ATTENTION!: The Adventurous Muse Store is now closed! The new online store for D. Rickert Musical Instruments is the Don Rickert Musician Shop (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com). Many of the articles you read prior to late February 2015 will have links to the now defunct Adventurous Muse Store. VISIT THE NEW STORE (Link at the top of the page) instead. Apologies for any inconvenience.
D. Rickert Musical Instruments (bowed strings), together with its partner, Rickert and Hale, Luthiers (mandolin family and guitars), will once again be showing finished and in progress instruments at the 2022 Hoppin’ John Old Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers’ Convention. The festival happens September 15-17, 2022 at the Shakori Hill Community Arts Center near Pittsboro, North Carolina. That is central North Carolina. People come from throughout the Southeastern US, including Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and, of course, North Carolina.
We will have at least one of our in-progress violoncellos da spalla to show. As surprising as it might seem, a large number of American traditional fiddle players and enthusiasts are also baroque music enthusiasts. We have actually sold more violoncellos da spalla at (or shortly following) the Hoppin’ John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers’ Convention than ANY other instrument.
The in-progress violoncello da spalla that we will be showing is actually available for purchase right now. It is the same model played by several renowned violoncello da spalla players. If you are interested, feel free to contact me to discuss.
Later today or tomorrow at the latest, I will post about other instruments that we will have to show at Hoppin' John.
Do you have a taste for the bizarre when it comes to music? Well, I sure do! Well, today is our day, International Strange Music Day (August 24, 2022). Here is a snippet from the website, www.daysoftheyear.com.
“For those who have a tendency to lean toward the unique and bizarre, this is one day that will feed that strange musical soul! International Strange Music Day pulls out all the stops when it comes to going beyond the normal and opening up to a world with new horizons.
When it comes to the ‘strange’ part, this can mean either unfamiliar or bizarre – or both! The choice is entirely personal and up to the individual. In either case, International Strange Music Day is meant to expand the ear toward new sounds.”
There are a number of genres that people who are into these things have associated with International Strange Music Day. Click here to learn more those genres. These genres are not necessarily meant to be funny; however, “Chap Hop” (as in "Good to see you, Old Chap") is laugh-out-loud funny. Think of hip hop performed by stereotypical oh so English Eaton (e.g., the cricket and regatta set) types, complete with straw boater hats and striped jackets and rapping in Queen’s English about stereotypical aristocratic English things.
So, what about things like fart music? But of course! I will leave you with the following.
This article announces what amounts to discontinuation of the Standard Model Violoncello da Spalla and the introduction of the Standard Model Plus. That being said, as of today 9-9-2022, there are still two Standard Models, which cost just under $10,000, available. one of these is about 2/3 complete, so there would not be too long of a wait. If you have been shopping, you know that that is a really great price. I look forward to talking to you.
-Don Rickert
If you have decided to acquire a professional level violoncello da spalla, you should pay attention to this!
At the end of May 2022 we announced our Violoncello da Spalla Standard Plus Model, AND that we would be discontinuing the Standard Model.
In other words, this model has been superseded by the new Violoncello da Spalla Standard Plus Model, which costs considerably more.
This could be your lucky day! If you are still interested in this great but more affordable model, we have determined that we still have enough materials and parts to build two more. Then, that's it for the foreseeable future.
Please contact us if you wish to discuss purchasing one of these instruments.
Our email is don@DonRickertDesign.com and phone number is (706) 896-0909 or (706) 400-1481 (mobile). You can also use the "Contact" link on this page.
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”.
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 designs and builds 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. Put bluntly, the fad has faded. Even the market for well-made Chinese-made—set up in US instruments costing less than $4,000 has disappeared. I mean zero!
What is left is a cadre of highly committed professionals and advanced amateurs, who are only interested in instruments completely made by master luthiers, with NO factory-made components made by low-skilled workers. This group knows that such instruments cost a lot more—simple as that.
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!
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 instruments. Our instruments are for committed players who have already, or are ready to, step up to luthier-built instruments of the highest caliber.
After many months of R&D and numerous prototypes, we are readying our first instruments for formal trial by evaluators in the Western U.S. and in Nashville, TN. We are taking orders right now.
