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
This is the primary website and blog for Don Rickert Musical Instruments .
We are NOT a "Brick-and-Mortar" Retail Establishment Nor a Typical Online Operation (We are Better!)
We are not a “brick-and-mortar” retail establishment; however, many customers do choose to visit our studio and workshop in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains (part of the Appalachians). Being shopkeepers for a corner musical instrument shop would be completely at odds with our multifaceted focus on continuous research & development, innovative instrument design and customization, combined with our creation of meticulously accurate replicas of historically significant fiddles.
The nature of our business demands that sales be conducted primarily online. We have done this for some time. The predecessor to the new Don Rickert Musician Shopwas called the “Adventurous Muse Store.” We initially operated under the name “Fiddle and Bow Shop.”
Please note that this site has been around for a good while. While working diligently to clear out the "junk" (old obsolete articles), this is going to take some time. We thank you for your patience during this period and offer a blanket apology for any incorrect links to our old online store.
If it is Baroque pochettes, violins or violoncellos da spalla you want to see, go to the Baroque Instruments Category at the Don Rickert Musician Shop.
Introduction
D. Rickert Musical Instruments makes some of the world’s finest Modern Travel Violins (aka Backpacker Fiddles) and more models (6 models currently; one a 5-string). We also make two Pochette models; one a Baroque (early to mid-1700s) and one a Pre-Modern (1780s). All of these instruments are available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The article is about the pochettes, and some of the lore associated with them.
Baroque Pochettes (the ancestors of modern travel violins)
These are the 18th Century instruments whose popularity was primarily from the 1750s through the 1780s. The pochette (French for “pocket”) was a small violin. They are also known as “pocket fiddles” and “kit fiddles” (as kitten, implying small). The pochette’s development was driven in large part by itinerant Dancing Masters (private dance instructors), who preferred very portable violins that could be carried, with its short bow, in a sleeve (called a pocket or “pochette”, as many were French) sewn onto the Dancing Master’s coat.
This was the origin of pockets in many items of modern clothing. The Baroque pochette is inspiration for the modern travel violins and fiddles by Don Rickert Musical Instruments.
The Historical-Political Events that Gave Rise to the Profession of Dancing Master (and Indirectly, the Pochette) in the 18th Century.
The Union of Scotland, England (including Wales) and Ireland as Britain occurred in 1707. Queen Anne, who had already acceded to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702, became the first monarch of Britain (and last Stuart monarch), as Anne, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland when the Treaty of Union took effect in 1707.
As soon as the Union of the Scottish and English Parliaments took place, it became a great priority of most Scottish aristocrats, merchants and any other Scot with even a modicum of wealth to become, well, British. This translated to losing one’s Scottish accent (or at least not requiring a translator; despite the fact that Lowland Scots already spoke a dialect of English) and learning the dance steps of the popular dances in England.
So, in major cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, there became a sudden need for elocution (i.e. diction, pronunciation) coaches and dance instructors. The profession of “Dancing Master” was born. Italian and French music teachers who knew anything at all about English dancing dominated the Dancing Master ranks. So now you know what a Dancing Master was.
Dancing Masters typically visited clients’ homes. The successful ones were booked from morning to night. Carrying a full-size violin from appointment to appointment was a real chore, especially given the heft of a case capable of protecting a violin and bow from the Scottish Lowland weather (not pleasant much of the time). Note: There were Dancing Masters in places besides Scotland; however, Scotland after the Treaty of Union was the epicenter, at least during the Baroque and pre-Modern periods.
While small violins that would be identified as pochettes today had been around for many years prior to the era of the Dancing Masters, a dancing master needed an instrument with more volume, a playable string length close to that of a full size violin, and with a small enough girth that it could be carried in a pocket (i.e. pochette) sewn onto the Dancing Master’s coat, along with its bow. These real Dancing Master’s pochettes were about 22 inches long. The bow was usually about the same length, which was rather short, even for the Baroque period.
Famous Players of Pochettes
The two most famous players of pochettes were:
Niel (aka Neil) Gow (1727–1807), one of the founding fathers of Scottish fiddling
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), a principle author of the Declaration of Independence and the 3rd President of the United States
There are very interesting stories related to the pochettes owned by both Gow and Jefferson, but that is the topic of another article.
The 18th Pochette Reproductions Made by D. Rickert Musical Instruments
While pochettes came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, this one is based on one with skinny oblong shaped body just a bit shorter than a full size violin, but with a full scale playable string length of about 13 inches. Because there are existing instruments in Scotland of the same basic type, we call this a “Scottish Style” pochette.
