At age 20, Kyle Alt has built 13 A-5 model mandolins and currently he is building number 14, an F-5. I spoke with Kyle at his house in early November, 2004.
Joe Mendel: How did you become interested in music?
Kyle Alt: My dad raised me on old country music, I just love that stuff. I started playing the guitar when I was about 6; all I played was '50's and '60's country and rock music.
JM: What led to the mandolin and your desire to build them?
KA: When I was 15 The Mountain Music Shoppe opened and we stopped in and I played a few songs. I guess they liked me because a few months later they asked me to work in their booth at the Santa Fe Trails Bluegrass Festival. I thought it was awesome. Jim and Betty (owners of The Mountain Music Shoppe) saw that I had an interest in that type of music and asked if I'd like to work for them. I started working 2 nights a week at Mountain Music. After about a year I started to take an interest in the repair work and building. At the same time I was really drawn to the mandolin. I love the sound and thought they looked really cool. I bought a cheap mandolin but I really wanted to build one. After Jim saw my interest in building, he introduced me to his friends who own KC Strings. They were looking for an apprentice and I started out sweeping the floor and helping out around the shop. I learned a lot there, they do everything themselves and if it's not perfect they don't use it. I learned so much from them about carving the top and back plates and how to carve necks. I learned a lot about varnish too. It was a great experience; I still stay in touch with them. They are real craftsmen in the old European style. They are from Russia and they take the time to get it right. During this time I met Jim Triggs, he had worked in Gibson's custom shop. Jim lives near me and invited me to his shop. He showed me how he builds mandolins, how he carves the plates and necks and how he measures the parts. He helped me build my first mandolin and made sure everything was perfect. I carried a notebook around to record every step of the process. If I did something that didn't meet his standards he didn't let me use it on my mandolin. He introduced me to so many people, builders Bob Benedetto and Dana Bourgeouis and players Chris Hillman and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.
JM: How many of your mandolins have you sold?
KA: All of them except the first one. It's the only mandolin I have right now.
JM: I understand you have one famous customer.
KA: Yes, I do. I sold one to Jimmy Ibbotson of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They have been my favorite band for years and I started e-mailing asking them to come to Kansas City. I e-mailed so much that they started answering and saying they were thinking about it. Finally they came to town and I introduced myself. They said, "So you're Kyle Alt, at least you came to the show." I told them about Mountain Music where I was working and that I was building mandolins. I asked them to stop by the store and they said maybe they would. Saturday I got a call from Jim at the store saying, "You've got to get over here now!" They were at the store when I got there and I picked with them for about an hour. Jimmy Ibbotson asked if I could show them one of the mandolins I had built. I only had the very first one but Jimmy played it. He said if I would build him one that he would play it, so I built it and sent it to him. He traveled and recorded with it for about a year. He said a lot of good things about it.
JM: Good luck to you Kyle, I'm sure you'll be successful; you're off to a great start.
KA: Thank you, very much.
JM: I played Kyle's first mandolin and it sounded very good. It has clear punchy mids and trebles and a good low chop. It was comfortable and easy to play and the finish was also very good. It's an impressive mandolin. Kyle's mandolins are available through:
The Mountain Music Shoppe:
12710 Shawnee Mission Parkway
Shawnee, KS 66212
Phone: (913) 962-9711
http://www.mountainmusicshoppe.com/
Kyle can be contacted at:
http://www.altmandolins.com/
Pictures of an Alt Mandolin:
http://www.altmandolins.com/pictures.html
