D and G, myself.

Peter Wilcox wrote:One important thing I learned after I built it was the fret marker goes on the 10th fret in mandolin family instruments (after I'd put it on the 9th like a guitar.)

Thanks for the reminder. I'd probably have forgotten that - I'm making this mandolin from the Musicmaker's plans (the discontinued one, not the new one with a waist), which are a bit idiosyncratic , but I'm having fun for a starter project.

Regards,
~Kristoffer

Peter Wilcox wrote:Don't be afraid to dig in and build what you want - the worst you can do is destroy wood and waste time.

And have fun in the process - not something that can be said about many other "failures"!

True, Steve. Thank you for stopping in!
~Kristoffer