This instrument has a thin and raspy sound typical of Baroque pochettes. Such a sound can even be heard emanating from some modern travel violins, which I shall not name). To some, this sound has a certain unique charm. The sound is not unlike that of a Renaissance rebec, which has a very “early music” type of sound.
Some customers desire this earlier Baroque sound in a pochette, which were not known for sounding sweet, powerful or loud. While some pochettes of the late 18th Century had a more or less modern bass bar and sound post, the earlier ones, which our Glasgow Baroque Pochette replicates, has neither. Rather, it and others like it, has a single crude (by today’s standards) bass bar centered under the bridge and NO sound post. The sound holes are also much smaller than later models (like our Neil Gow Pochette), which has a proper bass bar and a sound post. The accompanying images show these differences. The Glasgow Pochette has a period-appropriate surface-mounted neck with some taper (tilt). The default neck for the Glassgow Pochette is modern. A Baroque neck and fingerboard can be fitted (additional charge)
Neil Gow Pochette (aka Dancing Master's Kit, Travel fiddle)
Unlike the purely Baroque Glasgow Pochette, the Neil Gow is based on a high-end 1770s-1780s instrument. It has a bass bar and a sound post. It is strung with period gut strings by Gamut. Its sound is sonorous and sweet, with good mid and low frequency overtones for such a small instrument. Please see the video that accompanies this product listing to here how it sounds and see one way of playing it. It would have generally been played resting on the left arm rather than under the chin as in the video.
It is most likely that Jefferson played the more advanced pre-modern type. It is not known whether Gow played an old instrument or one of the better sounding later models.
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.
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).
There are only a few other 5-string violins in the same class as the models we offer. We offer our own Fat Strad Deux 5-String Mezzo Viola (violin length with viola ribs and bass bar) and the Realist 5-String PRO e Series.
Baroque Pochettes (the ancestors of modern travel violins)
These are the 19th Century instruments used by itinerant Dancing Masters (Dance instructors), and the inspiration for our modern travel violins and fiddles.
Musical curiosities, especially cigar box fiddles, made to master violin standards (i.e. not cheap!)
We do not currently have any of these for sale, but when we do, they always sell quickly. Contact us if you want us to make you one (email, the Contact Us link or telephone…all available at Don Rickert Musician Shop). Get your head around a minimum of $1,000 before calling!
Authentic Baroque Violin reproductions
There are fake “replicas”, readily available on eBay (modern violins “dressed up” to look sort of like Baroque Violins, and authentic Baroque Violins, which are the kind we sell. Some of the finest Baroque musicians are proud owners of our higher end instruments.
Meticulously accurate historic period setup (violins, fiddles and parlor guitars)
When one purchases an instrument from us, part of the buying process is specification of period setup. We refine the setup preference with consultation, either in person at our studio, on the telephone, video conferencing (e.g. Skype) and email.
We also offer period setup as a stand-alone service. See…
While we have not advertised parlor guitar setup, particularly setup for Civil War re-enacting, we have set up quite a few modern guitars as plausible mid-19th Century gut-strung guitars. We have even set up re-enactor guitars with synthetic gut strings (generally Nylgut) that can be played with a stiff leather ukulele flat pick!
Genre-specific setup (violins and fiddles)
Either in conjunction with a period setup or a contemporary setup (the most common case), we do absolutely correct genre-specific setup, including, but not limited to:
Classical violin
Scottish Highland fiddle
Irish Fiddle (and its many regional sub-genres)
Old-Time Fiddle (New England, Southern Mountain and everything in between)
Bluegrass Fiddle
Cajun Fiddle
Gypsy Fiddle
Things For Which We Appear to Be Not So Well-Know (Yet)
New Violins and Bows
These are violins and fiddles from the Post-Baroque or Pre-Modern Period (about 1770s) to the present (modern violins and fiddles). We offer a number of setup and accessorizing options to replicate any specific period or playing style from 1770s to the present day.
We are very pleased to announce our “Golden Era Old-Time Fiddles”. These fiddles replicate the very best (and most sought after today by Old-Time fiddlers) of the so-called “factory fiddles” imported by the millions from Markneukirchen, Saxony, German and neighboring Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic) during the years from 1880 through the 1920s..
We also have the best collection of authentic early 20th Century fiddle accessories that you will find anywhere. We are one of the few makers of late 19th Century and early 20th Century chin rests on the planet.
Unless you have been following Dr. Rickert’s experimental instruments over the past decade, you might not know that our workshop has produced quite a few electric violins and MIDI-capable electronic violins (as well as some truly odd contraptions). A few of these have entered in and done quite well in major international new musical instrument design competitions.
