North House Folk School - Courses, Classes, Workshops

Mandolin: Build Your Own

Music

Dave Seaton

Make beautiful music? Why not make a beautiful instrument on which to play your beautiful music? The Campfire Mandolin is a basic "Army-Navy" style mandolin which is easy to assemble and play. Portable enough to bring on your next campfire outing but no toy, this mandolin is simple enough to build in a few days. We'll be building from kits so most of the complex wood work is done for you. Building entirely with hand tools, you'll learn the basic principles and procedures of stringed instrument construction and how to make your instrument play and sound its best. The Campfire Mandolin is a flat top and back mandolin styled after vintage Army-Navy instruments. The kit has a spruce top, mahogany back, sides and neck and a rosewood fret board. All materials are included so you can have a playable instrument when we?re finished. The simple design allows you to produce a great sounding instrument with a minimum of wood working experience. We'll be using a few simple hand tools, simple jigs, sanding, clamping and gluing during construction. After the instruments are all assembled we'll be setting up the action and stringing them up on the last day. Finishing will be discussed and demonstrated so you can take time to personalize your instrument at home.

Dates

No classes currently scheduled

Course Details

Length in days:

Hours:

9am-5pm

Tuition:

$300.00 per student (Regular rate)

Materials:

$300.00

Levels:

Beginner to Advanced

Making it happen:

When should I enroll?
We can't hold classes without students! Decisions regarding course cancellations (as related to minimum enrollment) are made three weeks before the class starts--so if you've got a course in mind, plan ahead and sign up at least three weeks in advance! That way we'll know you're coming, courses are more likely to meet minimum enrollment numbers, and then they'll actually take place.
Also watch for the words "nearly full" next to course dates. When that notation appears it means there are only one or two spots left--so sign up soon!
Do you take last minute registrations?
Of course! Although it's important that courses meet minimum enrollment three weeks before their scheduled start dates, we know that life doesn't always allow for prior planning. As long as there are still spots left in a course we're happy to accept your registration last minute.
When will new course dates be posted?
New course dates are posted both in the spring and fall to coordinate with our course catalog release dates. All the new dates are opened for enrollment on the same day and at the same time, so that everyone gets a fair crack at a spot in the courses they're interested in. As that time rolls around we announce when the new dates will "go live" in our e-newsletter. (sign up here!)