Don Rickert Musical Instruments

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, see…

Bowed Instruments (Regular Offerings) > Octave Violins, Violas and Octave Violas

5-String Violins and Violas

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.

See: Bowed Instruments (Regular Offerings) > 5-String Violins and Fiddles

 

Baroque Pochettes (the ancestors of modern travel violins) 

These are the 19^th Century instruments used by itinerant Dancing Masters (Dance instructors), and the inspiration for our modern travel violins and fiddles.

 

See: Bowed Instruments (Regular Offerings) > Baroque Instruments

 

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.

See: Bowed Instruments (Regular Offerings) > Baroque Instruments

The prices for our authentic Baroque Violins range from $2,800 to $8,000

We also sell true Baroque bows (average price: $280).

 

See Bows > Baroque Bows

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…

Outfits and Setup Options for Violins and Fiddles > 20th Century Setup Options

Outfits and Setup Options for Violins and Fiddles > Pre 20th Century Setup

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-19^th 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.

See Bowed Instruments (Regular Offerings) > Violins & Fiddles (Modern and Pre-Modern)

Our regular violin / fiddle offerings include instruments by:

• Emmanuel Wilfer (Conservatory to Master level German [Bavaria] instruments: from $2,500 to about $4,600)
• Heinrich Gill (Conservatory to Advanced level German [Bubenreuth] instruments: from $1,750 to $2,350)
• David Gage Realist PRO E-Series (Acoustic-electric Professional level American-Eastern European hybrid instruments: from $1,850)
• Revelle by Connolly Music, New York (Intermediate to Master level American-Chinese hybrid instruments: from $990 to $1,800)
• Calvert by Calvert Violins, Baltimore (Advanced to Master level American-Hong Kong hybrid instruments from $1,850 to $2,700)

Please see our article, The New Breed of Hybrid American-Chinese Violins

 

Our “Golden Era” (1880-1930) Markneukirchen Fiddle Reproductions 

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..

See: Affordable Historic Markneukirchen Fiddle Replicas > Golden Age Fiddles

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.

 

See: Accessories and Components

 

Acoustic-Electric and Electronic Violins 

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!

See: Electric and Acoustic-Electric Instruments

 

We Design and Fabricate Live Performance Rigs

Note: This service will be listed very soon at the Don Rickert Musician Shop

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.)

See…

Fretted and/or Plucked Instruments > Mandocellos, Octave Mandolins and Related

   


 

 

Guitars

Fretted and/or Plucked Instruments > Historic Guitar Replicas (Factory Built)

 
 

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.

 

Fretted and/or Plucked Instruments > Historic Guitar Replicas (Luthier-Built)

 
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.

See:

• There is no "Irish tenor banjo", per se
• More on Irish Tenor Banjo 
• So You Think You Know about the Banjo in Irish Traditional Music?: Part 1
• So You Think You Know About the Banjo In Irish Traditional Music?: Part 2

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.

Related articles

The New Breed of Hybrid American-Chinese Violins

Long-Awaited New Travel Violin From D. Rickert Is Here!

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

This is the most common type of fiddle setup we do on a new violin. This includes setup for many contemporary genres, including Bluegrass, Old-Time, Irish Traditional, Cajun and Scottish Highland styles.

• Each violin will have a particular type of string installed by the manufacturer. Many, if not most, of the violins we carry already have the ideal strings installed. Variations from the stock strings for the instrument will cost extra, generally approximately the wholesale cost of the strings. We will contact you to help you to determine the perfect string for your playing style and the sound you wish to achieve.
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specifications. 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 triming in approximately 1mm increments. We have done so many setups that we can tell when the point has been reached when one more milimeter will make the strings too low.
• The Sacconi (i.e. Black Nylon) type or stainless steel tail adjuster is used for a Contempory Fiddle Setup

1920s and 1930s Setup

• Ebony “butterbean” chin rest 
• Modern equivalent of silk and silver strings (e.g. Vision Stark, Zyex, ProArte) with a loop end period appropriate e-string
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specs
• Modern keyhole type tailpiece, secured by a real gut cord (in use until the invention of the Sacconi adjuster in the 1950s)
• Hill type fine tuner for the e-string, if desired

 

1890s to 1920 Setup

• Either no chin rest or a Sarasate type chin rest
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specs
• Two stringing variations. Only the first option (all gut with a wound gut G) was common. We will contact you to discuss which option you want to go with.