The Sessioneer and Sessioneer Spartan Bouzoukis—Our initial Offerings
The Sessioneer Bouzouki is a relatively small-bodied (< 14” wide) traditional-looking (i.e., teardrop or “onion-shaped” body) Irish style bouzouki with a long (25.5”) scale. The “Spartan” variant has a minimalist violin/viola/cello-like aesthetic—no rosette, unbound ebony fingerboard with no position markers, ebony nut and bridge. We will do a Mycarta™ nut and zero-fret upon request. Both variants currently utilize a violin-type tail saddle and ebony tailpiece with a tail gut (i.e., tail cord) that is similar to those used on Benedetto guitars. The tuners are gold-plated Gotoh M6 Mini or 510 Mini (there is a price differential).
Anyway, our new Sessioneers sound like “Irish” bouzoukis (jangly and slightly “nasal”—NOT like a guitar), but are loud with very strong bass overtones, rich in harmonics across the spectrum but still focused, with sustain that could be mind-blowing if you have never played a fine luthier-built instrument.
Attributes of Our Instruments That Contribute to Superior Sound
That being said, there are some sonic attributes of plucked acoustic stringed instruments, which I believe are widely accepted as desirable, such as:
Sonority (i.e., “power” or loudness)
Balance (i.e., low notes on the low strings are just as loud to the ear as notes on the high strings)
Focus (i.e., not “muddy”)
Richness in harmonic overtones
Sustain (largely a function of overtone richness)
Note: Achieving focus and overtone richness is a balancing act, as achieving one can come at the expense of the other. Only the very finest instruments achieve both. We believe that we have achieved that balance.
The following link is to a video, which I believe demonstrates the above desirable sonic attributes in the domain of classical guitars. It is really quite fun to watch and listen to.
So, does the $200,000 instrument sound 1000 times better than the $200 one? No, probably only about 100 times (10,000%) better!
Some Steps We Have Taken to Achieve the Best Sound Possible
At the end of the day, it all gets down to materials, design and workmanship.
Neck and Bridge
The neck is three-piece laminated rock maple, or a three-piece laminate of mahogany-maple-mahogany. The dense neck forces the vibrations back to the body rather than being absorbed by the neck. The downside of the all-maple neck is that it is heavier, which has ergonomic implications. The three-piece lamination (either option) also makes for an extremely stable neck that is resistant to warping. We utilize a custom-made double action truss rod, which allows correction for both backbow and upbow. Backbow can result from use of very light-gauge strings.
One neck set option is a 1.75-degree back angle and 1.5mm overstand, which affords the use of a bridge that is at least twice the height of a typical bouzouki bridge.
Another option is a zero angle (i.e., orthogonal) neck set with a 3mm overstand, which affords a bridge with a more “standard” height. The advantage of the latter is that is has a more proven track record with respect to long-term structural top integrity. While the higher bridge option has a bit more “punch”, both produce an excellent response. We have decided that the zero-angle neck and lower bridge will be the recommended default moving forward.
The bridge is fit completely flush with the induced arch (25’ radius) top, in effect functioning like an additional brace, allowing for lighter internal bracing—Thanks to the great Graham McDonald for this idea.
Top and Top Bracing
The top is AAA-grade Adirondack or Sitka spruce (there is a price differential). Adirondack is legendary for its power and focus.
The internal top bracing is a modified X/lattice hybrid that is radically scalloped. We spend far more time in computer-assisted tap-tuning and making adjustments to the top thickness and brace thinning-scalloping than the total build time of most factory instruments. We’re talking about days!
Unless otherwise requested the back and sides of the Sessioneer Bouzouki are the finest genuine Honduras mahogany. It looks nice and contributes to the sound we strive for. The back is X-braced and has a 15’ radius induced arch.
Our back design really pumps the vibrating air through the sound hole, which is the primary source of sound for a plucked string instrument. With bowed strings, the top vibrations are more significant.
Tailpiece
Our tailpiece is a cello-type “free” design attached with a Kevlar tail cord. Vibrations are transmitted directedly into the end block.
We look forward to hearing from you.
We also have a flat-top guitar-shaped octave mandolin, an archtop octave mandolin and a 5-course mandola, which we are calling an “Alto Cittern” on the near horizon.
Before I start, what are the criteria for judging the sound quality of musical instruments? I hope that the reader can agree that this is largely subjective, and often, culturally relative. Take the Great Highland Bagpipe. That there are two kinds of people in the world; those who love the bagpipes and those who hate them has been attributed to many, including, as I recall, Winston Churchill. Many of us love (at least in limited doses) the uillean pipes; however, I have known many Irish, meaning those who actually live in Ireland, who refer to them as “rat-chasers”. Finally, some might describe an octave mandolin as a bouzouki that is too bassy and boomy, or a bouzouki as a thin and weak-sounding octave mandolin.
