Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Episode 2 of the Podcast, Cool Instruments for Hep Cats is Available NOW on Spotify and YouTube!

Episode 2 of 'Cool Instruments for Hep Cats' is available now as a regular audio podcast on Spotify and as a video podcast on YouTube. On Spotify On YouTube In this episode I talk to Dr. Roger Landes about bouzoukis (Greek as well as Irish), octave mandolins and citterns. Episode 2, a continuation of Episode 1, features discussion and demonstrations of several of Roger's very cool instruments. For more information about 'Cool Instruments for Hep Cats', see my earlier article, 'Our New Podcast and YouTube Channel: Cool Instruments for Hep Cats'. Upcoming episodes in the near future deal with such fascinating topics as 5-string and other alternative cellos, violoncello da spalla, octave fiddles and travel violins, with episodes focused on a plethora of other out-of-the-ordinary musical instruments to follow. Cool Instruments for Hep Cats is brought to you by D. Rickert Musical Instruments and Don Rickert Musician Shop. Read more →

The Truth About the Current State of the Custom Musical Instrument Business

Introduction The image is not a new musical instrument but a faucet. If you continue you will understand I make my living making very good custom musical instruments, including: Violoncellos da Spalla Octave Violins Travel Violins Octave Mandolins Citterns Mandocellos I would very much like to sell you one. If you are reading this, you can easily figure out how to contact me (706-896-0909; [email protected]). Now, I’ll cut to the chase – Very few people are buying custom musical instruments these days. It is even worse than the worldwide financial crisis of 2007-2008. Well, maybe not worse, but just as bad. Very few makers of custom hand-built musical instruments will admit publicly that the current state of affairs is really dire, which is a polite way of saying that it sucks! Why? — because it is generally not a good marketing strategy to say out loud that business is challenging and things like you might lose your home to foreclosure and the like. The “Market” could not care less. Well, the truth is the truth! For me, the time of daunting backlog queues is a thing of the past. Since Q3 2021 it has been quite the opposite. You do not see economists on National News programs talking about any of this, as small businesses that make bespoke goods are, quite simply, a tiny segment of the overall economy. Since you will not be hearing from economists on the current dire situation for custom luthiers, I will tell you what... Read more →

Back in the Saddle Again! (And the Economics of Attention)

First, thank you for your valuable attention. This will make sense if I can hold on to your attention for a few more minutes. In the words of Aerosmith: I'm back I'm back in the saddle again I'm back I'm back in the saddle again Man, nobody can screech our lyrics like the great Steven Tyler! Gene Autry expressed the same sentiment in his song of the same title, written in 1939 and recorded numerous times by him and widely covered. If you have to ask, it means doing something that you stopped doing for a period of time. I stopped building instruments for a while. Here is why. After the passing of my Partner and Soulmate Alycen in August of 2021, I took a long hiatus from seeking new instrument build commissions. During a period of several months after her death I caught up on a distressing backlog of instrument builds, all of them violoncellos da spalla and a custom leather case for a violoncello da spalla. I also pretty much ignored doing frequent updates to my blogs and other social media, and boy, am I paying for that now! I have been posting lots of articles the past few weeks. I have regained “first page” status on Google searches for anything remotely related to “Violoncello da Spalla.” We have a long way to go with getting the word out on my octave violins, travel violins and such. And the market for mandolins is so large, that it could... Read more →

Sessioneer Spartan Bouzouki by Rickert and Hale, Luthiers (Full Product announcement)

This article is also published at www.rickertandhale.com. Ordering Information While semi-standardized, each Sessioneer Bouzouki is built for the individual buyer, at least for now. If you wish to discuss buying one of these instruments, give us a call or send an email. Looking forward to talking! Phone: 1-706-896-0909 Email: [email protected] Note: If you are a highly-skilled player with a history of high-quality videos on YouTube, we are open to discussing a discounted price in exchange for demonstration videos of our instruments. Let’s agree up front that there will be no hurt feelings. I mean, I am a player, but at nowhere near the skill level necessary for a compelling demonstration. My partner, Dr. Hale, and others have pointed this out to me, and my feelings were not hurt 😊. Introduction We are Rickert & Hale, Luthiers, a collaboration between me (Donald Rickert) and fellow luthier, Dr. Jesse Randy Hale of J. Hale Custom Guitars. We set out to design and build the BEST bouzoukis and octave mandolins possible, employing materials and design elements that have been plausibly related (by us and others) over the years to superior sound and playability. I will get back to that point in a bit. We are absolutely committed to fair pricing for our instruments, which are hand-made by master luthiers 100% in the U.S. This in no way equates to low cost, but quite the opposite. There are already many lost cost options provided by a market that is quite saturated with cheap factory-made... Read more →