1)   All pure gut with a metal wound gut G (Gamut standard gut set)

2)   Metal would gut G, pure gut D and A, with a silvered or gold plated E string (Gamut standard gut set)

• If all gut strings are used, a 19^th Century type tailpiece with simple string holes for knotting or looping gut strings rather than the keyholes of later tailpieces
• If a metal e-string is used, a keyhole type tailpiece with a Hill-type fine tuner for the e-string is installed.
• Real gut tailgut

 

1820s to 1880s Setup

Note: this is the set up for authentic Civil War re-enacting

• No chin rest
• All pure gut with a metal wound gut G (Gamut standard gut set)
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specs
• 19^th Century type tailpiece with simple string holes for knotting or looping gut strings rather than the keyholes of later tailpieces
• Real gut tailgut

 

Pre-Modern 1770 to 1820s Setup

This is for the serious Scottish Highland style fiddler who wants an instrument setup in the same manner as Neil Gow (pictured here); arguably, the Father of Highland fiddling and the probable originator of the “Scots snap” (a bowing technique), as well as the Strathspey.

• No chin rest
• All pure gut with a metal wound gut G (Gamut standard gut set)
• Simple Baroque style tailpiece
• Baroque bridge
• Real gut tailgut

Related articles

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Authentic Early 20th Century Old-Time Fiddle Setup

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop.

Note: Listed price is for the initial deposit, which includes includes gut string by one of several Master String Makers specializing in gut strings AND special offers on Master Bows. We will contact you about additional required work for the conversion, which is generally in the $200 - $300 range.

What does a fiddle properly set up for early 20th Century playing sound like? (YouTube)

 

Troy Parker on a Don Rickert Fiddle and Michael Fox on his "Dulcijo", a kind of diatonic banjo...very cool instrument!

Our Experience with Gut-Strung Fiddles

We have many years of experience in the use of old-style pure gut strings on fiddles. Dr. Don Rickert, who used to play fiddle in many Civil War re-enactments in Maryland and Virginia, played on a pure gut-strung fiddle (with a silver-wound g) with an overall 19th Century setup for many years.

A Few Words about Instrument Condition

As with all fiddle retro-setups by Don Rickert Lutherie, the late 18th Century to mid-19th Century Fiddle Setup starts with a structurally sound high-quality fiddle either provided by you or a new instrument purchased from us (see article, Instrument Quality and Condition for Historic Fiddle Setup by Don Rickert Lutherie)

About Early 20th Century Fiddles

The early 20th Century was the Golden Age of what we now call "Roots" or "Old Time" fiddling.

By the time the 20th Century rolled around, the idea of a “standard” setup was a thing of the past. The idea of a different setup for a fiddle than for a violin began to really take hold. An Early 20th Century fiddle would typically be gut strung (all four strings), have standard wooden tuning pegs and, of course, no chin rest or shoulder rest, as they had not yet been invented. The lower, flatter bridge began to appear, becoming the major differentiator between a fiddle and a violin, besides the instrument hold and bowing technique. As the two photos of players illustrate, some continued to hold the instrument under the chin, as in the 19th Century, and some reverted back to a more Baroque-style instrument position of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.

Two Innovations Often Seen on Early 20th Century Fiddles

The two major variations one would see early 20th Century fiddles were the steel e-string (the a, d and g still gut) and geared tuning machines were a bit more common than in the 19th Century. The exact year of the introduction of the fine tuner for the single steel e-string is shrouded in mystery. A photo of a fiddle with geared tuners and a photo of the new geared tuners we use appear below:

Click on an image for a full-size view.

 

Fine Tuner for the e-string

The violin fine tuner was invented in the 20th Century for steel strings. Fine tuners on the tail piece do not help a bit with gut strings. We honestly do not know the exact year of the introduction of the fine tuner nor the identity of the inventor. Given the mystery about fine tuners, if you opt for a period-appropriate steel e-string, we will install a high-quality fine tuner (such as a Wittner) for the e-string only.

You may choose to have the period setup on a fine new instrument purchased from us...
 

OR you may wish to use a vintage fiddle for the conversion

What an Early 20th Century Fiddle Setup Includes:

• Tuning Pegs
  • Traditional Tuning Pegs
    • Peg hole reaming and new perfectly matching pegs drilled for gut strings
      On our new instruments with a perfect peg fit, only enlargement of the string holes in the pegs is necessary
  • Geared Tuning Machines
    • There are some cases where a new instrument is the only way to go, such as making a retro fiddle from the mid-19th Century through early 20th Century with geared tuning machines. This is because the hole spacing for antique-style violin tuning machines is different than a standard peg spacing, requiring permanent modification to the fiddle's peg box.
• New bridge for gut strings or a bridge for a steel e" and gut a', d' and g strings
  • For instruments that have been strung with metal strings, the bridge is almost always cut too low for gut strings (or even synthetic strings) and must be replaced.
  • We will work with you for the desired curvature of the bridge. If you want an extremely flat bridge, you will have to convince us that this is really a good idea...it is generally not a good idea when using gut strings.
• Removal of the chin rest
• Replacement of the tail piece if necessary
  • Often, the existing tail piece can be kept.
• Replacement of the existing nylon or metal tail gut with genuine gut
  • Optional…only done if absolute authenticity is necessary. Modern nylon and stainless steel tail guts are far superior to real gut, as they do not stretch and allow adjustments…adjustability is VERY important to the setup of a gut-strung violin or fiddle.
• Removal of the fine-tuners
  • Fine tuners cannot be used with old-style pure gut strings. If you opt for a steel e-string, we wil install a single fine tuner for the e-string.
• Experimentation with various gauges of strings for the best sound on your instrument
  • It is assumed that, for ALL of our retro-setups, that the player will be using the following tunings: 

