Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Offbeat Songs for Cool Cats: New Podcast From D. Rickert Musical Instruments

We just launched our new podcast, Offbeat Songs for Cool Cats, just in time for Christmas 2022. Below are links to play Episode 1, Parts 1 and 2 via Spotify. We aim to post an episode every 2 weeks. The next is scheduled for on or about January 5, 2023. I'll be telling you more about this podcast in the coming days. We will also be launching yet another Podcast show in the near future. For now its name is Badass Instruments for Cool Cats. There will be a corresponding video version on YouTube. Episode 1, Part 1 Episode 1, Part 2 (Ska, Ska Punk and Reggae) Read more →

Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Makers of Violoncellos da Spalla and Other Fine Bowed Instruments

For more information about us, including our online store, the Don Rickert Musician Shop, see Introducing the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Don Rickert Musical Instruments is a premiere designer and maker of innovative custom and historic musical instruments. Since starting our musical instruments enterprise in 2007, we have dealt primarily in those of the bowed variety (e.g. violins, fiddles and related instruments such as octave fiddles). We have also designed and made a number of fretted instruments along the way: mandolins, parlor guitars, acoustic bass guitars, tenor guitars and the like. We will soon be branching out in a serious way into the world of fretted musical instruments. Look forward to some really interesting mandolins, octave mandolins, mandocellos, parlor guitars, acoustic bass guitars, tenor guitars and the like. Regular production items are usually available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. If you want something that is not there, give us a call... Our email is [email protected] and main phone number is (706) 896-0909. Don Rickert's mobile phone number is (706) 400-1481 Mailing address: Don Rickert Musical Instruments 726 Hall Creek Road Hiawassee, GA 30546 See: Our new online store, the Don Rickert Musician Shop (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com) Our companion blog, Don Rickert Musician Shop: Latest News (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com/blog) The Facebook page of our owner, Donald Rickert (We still have a large number of photo albums there) (www.facebook.com/donald.rickert1) Our new company Facebook page, also called D. Rickert Musical Instruments (www.facebook.com/DonRickertMusicianShop) Our YouTube Channel: www.YouTube.com/DoctorFiddle >>>>>>> Click here for Our full contact information <<<<<<<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... Read more →

The Latest on Travel Violins and Fiddles by D. Rickert Musical Instruments

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Introduction Travel violins and fiddles are specially-designed instruments for adventurers and other travelers for whom small size, extreme durability and easy portability are essential. Travel violins/fiddles are also commonly known as “backpacker fiddles”. Travel Violins and Fiddles by D. Rickert Musical Instruments D. Rickert Musical Instruments has been designing and making historic pochettes (e.g. Baroque-period dancing master’s “kits”) and best-in-class modern travel violins (aka backpacker fiddles) since 2005. Continuous improvement based on customer and market feedback and our own continuous evaluation, is just the way we roll. This has led to the design and production of more than two-dozen models over the past 13 years. We currently make three regular production models of travel/backpacker violin. We also make various custom variants, including “lefty” and 5-string models, as well as travel violas. All of our regular production travel violin models have 14” bodies with 13” playable scale lengths; the same body and scale lengths as full-size violins. All of these instruments are available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. See the Travel and Backpacker Fiddles category of the Don Rickert Musician Shop website (online store). Late Baroque Pochette While our modern travel fiddles look superficially like Barqoue pochettes (pocket fiddles), they are, in fact, full-length violins intended for backpacking and travel. All of our travel and backpacker violins are full 4/4 length instruments with chin rests and shoulder rest adapters. They are very popular among traveling classical violinists as well as adventure-loving fiddlers. Unlike... Read more →