You might not be aware that Dr. Rickert has lectured on electric musical instrument design in major University Industrial Design programs, including the Georgia Institute of Technology (better known as Georgia Tech), where he was an Adjunct Faculty Member when living in Atlanta.
Dr. Rickert designed and built his first electric violins, mandolins, basses and guitars about 40 years ago. We still have an intact electric bass from among Don’s early work.
We have not seen the point of introducing new electric violins or mandolins until such time as we had some designs that were unequivocally better than any thing else on the market. That time has arrived!
When using any kind of amplified instrument, especially violins, in live performance, the live performance rig is essential. Relying on the sound engineers to cobble together a way to plug into the main sound reinforcement system and personal monitor system is ill-advised and done at your own peril. If you are using effects processors of any kind, the interconnection of these processors is extremely complex, as the correct sequence of the effects in a "chain" is critical. Getting the order wrong will often result in nothing working properly. Most professional performance have an expert design his or her performance rig.
With four decades of designing live performance rigs for amplified fiddles, violins, mandolins, banjos, guitars, basses and even instruments such as dulcimers and accordions, combined with live performance demonstration of experimental electric and electronic violins in major musical instrument design competitions, we have the knowhow and experience to design a rig for you!
Cost ranges from under $1,000 for a living room setup to several thousand dollars for a large venue setup.
Our performance rigs are guaranteed to work.
If you ever tried to do it yourself or rely on the sound technitians, you know what I am talking about.
Our rigs are ready to be plugged in and send the right kind (e.g. correct impedance) of balanced signal to the master sound board.
Fretted Instruments
Mandolins, Octave Mandolins and Mandocellos
The Octave Mandolin is a mandolin family version of a tenor guitar or tenor banjo that is tuned in the Celtic G-D-A-E tuning (in other words, an octave lower than a mandolin). The only important differentiator from the tenor guitar is that, instead of four individual strings, an octave mandolin has four (occassionaly five) pairs (called "courses") of strings. Each string in a pair is tuned in unison.
A mandocello is to a bowed ‘cello what a mandolin is to a violin. The mandolin is tuned like a violin and a mandocello is a large mandolin tuned like a ‘cello. The primary differences, of course, is that mandolin family instruments are played with a plectrum rather than a bow and they have twice as many strings…actually four, or sometimes, five pairs (called courses) of strings, each pair being tuned in unison.
These instruments are seeing increasing use in Celtic music, Progressive Bluegrass and In Alternative Old-Time (aka "Neo Old-Time", "Old-Time Punk" genres.)
Included here are guitars that replicate instruments from the early 19th Century (called the "Romantic Period") to the 1930s. In the interest of being able to offer quite affordable instruments (all well under $1000), these guitars are customized/modified modern factory-built instruments of the "parlor guitar" type. This basically means that they have much smaller bodies than contemporary guitars. They would not have been called parlor guitars in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. They were simply called guitars.
These are meticulously accurate hand-built replica instruments and cost between 5 and 6 times as much as our modified factory-built reproduction instruments. Hand-made in the workshops of D. Rickert Musical Instruments (Don Rickert Musician Shop)
Tenor banjos
Even though D. Rickert Musical Instruments has never sold a regular production banjo of any sort, old blog articles we have published over the years about the difference between tenor banjos and Irish tenor banjos and related banjo articles continue to be the NUMBER ONE (i.e most popular, predominant, persistent, etc.) topic that leads visitors to our blogs, and sometimes even to our online store, Don Rickert Musician Shop.
If we saw even a hint of possibility that anyone would actually buy a new tenor banjo from us, we would design and build a really nice one. We are considering instituting a “bounty” (i.e. finder’s fee) program to start rescuing vintage tenor banjos from their imprisonment in hundreds (or even thousands) of small music stores, flea markets, antique shops and pawnshops throughout the U.S. We would then restore and sell them.
The Don Rickert Musician Shop is the new online retail face of Don Rickert Musical Instruments, 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. They will start showing up soon as R&D instruments in our new Custom Shop.
Our business is owned and run by Donald Rickert, Ph.D., IDSA, who has been playing, designing, making and modifying stringed musical instruments of many types for more than 40 years. Dr. Rickert is a Professional Member of the Industrial Designers Society of America (designated IDSA)
We started out as a general product research & design firm in 2005, when we were incorporated as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in the State of Georgia, USA. The original corporate name, which is still in effect today, is Wiederholt & Rickert Partners, LLC. The two founding Members were Brad Wiederholt and Donald E. Rickert, Ph.D., IDSA. In 2007, Brad left the firm to pursue his high-technology interests. Donald Rickert became sole Owner. It was at that time that the DBA (a designation for “Doing business as”) Don Rickert Research & Design and the DBA Don Rickert Musical Instruments were established.