Standard: e” a’ d’ g
A Cross-tuning: e” a’ e’ a
G-D Cross-tuning: d’ g’ d’ g
D tuning e” a’ d’ a

Being able to accommodate all of these common tunings used in early 20th Century fiddling without a lot of string breakage calls for e” and a’ strings of a medium-heavy gauge (for tuning lower) and light-medium gauged  d’ and g strings for tuning higher in the A Cross-tuning. When a steel e-string is used, this compicates matters a bit; however we have experience with this setup.

• Installation and break-in of the chosen string set
  • We use only the finest period gut strings by one of several Master String Makers specializing in gut strings. The gut strings we use are known for their excellent craftsmanship, intonation, resistance to breakage (this has to do with the string polishing process) and stability…in other words, they stay in tune very well for gut strings. When stringing with a steel e-string, we have a number of options to choose from and will install the one that works best on your instrument and playing style.
   
  
  
  Gut strings will NEVER stay in tune as well as modern metal strings; however the strings we use will amaze you with their stability. A really well-made gut string, such as Dlugolecki’s, actually stays in tune pretty well after a break-in period.
• Necessary Sound post adjustments
  • If your sound post needs replacing, a new sound post costs about $75.
• Adjustment of the tail gut to achieve optimal tone and volume from your instrument
  • Adjusting the distance between the tailpiece and bridge is a painstaking process and necessary to achieve optimal sonority from the instrument. To achieve optimal resonance, the distance between where the strings are tied onto the tail piece should be 1/6 of the playing length (for starters). Fine tuning of the tailpiece position (by lengthening or shortening the tail gut) is accomplished by iterative testing until plucking the a’ string between the tailpiece and the bridge is precisely 3 octaves higher than plucking the open e” string. This is why we prefer the use of a modern nylon or stainless steel tail gut, which allow for easier adjustment and re-adjustment once the strings and tail gut are fully broken-in (i.e. stretched as far as they are going to stretch).
  • Yes, this takes time to get right…it is part of what you are paying for when you come to Don Rickert Lutherie for an historic fiddle setup.

The Bows

Except for a Modern Setup, in which case we strongly recommend a high-performance carbon fiber bow, a high-quality period-appropriate wooden bow is the way to go. 

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Authentic mid to late 19th Century Fiddle Setup (Civil War era and later)

Don Rickert Intermediate and Professional Series Fiddles

Authentic Early 20th Century Old-Time Fiddle Setup

Authentic mid to late 19th Century Fiddle Setup (Civil War era and later)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop.

Note: Listed price is for the initial deposit, which includes includes gut strings by one of several Master String Makers specializing in gut strings AND special offers on Master Bows . We will contact you about additional required work for the conversion, which is generally in the $200 - $300 range.

We will retro-setup a violin of your choosing to a meticulously authentic mid to late-19th Century Fiddle. As close as you can get the the real thing except in a museum!

Our Experience with Gut-Strung Fiddles

We have many years of experience in the use of old-style pure gut strings on fiddles. Dr. Don Rickert, who used to play fiddle in many Civil War re-enactments in Maryland and Virginia, played on a pure gut-strung fiddle (with a silver-wound g) with an overall 19th Century setup for many years.

A Few Words about Instrument Condition

As with all fiddle retro-setups by Don Rickert Lutherie, the late 18th Century to mid-19th Century Fiddle Setup starts with a structurally sound high-quality fiddle either provided by you or a new instrument purchased from us (see article, Instrument Quality and Condition for Historic Fiddle Setup by Don Rickert Lutherie)

About Mid to Late-19th Century Fiddle Setup

These are fiddles setup in the manner of a Civil War Era fiddle until the end of the 19th Century. As with the earlier era, there was no firm notion of a difference between a violin and a fiddle. In other words, a violin setup would not have differed from a fiddle setup. Review of many photos, paintings and interviews with re-enactors reveals that the instrument hold of the Civil War period had evolved away from a Baroque-type hold to something very close to the way a modern violinist holds his or her instrument, only without a chin rest or shoulder rest.

The most common stringing was gut with a metal wound gut g-string, with pure gut on all 4 strings being common as well. Metal strings were NOT EVER used on Civil War era fiddles or any fiddle until the very end of the 19th Century. They were not invented yet.

