Violin Forum/Message Board

shreddocaster · Junior Member Joined: 01 Jun 2009 Posts: 11

Can anyone tell me anything about the VK200 violin kit sold on International violin company:
http://www.internationalviolin.com/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=VK200

Chet Bishop · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 12:20 am Post subject:

Why not spend the $500 on tools, wood and books, and build from scratch?
Or, if you just want a learning experience, and are not too concerned about quality the first time around, you can get a kit for $157 from Stewart MacDonald. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Kits/Fiddle_Kits/Fiddle_Kit.html

Undoubtedly the $500 kit is better, but, really-- you can get a kit of very good wood from the Woodwell for about $150
https://secure.thewoodwell.com/?p=content&cs=product_category&c=8&i=242
a Strobel book for about $30
http://www.henrystrobel.com/,
and most of the tools you will need, especially with a little scrounging, and still be under the $500 mark. On my first one, all the materials, including the fittings and strings cost me $60 (you can see it on my website. )

I did buy a peg reamer and shaper, and a purfling marker, and I already had a small collection of carving tools. But I had no shop-- I made the whole thing in my lap. Made my spool clamps, several small planes, a few of my larger gouges, etc., but a lot of that came later.
_________________
Chet Bishop
https://bluefiddles.com
https://fivestringfiddles.com

FiddleDoug · Member Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Posts: 227 Location: Hilton, NY

It's unlikely to go together like a model airplane kit. You'll still need several tools to complete things properly.- A set of about 32 spool clamps to glue the top on. A small plane in case the fingerboard needs to be reshaped, Very sharp knives to cut the bridge. Needle file to cut nut and bridge string slots. Various measuring devices.
You might also consider the kit from Grizzly
http://grizzly.com/products/H3099
At $200, it's a lot cheaper, and you can look at the instruction manual online.
_________________
Doug Wall

www.wallindependent.com

L P Reedy · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 5:39 pm Post subject:

Be VERY wary of the Grizzly kit. The only one I've seen was total junk and I got nowhere with their customer "service." I asked to be put in touch with the president of the company, who claims to be a guitar maker, I believe, but got no response. All I could get were canned replies to the effect "You think there's something wrong with the product?" After a while I gave up and resolved to not do business with them.

I've heard good reports on the Stew-Mac kit, but I agree that you would be better off to just start from scratch. I'm sure that International kit is very good, but at $500 what's the point?

fyoder · Junior Member Joined: 05 Aug 2010 Posts: 9

Before shelling out for the Stewart MacDonald kit, you might want to check ebay. I wasn't impressed with the quality of the kit from stewmac and I don't imagine kits on ebay are much worse.

With regard to the VK200 kit, you're wise to ask before buying. That's a lot of money for a kit.

Taking off from Chet's suggestion of scratch building, there's a fellow on ebay named Simeon Chambers who sells good quality wood for bodies, tops, bass bars, sound posts. He also sells finger boards, unfinished necks, and bridges. Perhaps contact him with how much you want to spend and see if he can't put together a kit. I don't think he has precarved tops and backs, so it would be more work though. But $500 would buy you a lot of very nice material, perhaps with money left over for some tools.

http://stores.ebay.com/Simeon-Chambers-Tonewood-Store