The Craigmore Station worker has been building a grand piano in an implement shed since 2005.
It will be the longest piano in the world once completed next year.
Essential parts remain to be fitted before it can be played and these are coming from England.
Parts will be shipped to New Zealand from an English piano firm, which did ‘‘not usually deal with the public'' but made an exception when they heard what Mr Mann was trying to do.
At more than 5.71m, the bass string will make the piano the longest in the world.
The bass string - which Mr Mann believed posed the most difficulty - was successfully in place.
The 19-year-old talks to many piano tuners and musical instrument aficionados. Most were excited and inspired by the project, although one tuner had voiced doubt over whether the piano could be built with such a long bass string.
One German man even donated $1500.
Mr Mann hoped to put all doubts to rest next January, when the piano will hopefully be finished, ready for the public to hear it played.
He said he was very confident, as with the bass string in place, the rest should not be difficult, he said.
The piano was to be dedicated to his greatgreat-grandfather Alexander Mann, who emigrated to New Zealand from Scotland.
However, he said the piano's completion would also be a tribute to the help of the South Canterbury community and his former schools - Timaru Boys' High School and Grantlea Downs School.
Once finished, the piano will be moved to Grantlea Downs, the school Mr Mann credits with fostering his love of music and where he first received music lessons.
A lover of classical music, Mr Mann is an accomplished pianist, usually playing without the aid of sheet music.
His story was recently shown on TVNZ's Close-Up.
After the programme, Mr Mann said he had received several approaches, one from a learning foundation in Christchurch offering to help him with his formal learning.
Mr Mann is dyslexic and this has made it difficult for him to gain qualifications.
He will soon be visiting the learning foundation in Christchurch to sit tests to determine what can be done to assist him.
Many people had mentioned the piano story after seeing it on television and Mr Mann laughed as he recounted some of the questions he gets asked about his piano.
‘‘Someone even asked if I would need a chair on wheels to play it'', he said, referring to the claim the piano is the biggest in the world.
In fact, the piano keys are the only standard item on the piano.
They were lengthened to make them fit, whereas everything else was custom-built from scratch by Mr Mann, who is an accomplished woodworker.
Mr Mann said his own research on the subject had uncovered a piano in America with a 3.7m bass string, which its owner claimed was the world's biggest.
Next year, with the piano project behind him, Mr Mann said he hoped to move on to a different project, perhaps involving study.
He would possibly leave his home at Pareora Huts next year if an opportunity arose but was still absorbed in the piano project, he said.
‘‘It is almost like my biggest qualification.''
Story By EILEEN GOODWIN