Geared Tuning Machines

More likely around 1870 and possibly as early as 1860, geared violin tuning machines were introduced. The geared tuning machine had been around for other instruments for a while. For example, C.F. Martin introduced geared tuners in the 1830s for its guitars.

Pictures of old fiddles with geared tuners and a photo of the geared tuning machines that we use.

Click on an image for a full-size view.

 

Our opinion is that geared tuning machines are “close enough” for period authenticity for Civil War re-enactors and certainly authentic for the 1870s and later. In fact, the first photo above is an actual Civil War officer's fiddle; however, the geared tuners were probably installed later. For Civil War re-enactors, who do what they do outdoors in various weather conditions, geared tuning machines will provide a far more desirable playing : tuning ratio!

Carved Decorations

Incising (scratch carving) of regimental slogans, symbols and other images was not unusual for Civil War fiddles. Actual Civil War era fiddles with incising (scratch carving), such as the instrument in the National Museum of Music and a similar instrument incised by a Civil War re-enactor fiddle owner are pictured below.

 

You may choose to have the period setup on a fine new instrument purchased from us...

OR you may wish to use a vintage fiddle for the conversion

What A Late 18th Century to Mid-19th Century Fiddle Setup Includes:

• Peg hole reaming and new perfectly matching pegs drilled for gut string
  • On our new instruments with a perfect peg fit, only enlargement of the string holes in the pegs is necessary
• Tuning Pegs
  • Traditional Tuning Pegs
    • Peg hole reaming and new perfectly matching pegs drilled for gut strings
      On our new instruments with a perfect peg fit, only enlargement of the string holes in the pegs is necessary
  • Geared Tuning Machines
    • There are some cases where a new instrument is the only way to go, such as making a retro fiddle from the mid-19th Century through early 20th Century with geared tuning machines. This is because the hole spacing for antique-style violin tuning machines is different than a standard peg spacing, requiring permanent modification to the fiddle's peg box.
• Carved Decoration (Incising)
  • As a matter of policy, we will NOT do such carving on a vintage fiddle...only a new one that we make for the purpose. If you do decide to have carvings done on your NEW instrument, they are usually done by Shep Jones, Master Luthier AND Master Wood Carver, who also owns our Fiddarci Lutherie, which makes most of our Octave Violins and some of our historic pochettes, such as the Neil Gow Pochette and Glasgow Pochette.
• New bridge for gut strings
  • For instruments that have been strung with metal strings, the bridge is almost always cut too low for gut strings (or even synthetic strings) and must be replaced.
• Removal of the chin rest
• Replacement of the tail piece if necessary
  • Often, the existing tail piece can be kept.
• Replacement of the existing nylon or metal tail gut with genuine gut
  • Optional…only done if absolute authenticity is necessary. Modern nylon and stainless steel tail guts are far superior to real gut, as they do not stretch and allow adjustments…adjustability is VERY important to the setup of a gut-strung violin or fiddle.
• Removal of the fine-tuners
  • Fine tuners cannot be used with old-style pure gut strings.
• Experimentation with various gauges of strings for the best sound on your instrument
  • It is assumed that, for ALL of our retro-setups, that the player will be using the following tunings: 

Standard: e” a’ d’ g
A Cross-tuning: e” a’ e’ a
G-D Cross-tuning: d’ g’ d’ g
D tuning e” a’ d’ a

Being able to accommodate all of these common tunings used in 18th and 19th Century fiddling without a lot of string breakage calls for e” and a’ strings of a medium-heavy gauge (for tuning lower) and light-medium gauged  d’ and g strings for tuning higher in the A Cross-tuning.

• Installation and break-in of the chosen string set
  • ◦We use only the finest period gut strings by gut strings by one of several Master String Makers specializing in gut strings. The gut strings we use are known for their excellent craftsmanship, intonation, resistance to breakage (this has to do with the string polishing process) and stability…in other words, they stay in tune very well for gut strings.
   Gut strings will NEVER stay in tune as well as modern metal strings; however the strings we use will amaze you with their stability. A really well-made gut string, such as Dlugolecki’s, actually stays in tune pretty well after a break-in period.
• Necessary Sound post adjustments
  • If your sound post needs replacing, a new sound post costs about $75.
• Adjustment of the tail gut to achieve optimal tone and volume from your instrument
  • Adjusting the distance between the tailpiece and bridge is a painstaking process and necessary to achieve optimal sonority from the instrument. To achieve optimal resonance, the distance between where the strings are tied onto the tail piece should be 1/6 of the playing length (for starters). Fine tuning of the tailpiece position (by lengthening or shortening the tail gut) is accomplished by iterative testing until plucking the a’ string between the tailpiece and the bridge is precisely 3 octaves higher than plucking the open e” string. This is why we prefer the use of a modern nylon or stainless steel tail gut, which allow for easier adjustment and re-adjustment once the strings and tail gut are fully broken-in (i.e. stretched as far as they are going to stretch).
  • Yes, this takes time to get right…it is part of what you are paying for when you come to Don Rickert Lutherie for an historic fiddle setup.

