Beginner vs. the Fiddle Kit

by Dave Raley

Originally published in American Lutherie #110, 2012



Why would an experienced luthier want to build the Stewart-MacDonald Fiddle Kit? Probably wouldn’t. But some of us are beginners with limited tools. I go into detail here about the errors that I made so that others may avoid those errors.

Stew-Mac’s kit is surprisingly complete, but there are pitfalls; here and there the manual assumes that you know as much as the kit master. The greatest gift was that the ribs were already bent. They and the blocks were already glued to the back, which was carved and sanded. The top was also carved and sanded, f-holes cut, and purfling grooves excavated almost enough. The tailpiece wanted only assembly with the tailgut. Strings, pegs, fine tuner, chinrest, end pin, soundpost blank, bass bar blank, bridge, purfling; all there. If you don’t waste any purfling you will have a few inches left over. A soundpost setter is included. You will need a lot more rubber bands than provided.