While the criteria for judging the sound quality of a musical instruments are, to some extent, subjective, culturally relative and even arbitrary, there are some sonic attributes of plucked acoustic stringed instruments, which I believe are widely accepted as desirable, such as:
Sonority (i.e., “power” or loudness)
Balance (i.e., low notes on the low strings are just as loud to the ear as notes on the high strings)
I would argue that achieving the aforementioned criteria boils down to three things: materials, design and workmanship (i.e., “lutherie magic”).
Materials
Many lutherie geeks (including yours truly) are familiar with the fact that Robert Benedetto made a few guitars mostly from essentially lumber yard materials, knots and all; and they sounded really good. You can find photos of these instruments in his seminal book on designing and building archtop guitars. This notwithstanding, quality of materials (actually, type and quality), especially for the body components, generally does make a huge difference in how good the instrument sounds.
At the most basic level, in general, well-dried solid wood sounds better than laminated wood, with the exception of necks. One is more likely to see a 3- or 5-piece laminated neck on a high-end instrument than a cheap one.
Old-growth AAAA Red Spruce generally sounds better than really cheap Sitka spruce. Real (e.g., Honduran) mahogany generally sounds better than mahogany substitutes, such as Sipo—you can call it “Sipo Mahogany”, but mahogany it is NOT!
Design
Design plays a huge role vis-à-vis the sound of an acoustic stringed instrument. Design combines art and science, so it can be based on naïve physics, textbook physics or even informal observation and other anecdotal evidence. All of these have proved valuable in the design of musical instruments.
Based on naïve physics
Naïve physics or folk physics is the untrained human perception of basic physical phenomena (https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Naïve physics). Put another way, these are terms for people spontaneously understanding the workings of the physical world. Contrary to scientific physics, folk physics is based on immediate human understanding of the nature of physical objects and intuitive human prediction of physical events in nature.
Naïve physics is, indeed, a legitimate approach for explaining physical phenomena like musical instruments, such as why a new bass bar design should make a violin sound better, or why Orville Gibson’s original mandolin design should make for a better-sounding mandolin. Sometimes naïve physics turns out to be right, but just as often ends up being debunked. The Virzi Tone Enhancer used by none other than Lloyd Loar in some of his mandolins is an example of the latter. Fortunately, the naïve physics knowledge of a gifted and experienced luthier forms a pretty good set of heuristics (roughly, rules of thumb) for designing and making an extraordinary instrument.
Based on textbook physics
One could think that if a musical instrument is based on scientifically derived physics principles, “what can go wrong?”. Actually, a lot can go wrong. As with any application of scientifically derived principles to making real-world artifacts, such as a bouzouki, there is a huge gulf between theory and practice. For starters, the number of variables requiring measurement is astronomical (no pun intended). Things like actual (not simply average) hardness, tensile and compression strength, moisture content, the true flexibility of the wood, the optimal top and back arching for a particular string tension, and so on are, in practical terms, not even close to being directly measurable. That being said, the application of scientific. Referring once again to Lloyd Loar, his deep knowledge of scientific acoustical engineering principles, combined with his brilliance, contributed to arguably the best mandolin design ever (i.e., the Gibson F-5), certainly better than any previous design. Today, 1923 and 1924 F-5s signed by Loar sell in the $130,000 to $160,000 range!
Based on informal observation
Remember the heuristic knowledge mentioned above. A master luthier (not just a repair person) approaches the design of a new instrument with all sorts of heuristics (i.e., rules of thumb) in his or her head. For example, the luthier has the idea that a neck made entirely of hard maple (aka rock maple or sugar maple) is going to absorb far few body vibrations than say, a neck made of mahogany. This will result in a completely different tone for the completed instrument. Or, a top with a significant induced arch (i.e., a slight arch produced by bracing with a certain radius (e.g., 25’) on the glued surfaces of the braces) will have better sonority. In the violin world, this is called “pre-springing”. I could go on ad infinitum.