The Bow

Except for a Modern Setup, in which case we strongly recommend a high-performance carbon fiber bow, a high-quality period-appropriate wooden bow is the way to go. 

Authentic late 18th Century to Mid-19th Century Fiddle Setup

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop.

Note: Listed price is for the initial deposit, which includes includes gut strings by one of several Master String Makers specializing in gut strings AND special offers on Master Bows . We will contact you about additional required work for the conversion, which is generally in the $200 - $300 range.

Our Experience with Gut-Strung Fiddles

We have many years of experience in the use of old-style pure gut strings on fiddles. Dr. Don Rickert, who used to play fiddle in many Civil War re-enactments in Maryland and Virginia, played on a pure gut-strung fiddle (with a silver-wound g) with an overall 19th Century setup for many years.

A Few Words about Instrument Condition

As with all fiddle retro-setups by Don Rickert Lutherie, the late 18th Century to mid-19th Century Fiddle Setup starts with a structurally sound high-quality fiddle either provided by you or a new instrument purchased from us (see article, Instrument Quality and Condition for Historic Fiddle Setup by Don Rickert Lutherie)

About Late 18th Century to Mid-19th Century Fiddle Setup

The originals that we replicate were the first “Modern” violins. Many of them, if not most, were conversions from Baroque violins. Conversion from a Baroque to Modern violin involved replacing the Baroque neck with a longer “angled-back” neck, the bridge, bass bar and tail piece. There was no firm notion of a difference between a violin and a fiddle. In other words, a violin setup would not have differed from a fiddle setup.

Stringing

Although the most common stringing was pure gut for all 4 strings, the metal-wound gut g-string was introduced around 1790 and became increasingly popular in the 1800s.

Good Historical Record of their Setup and How They Were Played

Fiddles from this period are depicted in a number of paintings by the 19th Century American artist (and renowned fiddler), William Sidney Mount. Of interest to Scottish fiddling enthusiasts, this is the type of fiddle that Neil Gow would have used, at least later in this career. He probably learned to play on a Baroque violin. Paintings of a mature Neil Gow (late 1700s) clearly show him playing a Modern violin with either a “Transitional Bow” or a Tourte Bow.

Also, President Thomas Jefferson undoubtedly played on a similarly setup violin in his later years and definitely used a modern bow, as he was given a Tourte bow by Francois Tourte himself (Jefferson was pretty good at getting gifts rather than having to pay for his toys). Jefferson was also an avid player of the pochette (pocket fiddle) for which he had a special leather saddle bag made.

You may choose to have the period setup on a fine new instrument purchased from us...

OR you may wish to use a vintage fiddle for the conversion

What A Late 18th Century to Mid-19th Century Fiddle Setup Includes:

• Peg hole reaming and new perfectly matching pegs drilled for gut string
  • On our new instruments with a perfect peg fit, only enlargement of the string holes in the pegs is necessary
• New bridge for gut strings
  • For instruments that have been strung with metal strings, the bridge is almost always cut too low for gut strings (or even synthetic strings) and must be replaced.
• Removal of the chin rest
• Replacement of the tail piece if necessary
  • Often, the existing tail piece can be kept.
• Replacement of the existing nylon or metal tail gut with genuine gut
  • Optional…only done if absolute authenticity is necessary. Modern nylon and stainless steel tail guts are far superior to real gut, as they do not stretch and allow adjustments…adjustability is VERY important to the setup of a gut-strung violin or fiddle.
• Removal of the fine-tuners
  • Fine tuners cannot be used with old-style pure gut strings.
• Experimentation with various gauges of strings for the best sound on your instrument
  • It is assumed that, for ALL of our retro-setups, that the player will be using the following tunings: 

Standard: e” a’ d’ g
A Cross-tuning: e” a’ e’ a
G-D Cross-tuning: d’ g’ d’ g
D tuning e” a’ d’ a

Being able to accommodate all of these common tunings used in 18th and 19th Century fiddling without a lot of string breakage calls for e” and a’ strings of a medium-heavy gauge (for tuning lower) and light-medium gauged  d’ and g strings for tuning higher in the A Cross-tuning.

• Installation and break-in of the chosen string set
  • We use only the finest period gut strings by gut strings by one of several Master String Makers specializing in gut strings. The gut strings we use are known for their excellent craftsmanship, intonation, resistance to breakage (this has to do with the string polishing process) and stability…in other words, they stay in tune very well for gut strings.
   