Don’s main work is the role of owner, designer and luthier with Don Rickert Musical Instruments. He is joined in this work by Jeff Atkins, master craftsman, luthier and varnishing wizard. We also engage other top luthiers (stringed instrument makers) from other “boutique” musical instrument companies on a contract basis from time to time.
In addition to his many roles with Don Rickert Musical Instruments, as time allows, Dr. Rickert accepts engagements as a Consulting Expert and Testifying Expert Witness in patent and trademark civil matters related to musical instruments and consumer electronics. He has, in fact, served as lead Testifying Expert Witness in several major patent infringement lawsuits in the United States District Courts. The fact is that his work as a highly sought Expert Witness in patent infringement civil actions provides substantial self-funding to our continuous research & development while remaining independent from slavery to venture capitalists.
Mailing address: Don Rickert Musical Instruments 726 Hall Creek Road Hiawassee, GA 30546
We are not a “brick-and-mortar” retail establishment; however, many customers do choose to visit our studio and workshop in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains (part of the Appalachians). Being shopkeepers for a corner musical instrument shop would be completely at odds with our multifaceted focus on continuous research & development, innovative instrument design and customization, combined with our creation of meticulously accurate replicas of historically significant fiddles.
The nature of our business demands that sales be conducted primarily online. We have done this for some time. The predecessor to the new Don Rickert Musician Shopwas called the “Adventurous Muse Store.” We initially operated under the name “Fiddle and Bow Shop.”
What Makes us Unique?
At first glance, the Don Rickert Musician Shop could look like an online store that sells select good violins primarily in the $800 to $4,000 range, with a pretty good selection of bows and cases. A closer look reveals the following:
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.
We make and sell one of the largest collections (6 different models) of meticulously authentic Baroque (1690-1770) violins available anywhere.
We have a large selection (about 50) of high quality true Baroque bows that is second to none.
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.
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 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. A number are owned by top recording aritsts.
As far as we know, we are the only musical instrument company selling over a dozen high-quality replicas of the highly sought Markneukirchen (Saxony, Germany) “factory fiddles” roughly from 1880-1920s. The original “Markies” were, themselves, replicas of historic violins. They have been the favorite instruments for fiddlers, in the U.K,, Ireland, as well as the U.S. for more than a century.
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).
We actually have a bona fide “Custom Shop”, which has made over the years, custom instruments ranging from pretty normal to outrageously cool, such as the recently completed 10-string 3” wide pochette (pocket violin)…4 playable strings with 6 sympathetic strings running under the fingerboard (similar to the Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle and the Baroque Viola D’Amore).
BOTTOM LINE: We are not, in any way, the online store for an average violin shop.
Well, okay...some people actually do need a pernambuco bow. Read on.
In a recent article, Making Sense of the New Carbon Fiber Bows, I expressed a strong preference for the new generation of braided carbon fiber bows, for violin, fiddle, viola and octave violin (sometimes called baritone violin) for meeting the needs of the modern player.
Considerations I covered in the previous article were:
Whether or not the bow is to be used to play violin/fiddle or octave violin/fiddle, concluding that the octave violin or fiddle player should use a viola rather than a violin bow
Do you need a “forgiving” bow or does your playing demand a “race horse” bow?
Are you a fiddler or a violinist? (a minor consideration really)
Considerations NOT covered in depth in the previous article:
Cost, as the best high-performance modern carbon fiber bows are all in the $400 to $900+ range, which is FAR less than the cost of a good wooden bow
Situations for which the player actually needs a quality wooden bow…that will be covered in this article
Our Conclusions About High-Performance Carbon Fiber Bows:
The CodaBow Diamond NX is the way to go if you desire a really nice but forgiving bow.
The Glasser Braided Carbon Fiber Octagonal Shaft is the best buy for a fiddler in need of an extremely high-performance bow.
The CodaBow Diamond SX is our second choice FOR FIDDLERS in the high-performance class owing to its higher price than the Glasser, but our first choice FOR VIOLINISTS in the high-performance class owing to its observed ability to draw a slightly better tone from a really good violin.
The CodaBow Diamond GX is our recommendation for the professional fiddler or violinist, owing to its aesthetic beauty combined with stellar performance in the hands of an expert.
Who Needs a Wooden Bow, and Which Bow do they need?
