Hi @hobbyhorse thank you for your nice comment.

Michael had many years ago built an epinette loosely patterned after an old one in a museum. It was for someone in his family. The museum one was I believe made of maple, and Micheal's he made from pear wood. Later he built other more modern designed epinettes. I stumbled across a photo of his original one that he had online, and asked him if he could build one for me just like it, in pear wood, and he agreed.  I had some particular dimensions and aspects of it that i wanted (most importantly the scale length and string spacings), which he also did for me. I sent him original drawing files for the kolrosing 'garden' designs I wanted on my epinette (which he agreed not to replicate on other people's epinettes). The headstock has a traditional unique shape that can be seen in some other photos of older French epinettes as well as some new ones.

Michael did a great job and didn't take all that much longer than I would expect.  With custom work we have to be patient... even for just drawings up plans. I don't know if he kept the exact plans he drew up to my specifications. I think a month is not unreasonable if you consider he may not have these plans lying around in a format ready to send people.

I had my custom epinette built to a 20" VSL/scale length that would be good for tuning to the keys of A, Bb, and C... with the melody strings and middle tuned to ee, ff, and gg respectively, in ionian mode. I don't tune or play them in Mixolydian mode.  I do sometimes tune them to Aeolian mode for mournful tunes, but mostly I play ionian mode for this epinette. It has a dainty charming sweet tone. My other epinette has a 21" scale and I like to tune it in 'lonesome' Aeolian mode since it has a mellower tone.

I see nothing but good things resulting from going ahead and building a 'teaser' from the 1950s plan you found. At worst it will make a very pretty wall hanger and conversation piece, and at best it will turn out to be a true delight for you to play.  Either way, it's terrific practice in building and because it's a small instrument, it'll maybe be just a little faster and cheaper to build than a mountain dulcimer or certainly than a guitar.  Go for it, and then when Michael's plans arrive, you'll have worked out your mistakes and will be ready to build your masterpiece!  

That really is quite beautiful, Strumelia.

I had not realised that the one Michael King shows on one of his videos is in fact yours. I have just recently asked him for the building plans of it and he tells me it might take a month to get them done. In the meanwhile I have stumbled across a plan that was, I think from the 1950s, that is not terribly clear and shows a very basic instrument which I started to build as a teaser. There is fair amount of guesswork involved and I am not too sure how it will turn out ..... it will be very basic but hopefully it will have a useful sound.

I await Michael's plan with some impatience.