  
  
  Gut strings will NEVER stay in tune as well as modern metal strings; however the strings we use will amaze you with their stability. A really well-made gut string actually stays in tune pretty well after a break-in period.
• Necessary Sound post adjustments
  • If your sound post needs replacing, a new sound post costs about $75.
• Adjustment of the tail gut to achieve optimal tone and volume from your instrument
  • Adjusting the distance between the tailpiece and bridge is a painstaking process and necessary to achieve optimal sonority from the instrument. To achieve optimal resonance, the distance between where the strings are tied onto the tail piece should be 1/6 of the playing length (for starters). Fine tuning of the tailpiece position (by lengthening or shortening the tail gut) is accomplished by iterative testing until plucking the a’ string between the tailpiece and the bridge is precisely 3 octaves higher than plucking the open e” string. This is why we prefer the use of a modern nylon or stainless steel tail gut, which allow for easier adjustment and re-adjustment once the strings and tail gut are fully broken-in (i.e. stretched as far as they are going to stretch).
  • Yes, this takes time to get right…it is part of what you are paying for when you come to Don Rickert Lutherie for an historic fiddle setup.

The Bow

Except for a Modern Setup, in which case we strongly recommend a high-performance carbon fiber bow, a high-quality period-appropriate wooden bow is the way to go.

Gut Fiddle Strings for Historic Period Retro-Setup

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop.

Note: Listed Price is an average only. The price of the strings, which usually ranges from $85 to $120 is based on the unique string requirements for your instrument. We determine these string requirements during initial setup of your instrument.

We use EXTREMELY high-quality strings, depending on the period setup you ask us to replicate.

Stringing a fiddle for historic period authenticity can require everything from ALL old-style pure gut strings to all metal strings, and varioius combinations, depending on the peridod being replicated. In general, the following types of strings are used for the general period listed below:

• 1750 to 1790s Setup: All 4 strings old-style pure gut (no winding on any of the strings)
• 1790 to 1890s Setups: Old-style pure gut (unwound) with a silver-wound g-string
• 1890s to 1930 Setup: Silver-wound g-string, varnished gut d' and a' strings and a Jarger Crome Steel e" string, with a single fine-tuner for the e" string
• Post 1930s Setup: Modern gut strings, which means a wound a', d' and g' with an unwound silvered steel e" string and a single fine-tuner for the e" string
• Modern Setup: Our preference is D'Addario Helicore Medium; however, we will substitute another string at your request.

When using modern wound gut strings (for Post 1930s setup), we prefer the most stable modern gut strings we know of, which are Pirastro Passione. For those desiring a more traditional modern gut string, we can substitute either Pirastro Eudoxa or Pirastro Oliv strings.

For earlier period setups, which demand old-style pure gut or silver-wound gut (g string): We use gut strings, generally by Aquila. The strings we use are period-authentic, excellently crafted, with superb intonation, resistance to breakage and stability (in other words, they stay in tune very well for gut strings).

Don Rickert Musical Instruments Does Fiddle Retro-Setup to any Post-Baroque Period

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop.

The violin goes back about 400 years. The Post-Baroque or Modern violin is about 250 years old. Many (actually most) Baroque Violins, such as those made by the well-known masters (Stradivari, Gaurneri, Amati…) were converted to Modern Violins, with their longer, angled-back necks, bridges more like the kind we use today and a post-Baroque tail piece. Most of the older Baroque violins have had their bass bars replaced with all manner of new bass bar designs (bass bar innovations continue to this day).

We can set up any high-quality modern violin or fiddle in good condition to authentically replicate any period as far back to the mid-18th Century, which is about the time that the transition from the Baroque Violin to the Modern Violin (the type we use today) was complete. While the violin has not changed in 250 or so years, how it is set up and played has evolved constantly and radically.

Why?

If you need to ask “why?”, you do not need this. This is only for people who are serious about playing a genre of music from a bygone era on a fiddle accurately set up in the manner of the period. This for serious re-enactors as well as enthusiasts looking to experiment with older musical forms. Bottom Line: If you want to play music any older than the 1930s the way it was really played, accurate period setup is part of the deal.

In all cases, an appropriately setup pre-1930s modern fiddle...

• Will have gut strings, the g-strung being wound or plain gut
• No chin rest
• No shoulder rest
• No fine tuners on the tail peice (exception: a steel e-string is acceptable for and early 20th Century setup)
• A higher bridge (gut string vibrate more than modern strings)

Further, if you want to do it right You have to learn to play using the correct "hold" for the period you are re-enacting and the correct bowing technique. See our photo album on Facebook, Violin and Fiddle Holds Over the Past 250 Years

Why Wittner Fine-Tune Planetary Pegs are a Good Idea

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Many people have cold feet about installing internally-geared tuning pegs on their violins or fiddles. We think that it has to do with the fact that most of us envision a planetary-geared violin peg as heavy and "fake" looking. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are two makers of planetary pegs for violins and fiddles, PEGHEDS™ (also sold under the Knilling brand as "Perfection Pegs") and Wittner Fine-Tune™ Pegs. PEGHEDS™ and Wittner Fine-Tune™ Pegs both make wooden pegs obsolete, except in the case where one is interested in rigorous adherence to historical authenticity on an old instrument.

