When the Luthier told me-

This will become your main instrument, and you will like it more than the bowback mandolin.

I didn’t believe him. After a week of playing, its true. I love this Mandolin.

Beautiful Mandolin Nice finish on the head Notching the bridge The troublesome neck joint Back came out nice Went to a professional to adjust the action Stratches in the finish Done with the finish 1 Layer of Varnish Trimming off the back Clamping the Top Down Hardest part was getting this to fit

These came out well:

+ All the time spent on the project was enjoyable.

+ Tone & playability

+ Color and texture on the finish

+ Using Google Helpouts and having Hustler Guitar give advice on the build. In particular, his advice on the finish.

+ Having a Stubblebine Lutherie adjust the action on the frets&strings

These things came out less well:

+ Original action on the strings & frets were too high and hard to play.

+ The neck joint was a pain to put together, and the angle was a bit off.

+ Scratches around the neck joint. Too forceful with sandpaper.

Here is a video of the kit before I got started. You can order the kit on Amazon.