Neil Russell started making instruments in 1981 as a hobby (his background was in machine and fabrication shops working with metal). He  went on to make banjos, harps, mandolins, guitars, lutes and a number of different instruments but eventually he specialized in instruments of the mandolin family. For the next 15 years he made dozens and dozens of Irish Bouzoukis, Octave Mandolins and Mandolins. The Chicago Mandolin Orchestra took fifty of his mandolins. By 1998-9 it became his full time occupation. A chance meeting with musician Doug Cox got him building Weissenborn copy instruments. Doug's being the first. Now, 25 years later he's now set up his shop exclusively for slide instruments such as Konas, Hilos and Weissenborn style.