Don Rickert Lutheriehas installed many sets of both brands of planetary tuning pegs on many different types of violins and fiddles, as well as traditional wooded tuning pegs, "Caspari"-type (i.e. variable friction pegs by Grover, Schaller, Gotoh and others) of all variety and antique style guitar-type geared tuners (the ones like miniature bass tuning machines). I will be brazen enough to say that I think we have installed at least one set of EVERY violin tuning peg ever made!

The advantage of PEGHEDS™ is that their polycarbonate tuning button can be made to look pretty much like ebony. This is done by sanding and rubbing with steel wool, which is pretty much a necessity, as one can see the mold parting lines on PEGHEDS™ otherwise...a dead giveaway that the buttons are plastic (note: the shafts of PEGHEDS™ are black anodized aluminum and plastic). For extra money, PEGHEDS™ are available with genuine wood buttons; however the part of the shafts that you see are still black anodized aluminum alloy. Wooden peg buttons are possible because the gearing for PEGHEDS™ is in the peg shaft.

The Wittner Fine-Tune™ pegs have their gearing in the buttons, which are also polycarbonate. From 5 feet away (maybe even less), they look just like ebony; whereas closeup they look like textured polycarbonate. We have not tried to make Wittner pegs look like ebony by rubbing with steel wool.

Why You Should Seriously Consider Planetary Tuning Pegs for Your Fiddle

I will address the advantages of planetary pegs in general. Then I will explain our preference for the Wittner Fine-Tune™ pegs.

• When using properly-installed planetary pegs, tailpiece fine-tuners are NOT necessary. Both the PEGHEDS™ and the Wittner Fine-Tune™ pegs tune a string approximately to the accuracty of a cent, which is 1/100th of a semi-tone.
• Very few things absorb vibration more effectively than fine-tuners on the tailpiece.This is especially true of fine-tuners that are attached rather than built-in to the tailpiece. Besides, except for metal core strings, you should not use fine-tuners anyway. A single fine tuner for the e-string (even contemporary gut string sets use a plain steel or steel core wound e-string) IS a good thing for two reasons:

1.  
   1. Generally, the e-string needs some damping to make it less annoyingly shrill. A fine tuner does a good job at damping the e-string.
   2. A single fine tuner on the e-string changes the geometry of the strings on the tail side of the bridge to good advantage for getting maximum response out of the low strings.

When just the e"-string is attached to a fine-tuner, the result is that the e"-string side of the tailpiece is lifted, thus reducing the pressure that the e-string exerts on the bridge. At the same time, the g-string side of the tailpiece is lowered as if being pushed downward, thereby increasing the pressure of the g, d' and, to a lesser extent, the a' strings on the bridge...voila!--better low note response. This effect is increased when a compensated or "harp" tailpiece is used. This phenomenon is something we discovered by fortunate accident.

This better low note response is, of course, enhanced by the fact that the a', d' and g strings are NOT dampened by fine-tuners (assuming none are installed!).

Why We Prefer the Wittner Fine-Tune™ Planetary Pegs

• PEGHEDS are screwed into the peg box and must be glued to keep them from slipping out, thus damaging the peg-box more than the damage already caused by screwing the pegs in. The Wittners, on the other hand, are held in by friction alone rather than screwing and gluing.
• The Wittner pegs have more durable internal-gearing than the PEGHEDS. We have never had a Wittner peg fail; whereas we have had more than a few PEGHEADS fail due to stripped gears. Replacement of failed PEGHEAD is a really serious issue, as it will have been glued into place.
• The Wittner anti-slip mechanism works better...the PEGHEDS often slip a cent or two.
• With the Wittners, ONLY the peg button and the part of the shaft to which the string is attached move; thus NO wear on the peg-box. With the PEGHEDS, the dome end (tip) of the the peg turns, thus causing friction wear on the peg-box.

A Major Advantage of PEGHEDS over Wittners

Whereas Wittner only makes pegs for violin-family instruments, PEGHEDS makes a tuning peg for just about every instrument imaginable. We will continue to use PEGHEDS for other instruments such as banjos and ukes.

 

Authentic Cases for 19th Century Musical Instruments

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop.

The type of case usually used for fiddles and guitars of the mid-19th century is often called a "coffin" case, owing to its resemblance to a coffin. Coffin cases were sometimes used for banjos as well. Here are some examples of some actual cases for period guitars and a pretty worn out fiddle case.

   

Shown below is a design diagram for the coffin cases that we will be selling. They will be made from 3/8" pine lined with heavy felt and will be available with either an oiled finish or painted black, per common practice. All joints will be super-strong box joints.

 

The cases will sell for about $325 for a guitar case and $220 for a fiddle case.