Announcing the NEW Standard Plus Model Violoncello da Spalla by Don Rickert

If you have decided to acquire a professional level violoncello da spalla, you should pay attention to this! Email: [email protected] Phone: 706-896-0909 Effective May 30, 2022, we are offering the NEW Violoncello da Spalla Standard Plus Model. This new model supersedes its predecessor, which was called the “Standard Model”. This new instrument has the same basic specifications as the earlier Standard Model, but is primarily hand-made by Master luthier, Dr. Donald Rickert in our workshop in Hiawassee, GA, USA, with minimal apprentice or contract labor. Prices start at $16,000 US. To learn more, go to NEW Violoncello da Spalla by D. Rickert (Standard Plus Model) on the Don Rickert Musician Shop website. Dr. Don Rickert is one of the preeminent cello da spalla makers worldwide. He is based in Hiawassee, Georgia, USA, which is located in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia. The workshop is located literally on the border of the Nantahala Wilderness area of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Dr. Rickert and his fellow luthier, Dr. Randy Hale also design and build professional-level octave mandolins, Irish bouzoukis, citterns, mandolas and mandolins. See the Rickert & Hale website. Their workshops are located on adjacent ridges. Why the New Model? Funny you should ask. In the past few years, the violoncello da spalla market has evolved such that it has become much smaller and more discerning. The time of exuberant enthusiasm, with throngs of eager beginners, has diminished markedly, and with it the market for violoncellos costing less than $10,000.... Read more →

Rickert Musical Instruments Is Branching Out with Mandolin Family and Related Instruments.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 706-896-0909 My name is Donald Rickert, I am a musical instrument designer, inventor, craftsman/maker, musician, luthier and Professional Industrial Designer/Design Researcher. I have been a luthier since 1970, transitioning to full-time professional luthier in 2006. See more details about me. About My Company, D. Rickert Musical Instruments My company, D. Rickert Musical Instruments, formally established in 2008, is based in Hiawassee, Georgia, USA. My business partner is luthier, Dr. Randy Hale. Our new joint venture, Rickert & Hale, Luthiers, will focus on mandolin family instruments. Please check out our new website: www.RickertandHale.com. See more details about D. Rickert Musical Instruments Who Plays Instruments Made by D. Rickert Musical Instruments? Since our founding in 2008, our instruments have made it into the hands of more than 250 musicians. A short list of some of the well-known musicians playing our instruments include: Alasdair Fraser, Darol Anger, Natalie Haas, Andrew Gonzalez (violoncello da spalla), William Hurd (violoncello da spalla), Kristen Rule (violoncello da spalla), Albert Chang (aka Sleightlymusical) (violoncello da spalla), Peter Walker (violoncello da spalla), Gary Payne, Aindrias de Staic, David Thames and Mary Anne Thames. See pictures and see/hear videos of some of the instruments made by D. Rickert and played by some of the artists listed above. Our Soon-to-Come “Big Mandolins” and Related Instruments When I say “Big Mandolins” I am referring generally to octave mandolins, mandocellos and what are commonly referred to these days as “Irish bouzoukis”. Roger Landes points out that, in Ireland, these instruments... Read more →

Results of Recent Survey: Big Mandolin/Irish Bouzouki Attribute Preferences

Call Us: 1-706-896-0909 Email: [email protected] Introduction Several months ago, a number of volunteers from the Facebook “The Irish Bouzouki” and “Octave Mandolin” groups kindly completed a survey about Big Mandolin/Irish Bouzouki Attribute Preferences. The survey also queried participants about pricing preferences and tolerances. Volunteers were also solicited from my own Facebook business page, D. Rickert Musical Instruments (aka DonRickertMusicianShop) as well as my personal Facebook page, Donald Rickert (aka Donald.rickert1). I wish to once again thank everyone who participated. Our new company, Rickert & Hale's initial offerings in the octave mandolin/cittern/Irish bouzouki space will take the findings summarized below into serious consideration, combined with other research we have conducted. Rickert & Hale is a joint venture with fellow luthier Dr. Jesse Hale specifically to produce mandolin family instruments, with an initial focus on octave mandolins, citterns and Irish bouzoukis. Check out our new website: www.RickertandHale.com. As promised, here are the key insights derived from the survey responses. A companion report in PDF format containing top line summary statistics and graphs is available for download. Additional advanced analyses of the textual responses related to attribute preference data are not included here; however, it is easy to see what is going on by reading the summary statistical report. I assume that most people are interested in the interpretation of the raw data, which are summarized below. Click here to Download Report (PDF). Top Line Insights One must interpret the results with caution, as more than half of the respondents are members of... Read more →