Re-enactors of earlier music genres have a legitimate need for a good wooden bow and the wood should be pernambuco. Like Francois Tourte, credited with the invention of the modern reverse camber bow (bows actually evolved for many years and Tourte got the invention credit), I have totally rejected snakewood as a suitable alternative for anything but a Baroque bow. A modern bow of snakewood performs about as well as a $40 fiberglass bow.
So…Which Bow for Whom?
Don Rickert Musical Instruments sells carefully-selected collection of pernambuco bows. In accord with our strong support of IPCI-USA (International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative-USA) (www.ipci-usa.org), we have selected three makers of pernambuco Master Bows, all of whom happen to be German. Being German had nothing to do with our decision. All three have passed our ethical standards review.
Georg Werner Workshop (part of the famous Doerfler Workshop, Bubenreuth, Germany)
Sebastian Dirr (Erlangen, Germany)
Herbert and Christian Wanka (Baiersdorf, Germany)
The bows of all three of these Master Bow Makers are imported to the U.S. by the highly-respected Connolly Music, suppliers (i.e. wholesalers) of musical instruments and related products to bona fide Dealers such as us.
At the lower end (everything is relative!) of the price range are two Master Bow models by Georg Werner. The prices of these bows is a bit higher than the most expensive carbon fibre bow that we sell, the CodaBow Diamond GX.
Both of the Geoge Werner bows play at least as well as the CodaBow NX and possibly the CodaBow SX.
They draw slightly sweeter tone from a really good violin or fiddle.
One has a round shaft and the other has a stiffer octagonal shaft.
These bows are targeted to advanced amateur re-enactors of 1860s (i.e. Civil War) music as well as traditionally-minded players of early 20th Century “Roots” music, which we now call Old Time fiddling.
Either bow is also suitable for the serious late 18th Century pochette (strung with either synthetic or real gut) player, such as the Neil Gow II pochette by Don Rickert Musical Instruments; however, the Transitional Bow by Sebastian Dirr (described below) on real gut strings is more period-appropriate.
Bottom line is that they are both pretty good pernambuco bows priced about as low as you will ever find a decent pernambuco Master Bow. We DO NOT consider either of these to be contemporary fiddle contest bows, although people have won competitions with far lower quality bows.
Georg Werner Master Violin Bow Round Shaft, Germany (slightly less than $1,000)
Georg Werner Master Violin Bow Octagonal Shaft, Germany (about $1,000)
The essential bow for the mid to late 18th Century violinist of pochette player
There was not a sudden jump from the Baroque bow to the “modern” reverse camber bow for which Francois Tourte gets the invention credit. There were all sorts of transitional bows in use throughout the 1700s.
Master Bow Maker (Bogenbaumeister), Sebastian Dirr makes a superb transitional violin bow based on the type used by the violin virtuoso, Wilhelm Cramer.This type of bow was particularly popular from about 1750 to 1785.
The Cramer bow is immediately recognizable by a head that sweeps both forward and backward, something like a battle axe. Compared to a modern bow, the Cramer is lighter—56 grams compared to an average 60 grams today—with less camber and a taller head and frog. The band of hair is slightly narrower, with a lighter-weight, open-trench frog. Dirr’s copy is beautifully crafted in pernambuco with ebony frog and mastodon-ivory tip and adjuster button.
While the Cramer Transitional Bow was developed to allow violinists to perform the short, bouncy strokes required for the then new music of Haydn and Mozart, the intended user of this bow from our standpoint is a player of our Neil Gow Pochette or similar late 18th Century Pochette.
While Sebastian Dirr’s bows are renowned for excellent tracking, settling quickly into the string, releasing effortlessly, and producing a rich and focused tone, keep in mind that this is a meticulous replica of a 250 year old bow…not a modern bow.
Sebastian Dirr Wilhelm Cramer Transitional Violin or Pochette Bow ($2,000+)
Two Pernambuco Bows for the Seriously Committed Musician (with $3,000+ to spend)
We have pair of Herbert Wanka pernambuco bows, very similar except that one has an ebony frog and the other a horn frog. These pernambuco bows perform as well or better than a high-performance carbon fiber bow. They are Tourte bows, which are historically legitimate for late 18th Century music and instruments, as well as mid-19th Century, early 20th Century Old Time fiddle or even modern fiddle or violin.
These bows are definitly suitable for high-level fiddle competition or professional use, as well as orchestral use (Note: Professional orchestral violinists usually have much more expensive bows...tens of thousands of dollars for a bow is not unusual for someone playing on a $100,000+ violin!). We do have more expensive ($3,500 - $6,000 range) Wanka bows if you need them. Call us...see the "Call Me" widget at the end of this article.