We will also be making heavy duty weather resistant fabric cases for guitars, fiddles, banjos and Irish harps.

All cases will be available at the Adventurous Muse Store.

American Civil War Re-enactor Musicians and Their Instruments

About Re-enacting

Recreating every detail of the military aspects of the American Civil War (early to mid 1860s) is more than just a pastime for many thousands of dedicated people known as “Re-enactors.” Re-enactments of encampments and major Civil War battles draw thousands of enthusiastic participants and spectators in U.S. States where the major action occurred, especially North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania and to a somewhat lesser degree, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas and West Virginia.

Meticulous attention to historical accuracy with respect to even the smallest details of uniforms, tools, personal accessories (such as eyeglass frames), weapons, music and so forth is very much a part of the culture of re-enacting.

Don Rickert Design has been a source of period instruments to re-enactors on a limited basis for several years. Our 1860s style cigar box fiddles and whiskey bottle box fiddles, pictured below, are quite popular among period music enthusiasts.

Click on thumbnail images for full-size views.

 



I myself have witnessed many Civil War re-enactments and have even participated in a few many years ago.

Attention to Musical Detail

As with every of aspect of re-enacting, there is great attention given to the music that is played and the songs that are sung. For example, there are “Yankee” songs and tunes and there are “Rebel” songs and tunes, as well as songs that were popular with both sides in the Conflict, such as “Home, Sweet Home” (also quite popular in Japan, as curious as it may seem to a Westerner) and “Maryland, My Maryland” (the Union and Confederate versions had somewhat different lyrics)...Maryland, a Southern State, as officially part of the Union, despite the fact that the populace was divided in its allegiance.

Musical Instruments

There is also attention given to the historically correct basic instrument types that should be used, which include concertina, harmonica, penny whistle and fife, jaw harp, mandolin, dulcimer, bones and spoons as well as the historically essential fiddle, banjo and guitar. Among Irish regiment re-enactors, one will sometimes hear the uillean pipes (i.e. Irish pipes) and even small harps. One would never see or hear such an anachronistic instrument as, say, the saxophone.

Musical Instrument Authenticity

While the general instrument types used by musician re-enactors are pretty well-standardized, the specific models of instruments tend to be quite off the mark with respect to historical accuracy.

Banjos

For example, the modern Bluegrass banjo and even the open-back claw-hammer banjos often seen at re-enactments were not even invented until the 20th century.

A Bluegrass Banjo and an Old Time Open-Back Banjo (click on thumbnail images for full-size views)

 

  

The banjos actually used during the Civil War would have been either a “tackhead” banjo or a fancy Minstrel banjo (the immediate precursor to the modern banjo) if the player had some money saved up.

Authentic Reproductions of Civil War era Tackhead Banjos (click on thumbnail images for full-size views)

   




Reproductions of Civil War Era Minstrel Banjos (click on thumbnail images for full-size views)

 

   
    

Fiddles

Fiddles used during the Civil War would not have been fitted with either a chin rest or a shoulder rest (not invented yet), yet one sees both used by some re-enactors. The images below show an actual Civil War fiddle in the National Museum of Music and one of the finest Civil War re-enactor fiddlers on Earth, Troy Parker of the 1st NC Volunteers (we’ll allow him the indulgence of fine-tuners on his otherwise perfectly set-up fiddle and great skill in the period playing styles)

Click on the thumbnail images for full-size views.

   

Cigar Box and Related Fiddles

Fiddles made from cigar boxes and other found objects were also used by Civil War soldiers. The genuine cigar box fiddles of the Civil War era would have been bare Spanish cedar, etched or imprinted with the cigar manufacturers name…not the boxes with pasted on artwork, which did not appear until the 1890s.
One of the few contemporary images of a cigar box fiddle being played

Guitars and Mandolins

Perhaps the greatest deviations from historical reality are seen in the types of mandolins and guitars one sees in re-enactment encampments. One is much more likely to see A-type, F-type and flat iron style mandolins (all 20th Century inventions) than the historically correct “bowl back” (a.k.a. “tater bug”) mandolins.

Mandolins

20th Century Mandolin Types (click on thumbnail images for full-size views)
    
 


The Type of Mandolin Actually Played During the Civil War (click on thumbnail images for full-size views)

 

Guitars

And then there are all of those Dreadnaught and jumbo-bodied guitars used by many re-enactors instead of the small-bodied guitars (similar to a parlor guitar) that were actually played by Civil War soldiers. The Dreadnaught and jumbo-bodied guitars are both 20th Century developments.

Actual Civil War Era Guitars (click on thumbnail images for full-size views)

   

Modern Parlor Guitar that is Pretty Darn Close to the 1860s Guitars


 


We will soon be re-establishing a special section within the Adventurous Muse Online Store dedicated to supplying 18th, 19th and early 20th century re-enactor musicians with reproductions of authentic period instruments and accessories.