New Violoncello da Spalla in Progress, Big Mandolins, and Other Cool Projects at D. Rickert Musical Instruments

First things first: I have a new Violoncello da Spalla under construction. Here are some photos of the instrument in its current state. Click on any of the photos for a larger view. When it is paired with a lucky future owner, I will finish it. It will take about a month. In the meantime, we have several really exciting projects going on, which I will briefly describe below. Once the new Violoncello da Spalla is spoken for, finishing it will resume its place as a top priority. If you follow me, you already know that the pricing for my violoncellos da spalla, including a discount for payment up front. If you don’t know and you are curious about pricing, specs, etc., visit Don Rickert Musician Shop on the web. If you are currently weighing your options for a new instrument, this is an opportunity to avoiding being stuck in a long backlog. If you want to learn or refresh your memory of the beauty, workmanship and sound of my violoncellos da spalla, visit the following links on our main website for D. Rickert Musical Instruments. Demonstrations and Photo Galleries Demonstrations of Violoncellos da Spalla by Don Rickert Gallery: Violoncellos da Spalla by Don Rickert If you wish to learn more or buy this very cool instrument, our direct phone number in the U.S. is 1-706-896-0909. Our email is [email protected]. You can also learn more or buy now at: NEW Violoncello da Spalla Conservatory Model by D. Rickert or learn... Read more →

The New Mandolin Family Part 2: Octave Mandolins, Citterns and Irish Bouzoukis

This article is Part 2 of 2 and a follow on the article, The New Mandolin Family Part 1: Ancient Mesopotamia to Orville Gibson. We will pick up with other developments staring in the 1960s and culminating in today's New Mandolin Family of instruments. Here I will discuss the large tenor range instruments of the New Mandolin Family. These instruments are often called ‘octave mandolins’, ‘citterns’ and ‘Irish bouzoukis’. There is considerable confusion about whether these monikers are synonyms or whether they refer to clearly distinct tenor mandolin variants. I might be able to clear that up for you. I will also say some more about the modern mandocello, the largest member of the New Mandolin Family, such as the new breed of mandocellos that are hybrids of big mandolins and guitars. The Octave Mandolin, Irish Bouzouki and Cittern As previously stated, I believe the two most important antecedents to the octave mandolin to be the bouzouki and the Renaissance/Baroque cittern. It is uncertain who first coined the moniker “octave mandolin”. As described below, the instruments that we now call “octave mandolins” were until recently mostly called bouzoukis, citterns and even mandolas. Discussion of the origin of modern octave mandolins will hopefully shed some light. The Bouzouki The Greek bouzouki is, like the mandolin, a double-course stringed instrument. Indeed, the mandolin and bouzouki are presumed to be branches of the same lute family tree, the Arabic oud. The original Greek bouzouki, called the trichordo, was a three course/six-string instrument with... Read more →

The New Mandolin Family Part 1: Ancient Mesopotamia to Orville Gibson

This is the first of a multi-part series on the New Mandolin Family of musical instruments. Those who follow this blog will know that this is also the first article I have posted in some time. This reason for this hiatus is simple; we at Don Rickert Musical Instruments have been very busy making instruments. The success of our 5-string Violoncello da Spalla was far greater than anyone could have predicted. This is the kind of problem that we can deal with! Here I will briefly lay out the evolution of the mandolin, which appears to have started around 2000 BC, to the heyday of mandolin orchestra and the "Golden Age" of the mandolin in the 1920s. Part 2 will pick up with other developments staring in the 1960s, which culminates in today's New Mandolin Family of instruments. The “New Mandolin Family” of musical instruments includes the following core members: Mandolin Mandola or Alto Mandolin Octave Mandolin Mandocello Mando-bass In reality, the mando-bass is such a rarity these days that it should probably be considered an ancestor rather than a “living” family member. Very closely related members are: Cittern Irish Bouzouki More distant relative members are: Greek Bouzouki Portuguese Mandolin Bandolin or Bandolim Oud Portuguese Guitar Viola Caipira Cuban Tres Puerto Rican Cuatro Columbian Tiple Charango There are many other more exotic variants the above instruments. What follows is a brief history of how modern mandolin family and its close relatives came to be. Brief History of the Mandolin A... Read more →