Both models from Herbert Wanka are Master Bows from carefully selected pernambuco. Round or octagonal shaft with mammoth ivory tip plate.
Herbert Wanka Master 24A Bow, Horn Frog, Round or Octagonal Shaft, Germany (about $3,000)
Herbert Wanka Master 24B Bow, Ebony Frog, Round or Octagonal Shaft, Germany (just under $3,000)
It is worthy of note that both Herbert (dad) and Christian (son) Wanka contribute a lot of money as well as other volunteer efforts to the IPCI (International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative).
I hope that this article cleared things up a bit with respect to pernambuco bows. If you have any questions, please feel free to use the Google "widget" below for a free phone call. If you do not have Adobe Flash installed, our phone number is 404-828-0136. If you wish to argue, use the comment feature instead.
The bow is just as important, and in some ways more important, than the instrument it is used on. There are different kinds of bows for different instruments. For example, a bow for a viola or octave (baritone) violin or fiddle is heavier, with a different balance point, than a bow for violin or fiddle. The playing characteristics any specific bow makes it more or less suitable to the playing style of the musician.
Bows for Violin or Fiddle (Price range from about $400 to $900+)
CodaBow Diamond Series NX Violin Bow
CodaBow Diamond Series SX Violin Bow
CodaBow Diamond Series GX Violin Bow
Glasser Braided Carbon Fiber Octagonal Violin Bow
Bows for Viola or Octave (Baritone) Violin (Price range from $400s to about $1,000)
CodaBow DIAMOND NX Bow for Octave Violin or Viola
CodaBow Diamond Series SX Viola or Octave Violin Bow
CodaBow Diamond Series GX Viola or Octave Fiddle Bow
Deciding on which bow is right for you can be bewildering, as they all are so-called “braided carbon fiber” and look pretty much the same, except for color and appointments, such as gold inlay, goldfish abalone, etc. on the most expensive models.
All models are made of an “acoustic core” (such as Kevlar), encased in graphite fabric saturated with a hard resin (e.g. epoxy). Only the new generation of braided carbon fiber bows has this acoustic core. Fiberglass and other composite bows are hollow and solid carbon graphite bows are made completely of carbon fiber strands bonded together.
The composition of the bow’s acoustic core definitely makes a difference in the way the bow feels and plays, and even the quality of timbre…a better acoustic core actually makes the instrument sound better! Little is known about the underlying science of bow acoustic cores, as the makers keep this highly proprietary information very close to the vest.
Making an Good Decision on the Right Bow for You
Is your instrument a violin/fiddle, a viola or an octave (a.k.a. baritone) violin/fiddle?
The first decision is easy, and is based on whether you are going to use the bow to play a regular violin or fiddle or an octave violin, tuned an octave lower but with the same string length as a regular violin (or a viola). Unless you have some reason to play an octave fiddle with a violin bow, such as Darol Anger does, the heavier viola/octave violin bow is highly recommended.
Most players need the extra power of a viola bow to effectively pull notes from octave violin strings, which are quite large in diameter (i.e. fat). They should NOT use a violin bow to play an octave fiddle just because that is what Darol Anger (maybe the best octave violinist and fiddler in the world) does. Darol has a unique percussive jazz-bluegrass fusion style that he has developed over decades and he needs a lighter bow than a viola bow to make it work to his satisfaction.
Do you need a “forgiving” bow or does your playing demand a “race horse” bow?
The next decision is not so easy. Do you want a bow that is more forgiving…a bow that performs like a pretty good wooden (Pernambuco) bow or a “race horse” that allows you to do amazing things, but requires well-developed bowing skills.
High-performance carbon fiber bows generally perform better than all but the finest Pernambuco bows, costing thousands of dollars. I have never played a Pernambuco bow that even comes close to a high-end carbon fiber bow…and I have played some very nice Pernambuco bows.
If you want a kind and relatively forgiving carbon fiber bow, there is only one choice, the CodaBow Diamond Collection NX. I like the viola version of the CodaBow NX for playing an octave fiddle better than the violin version, which is a bit too bouncy (just like a wooden bow) for my taste. That being said, the CodaBow NX violin bow is the most popular among our customers. We have even had customers exchange higher-end CodaBows (the SX and GX models) because their responsiveness highlighted every nuance, including mistakes.
The rest of the carbon fiber bows from CodaBow and Glasser that we sell are responsive beyond belief, range from stiff to super-stiff and afford very fast playing, such as might be required in a competition Scottish Strathspey or Jazz.
I will return to a comparison of the various “race horse” bows from CodaBow and Glasser, but let’s take a look at feature and cost comparisons first.