Things to Know About the Baroque Pochette (a.k.a “Kit”)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. What Is a Pochette or “Kit” Fiddle? Pochettes are 18th Century instruments whose popularity was primarily from the early 1700s through the 1780s; however, there are surviving examples dating back to the 1600s. The pochette (French for “pocket”) was a small violin-like instrument designed for easy portability. They are also known as “pocket fiddles” and “kit fiddles”. Pochettes were always quite a bit smaller in girth than full-size violins; however, their overall length, as well as playable string length varied from quite short (about that of ½ size violin or viololino piccolo, or even shorter) to the length of a regular fiddle. The longer pochettes were generally the later ones. Short scale pochettes were usually tuned to a higher pitch than a full-size violin. How Did the Pochette or "Kit Fiddle" Get its Names? Pochettes were small enough in girth to fit into a longish sheath sewn into one's coat. The sheath came to be known by the instrument's name: "pochette". This is the origin of the modern English word "pocket". Pochettes were also known as "kits" or "kit fiddles", primarily in England and, to a lesser extent, in Scotland. The name "kit" is an example of impossible-to-comprehend (to anyone but an Englishperson) English humor. The idea appears to have been that, if a full-size violin is analogous to a cat (a reference to "cat gut" strings...actually never made from cat guts, but rather sheep intestines), then a small violin would be, by... Read more →

Octave Violins, Octave Violas and Hybrids from Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Note: There is a newer updated version of this article entitled, Octave Violins, Tenor Violas and Related Instruments from Donald Rickert. See the Don Rickert Musician Shop for current product offerings. Introduction Darol Anger and Vasen w/ Rickert Octaves In 2006, one of the first things we at D. Rickert Musical Instruments set out to do is to design and build the best acoustic octave violin possible. The octave violin or octave fiddle is tuned an octave lower than a regular violin; therefore, it is a tenor range instrument between the viola (alto range) and the cello (baritone). Octave violins are often incorrectly called “baritone violins”. In our early days, octave violins and early versions of our travel fiddles were the only instruments that we made. What Is an Octave Violin or Octave Fiddle? Natalie Haas w/ Rickert Octave Violin When I use the phrase, “octave violin”, I am referring to a very specific type of modern instrument. An octave violin or octave fiddle, if you like, is a modified violin or at least a violin-sized instrument played under the chin. It is set up for and uses larger diameter strings and is tuned an octave lower than a violin in standard configuration. It is played like a regular violin, as it usually has the same critical ergonomic dimensions as a standard violin. The most significant of these dimensions are a body that is about 14 inches long and a playable string length of about 13 inches. We call larger... Read more →

Going Electric: Part II of A Different Way of Achieving the Range of an Octave Violin and Octave Viola

Attention!: This is an older post. Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. This article is by D. Rickert Musical Instruments, a highly regarded designer and maker of acoustic purpose-built octave violins and violas, as well as 4-string and 5-string electric violins. All of these instruments are sold via Don Rickert Musician Shop. Introduction This is the second (see Part I) in a three part series on the topic of using a 4-string or 5-string electric violin (and acoustic instruments with the right kind of pickup installed) together with the necessary effect signal processors to achieve a sound either one or two octaves lower than the violin’s or viola’s actual tuning. Part I of this series introduced the possibility of “going electric.” It also acknowledged the reasons why someone would want to stay with an acoustic solution. Further, Part I also suggested a compromise approach, an acoustic instrument with the right kind of pickup installed. This installment is all about the advantages of the electronic approach to octave synthesis and the challenges associated with a purely acoustic approach, especially with 5-string octave violas. Advantages of a Real Electric Violin (as Opposed to an Acoustic with a Pickup) The best electric violins come in a wide variety of shapes. Most are some variation of a solid body, chambered body or “skeletal”. They all have several things in common: A substantial mass of material (usually wood) directly under the bridge A bridge pickup with greater mass than a regular bridge (almost always... Read more →

Don Rickert Musician Shop: Your Source for Unique Bowed and Fretted Instruments and Accessories Ranging from Baroque Period to Today’s Cutting Edge

