If it an argument between kits and professionally build instruments the pro
built instruments win hands down. However, if you are inclined to build one
why must you buy a kit.
If you are looking to save money and you are determined to build your
own then go for a really good set of plans. Even if you do not read French the
"La vielle a roue" by Michel Pignol (ISBN 2-9522433-0-1) is a VERY complete
set of informative plans and diagrams. Buy the books and plans, your own
wood, the metal to make the crank and axle or buy them from a good source, buy
the tuning pegs and strings and in the end you are out $300 to $500. The same
as the poorly designed and oft maligned kits. Then start asking questions that
you can't answer from the book.
By buying a poor quality kit that someone else bought the parts for
and put in a box and then marked up to the $300-500 range so they could make a
tidy profit you are spending the money that you could have spent buying a
good set of plans, the right parts, and good tone wood. If the whole process
is
just for the convenience of the kit and the "I want it now" mentality ( I
fall trap to this myself) then you are giving up the quality that comes from
the
right parts and plans.
My suggestion is to spend the time doing it, ask questions and make
sure you design and build what you want, not what you can get right now. It
ends
the debate about kits or pro built versus money. If you have the time and
the inclination to build it yourself don't buy a kit, buy the tools to make
the
instrument properly. Afterwards if you don't like the first one you don't
have to pay for the tools to build the next one. You also learn a lot about
them in the process.
Scott
**************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.
(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025
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