Feature Comparisons of the Various Bows
All CodaBow Diamond Collection (the NX, SX and GX) as well as the Glasser Octagonal Shaft bows have the following features in common.
They all only come in 4/4 size
A shaft made of graphite diamond weave fabric around an acoustic core
The diamond weave fabric pattern is clearly visible; indeed, it is part of the aesthetic of these bows. The following illustration by DragonPlate, the premier maker of braided carbon fiber products, illustrates the visibility of the fabric pattern characteristic very well.
Frogs by Walter Paulus
Nickel Silver (a.k.a. “German Silver”) fittings
Simulated Ivory tip plates (CodaBows) or nickel silver tip plates (Glasser)
Hand-cut wooden wedges and plugs
Features that Vary
The table tells us very little useful information except color and what the fittings and decoration are made from. I am not even sure what CodaBow means when they refer to the “Blended Kevlar” acoustic core of the NX bows vs. the Kevlar core of the NX and SX. Glasser’s acoustic core is a trade secret. Does anyone actually know the difference between Silver Medal Horse Hair and Gold Medal Stallion Hair? We know that the NX bows are brown, the SX and Glasser bows are dark gray and the GX has a reddish brown tint that CodaBow calls “Pernambuco”. There is also a wide variation in price.
How They Perform (The Proof is in the Playing!)
From our experience, advanced amateur fiddlers favor the CodaBow NX. Advanced Level Competition fiddlers favor the Glasser and the CodaBow NX bows, which seem to play almost identically. The CodaBow NX may pull a slightly better tone from a really good instrument; therefore it seems to be favored over the Glasser by violinists.
From what we can tell, the CodaBow GX plays about the same as a CodaBow SX. The $200+ difference in price between the GX and SX is more than just for thegold inlay and other aesthetic attributes. The CodaBow GX just plays better! Professional violinists seem to be willing to pay that extra $200+ for the Pernambuco tint, thus allowing them NOT to stick out like a sore thumb among their fellow musicians playing with old Pernambuco bows. There is an incredible childish snobbery about Pernambuco bows in the orchestral world (those who wish to argue--bring it on!)...never mind the fact that bow-making is one of the contributing factors to the Pernambuco tree being almost extinct (there is currently a Pernambuco moratorium going on and Pernambuco exportation from Brazil is in most cases illegal).
Bottom Line
The CodaBow NX is the way to go if you desire a really nice but forgiving bow. The Glasser Braided Carbon Fiber Octagonal Shaft is the best buy for a fiddler in need of an extremely high-performance bow. The CodaBow SX is our second choice FOR FIDDLERS in the high-performance class owing to its higher price than the Glasser, but our first choice FOR VIOLINISTS in the high-performance class owing to its observed ability to draw a slightly better tone from a really good violin.
The CodaBow GX is our recommendation for the professional fiddler or violinst, owing to its aesthetic beauty combined with stellar performance in the hands of an expert.
There you have it.
If you have any questions about the bows discussed in this article and which one is right for you, visist Don Rickert Musical Instruments.
Assuming that you have at least a moderate-quality fiddle or violin (that is properly set up) and some skill at playing it, NOTHING matters to your playing, the sound your playing makes and your development as a bowed string musician than the bow. The old rule of thumb that we old people were taught is that you should spend at least as much on your bow as you do your fiddle or violin. How many of us really followed that advice. Especially those of us who practice the fiddle discipline played on the cheapest Brazilwood or fiberglass bow that we could get our hands on.
Until you play a great bow, you just can't get it--you play a lot better with a high-quality bow. Not too long ago, a great bow could cost thousands of dollars. Invariably, great bows were always made of Pernambuco wood, or occasionally Snakewood (but Snakewood is more common for Baroque bows, and that is a different topic than today's). Pernambuco bows can be real a joy to use; but there is a serious shortage of Pernambuco wood, so buying a new one could be considered irresponsible, and a good old one is going to cost you some big bucks.
Today, you can get a carbon fiber or carbon graphite (they are slightly different composite materials) bow for under $500. In the case of the IncrediBow, you can get one for about $150 or less. High-end carbon fiber bows that I have played are better than ANY pernambuco bow I have played (that should generate some comments!). Being in the business of selling fiddle and violin and bows (Don Rickert Musical Instruments) and having observed hundreds making bow buying decisions, I can report the following consumer insights:
The majority of potential customers enter the purchase dialog with the notion that they want a wood bow.
We take more old Pernambuco wood bows in trade as partial payment for high-end carbon fiber bows than we sell.
We sell more carbon fiber bows than wood bows. In fact, I cannot remember the last time we actually sold a wood bow.