Don Rickert Musician Shop (D. Rickert Musical Instruments): Your Source for Unique Bowed and Fretted Instruments and Accessories Ranging from Baroque Period to Today’s Cutting Edge Introduction It is quite clear that we are the place to come for the unique stuff…things you just cannot get at either the corner music store, traditional violin shops or the online mega-stores. What are these things that musicians, and the occasional museum, come to us for? Over the 9 years we have been in business, our analysis of search engine “hits” to our websites and online store, corroborated by actuals sales records, indicates that we are best known, in descending order for the following: Modern Travel and Backpacker Violins The world’s finest and more models (to meet different player needs)…5 base models; all customizable! We sell more travel violins than anything else, by a long shot. Yup, real musicians are willing to pay 3 to 5 times as much for a real luthier-built travel violin than for a toy instrument. See the Bowed Instruments (Regular Offerings) > Travel and Backpacker Fiddles at the Don Rickert Musician Shop Octave Violins, Violas and Octave Violas (aka “Chin Cellos”) Best and most innovative. Ours have been played by some of the greatest fiddle innovators in the world. Our instruments are on some CDs by some of the greats, including the musician responsible for the re-birth of the octave violin, Darol Anger (and most recently Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, their “Abundance” CD). For our current offerings,... Read more →

Don Rickert Musician Shop is Unique: Part 2 (Every Sale a Consulting Engagement)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. For Don Rickert Musician Shop (D. Rickert Musical Instruments), every sale of a premium instrument is a consulting engagement, focused getting the setup exactly right. Part of the purchase of a new violin is customer specification of stringing and accessories appropriate for one of a number of historic periods, ranging from contemporary all the way back to the late 1700s. Consultation with us about correct setup for specific genres (orchestral violin, Old-time, Irish, Scottish, Cajun, etc.) is also included with the purchase of one of our instruments. As far as we know, this is completely unique to our company. Contemporary orchestral violin, as set up by the manufacturer Price: No charge, except for cost of any desired upgrades No changes to the manufacturer's setup, except for minor adjustments, and/or common upgrades, which will generally include a particular string type, special tailpiece and/or tuning pegs (e.g. Wittner FineTune internally-geared pegs) Specialized Fiddle Setups Note about bridge and nut adjustment for non-orchestral (i.e. fiddle) playing: This process is more involved and time consuming than it sounds. With fiddle setup, we are often trying to achieve the sweet spot between a low string height and buzzing that can occur if the strings are set too low. We go through iterations of bridge trimming in approximately 1mm increments. We have done so many setups that we can tell when the point has been reached when one more millimeter will make the strings too low. Contemporary Fiddle Setup... Read more →

Don Rickert Musician Shop is Unique: Part 1 (Hard to Find Stuff)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Don Rickert Musician Shop (D. Rickert Musical Instruments) is the place to go for unique instruments that are either very hard or even impossible to find anywhere else. Some examples: Travel / Backpacker Violins and Fiddles We make and sell the finest innovative and ergonomically perfect travel/backpacker violins in the world. Several dozen customers a year opt for one of our travel violins, despite the fact that they cost from 3 to 4 times as much as our apparent competitors. 5-String Violins We make and sell one of best 5-string violins that money can buy (note: There ARE some very fine 5-string instruments by competitors). We also sell the very nice new 5-String acoustic-electric Realist violin by David Gage. We also make and sell an incredible 5-string travel violin. Octave Violins and Violas We make the most advanced and best-sounding octave violins and octave violas (aka “chin cellos”). Dr. Rickert has been researching acoustic octave violins for more than 15 years. He has designed a number of such instruments over the past decade, each new one better than the rest. We sell a lot of these. Top recording artists own a number of them. Tertis Wide-Body Violas in all Sizes We are one of the only U.S. based sources of extremely high quality Tertis wide-body violas, in sizes from 15” to 16.5” (note: viola size is designated by the length of the instrument body, from the saddle to the neck joint). These instruments... Read more →