The new generation of "braided carbon fiber" bows (carbon fiber fabric wound around a core and encased in a resin) perform better than the older style extruded carbon fiber bows.
The majority of bows we sell are of the braided carbon fiber type (and these are the most expensive...in the $400-$1,000 price range).
One more point about bows: The best bows available are all made in the USA, such as Glasser and CodaBow. Even the old London based P&H bows are now made in the US.
Snakewood is for Baroque bows, which are used for playing Baroque music on Baroque violins. The wood is heavy and does not hold the camber (reverse curve) that is so critical to Tourte (i.e. modern) bows. Francois Tourte explicitly rejected snakewood as being unsuitable for his bows. We nearly cried when we heard that a vendor (yes, a competitor) sold a snakewood Tourte bow to a young fiddle student who was considering buying an entry-level carbon fiber bow (OK, yes from us).
Now, you might ask, why not use a Baroque bow for modern playing. We'll get into the details some other time, but suffice it to say that Tourte did not invent the modern bow just to be different.
Snakewood looks really cool, but it sucks for modern violin and fiddle bows. Unless it is vintage or made from pre-embargo pernambuco wood, getting a Pernambuco bow is irresponsible. This means that if you buy a pernambuco bow (note: Don Rickert Musical Instruments DOES sell them), it is going to be made in Europe, as it is difficult to certify Asian-made bows as legal (i.e. pre-embargo).
In an earlier post, I (Don Rickert) presented more or less a summary of what various musicians use to play octave violin or octave fiddle. In that post, I mentioned that the extraordinary 'cellist and also really good fiddler, Natalie Haas, uses a French-style 'cello bow on her octave violin. Natalie has since informed me that she is now using a violin bow. I did not ask her the characteristics of her bow, as we had other business to cover; however, I assume (i.e. if I were her), I would choose a "heavy" violin bow. ALL violin bows weigh in the 56-58 grams range. A "heavy" bow is one whose balance point is further away from the frog, so that it feels heavier and "grabs" the strings with more force.
That update being covered, I will talk about my two favorite bows for octave violin; the Glasser Braided Carbon Fiber Octagonal Viola Bow and the new CodaBow Diamond Series NX Viola Bow, also a "braided" carbon fiber (meaning epoxy-saturated carbon fiber fabric wrapped around a core) bow.
The Glasser is pictured on the left and the CodaBow on the right.
The Glasser's core, as far as I know, is proprietary or I was not paying attention when I was told. The CodaBow's core is composed of Kevlar strands. The Glasser is slightly stiffer, the octagonal shape contributing somewhat to this stiffness, as the octagonal is far stiffer than the Glasser round shaft version of the same bow, which I do not like. The CodaBow has a round shaft but it is plenty stiff, just not so much so as the Glasser.
I have to say, I love both bows. I suppose that the CodaBow feels a little bit more like a really good wooden bow, but nowhere near as bouncy. The CodaBow seems to have a bit more "pull" when a lot of two string chords are involved. The Glasser is a bit faster on melody parts.
Bottom line is that one needs both, but if I had to choose one, I would choose the CodaBow for octave violin, as most of my octave playing is chordal "second fiddle" accompaniment.
There is probably no topic that stimulates more debate than which type of bow to use on an octave violin, or a regular violin for that matter. For instance, Darol Anger, indisputably the prime mover behind the resurgence in modern octave violins, uses a violin bow exclusively and has very strong opinions about its benefits. But, then again, Darol favors an octave strung standard violin for his style of playing and the type of alternative jazz-grass fusion, which is far from the mainstream.
On the other extreme, the great 'cellist, Natalie Haas often uses a 'cello bow on her octave violin (a Rickert-Fiddarci with Chanot-type soundholes). Our point of view is informed by formal observational research and depth interviews with hundreds of musicians conducted by Dr. Rickert. The answer is that whatever bow works for the type of music you are playing is the right bow. For virtually ALL players, however, the right bow is a high-quality braided carbon fiber viola bow. Wooden bows of any sort are completely unsuitable for playing an octave instrument, as they tend to have too much bounce. Perhaps a $5,000 pre-moratorium Pernambuco wooden bow could do the job, but who knows, especially when you can get a bow that we know will work for about $500.
The stiffness of a high-end carbon fiber viola bow pulls sound from the large diameter strings of an octave violin with minimal bounce. We favor the Glasser™ Octagonal Braided Carbon Fiber viola bow or the new CodaBow™ Diamond Series™ braided carbon fiber viola bow, both of which are sold by Don Rickert Musical Instruments.