Workmanship (i.e., “Lutherie Magic”)
A lot of what we call workmanship can be seen; things like clean glue joints, cleanly scraped surfaces, neatly installed purfling, etc. Those aspects of workmanship that contribute to sound are mostly invisible. These include things like:
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. Put bluntly, the fad has faded. Even the market for well-made Chinese-made—set up in US instruments costing less than $4,000 has disappeared. I mean zero!
What is left is a cadre of highly committed professionals and advanced amateurs, who are only interested in instruments completely made by master luthiers, with NO factory-made components made by low-skilled workers. This group knows that such instruments cost a lot more—simple as that.
Our Violoncello da Spalla Standard Plus Model is for those aspiring violoncello da spalla players who are really committed for the long haul. We look forward to discussing what you want.
D. Rickert Musical Instruments has a model of Violoncello da Spalla for every level of commitment beyond “just curious and doing research”. Our Standard Model Violoncello da Spalla goes for just under $10K. This is the model played by some of the widely-recognized best violoncello da spalla players in the world, such as Andrew Gonzalez and Will Hurd. We also have a Deluxe Model, which costs more. Both of these are made by us in our Hiawassee, Georgia USA workshop. We also have a really nice entry-level model that this made in China and set up by us in our workshop. We also make a really cool small Petite Violoncello da Spalla. See the following product listings:
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 don@donrickertdesign.com. You can also learn more or buy now at:
Over the past several years, we have built performance-level violoncellos da spalla for professional musicians. We are indeed proud of the fact that some of the preeminent violoncello da spalla players in the world play our instruments. This group includes Andrew Gonzalez and Will Hurd. At almost $10,000, the cost of our professional performance instruments (We call them the “Standard Model”), is out of reach for many, including many professionals. We also offer an “Artist Model” that starts at $16,500!—even further out of reach for all but the most committed and well-funded professionals.
If you follow us, you might have noticed that we have introduced an affordable “Conservatory Model”, which sells for only $3,499. This model is a great instrument that is made in China and set up and fine-tuned in our Hiawassee, Georgia workshop. The Conservatory Model is essentially a painstakingly executed copy of our Standard Model (the one that costs almost $10,000).
We are taking orders NOW for the first 12 instruments. You can order via our online store (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com) or you can call us at 706-896-0909 or email to discuss and/or finalize a purchase. To be honest, there is really not much to discuss—professional level violoncello da spalla, set up by a master U.S.-based luthier, for $3,499.
If you just want to know more about the any of our Violoncello da Spalla models, call (1-706-896-0909) or email (don@donrickertdesign.com).
Introducing the Conservatory Model Violoncello da Spalla by D. Rickert Musical Instruments—Finally a violoncello da spalla suitable for professional performance that is affordable!
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 don@donrickertdesign.com. You can also learn more or buy now at:
For the past several years we have kept been busy making our Standard Violoncellos da Spalla. We are, in fact, one of the most prolific makers of these unique and very special instruments, but we are still only talking about 6 or 7 instruments a year. Let’s be honest, the violoncello da spalla “market” is a really small niche! It is true that those outside of the niche do not yet know what they are missing, but that will take some time to change.
While far less expensive than some other master-built instruments of this type, including our own much higher-priced Artist Model, at just under $10,000, our Standard Model Violoncellos da Spalla are still out of reach cost-wise for many full-time professional musicians and advanced amateurs, regardless of commitment level. We are about to change that.
After much consideration, we have decided to follow in the footsteps of some venerable U.S.-based stringed instrument brands, such as Eastman Strings (violin family), Scott Cao (violin family), and Charlie Ogle (violas da gamba), and add inexpensive violoncellos da spalla that are made in China, but set up and adjusted in our U.S.-based workshop, in Hiawassee, Georgia to be precise. Like Scott Cao, Charlie Ogle and others, we will continue to offer our higher-dollar instruments that are completely made in our U.S. workshop.
The result of our decision is our new Conservatory Model Violoncello da Spalla. The introductory base price is only $3,499! There are NO hidden up-charges. Buyers who want hand varnishing done in our U.S. workshop, special baroque replica strings and the like will pay only slightly more. Sure, you may have to sell a guitar or mandolin on Reverb.com or Elderly Instruments to make it work, but the price is doable—we know that this is true, as we have done considerable market and pricing research as part of the due diligence behind our decision to move forward with these exciting new instruments.
We are taking orders NOW for the first 12 instruments. You can order via our online store (www.DonRickertMusicianShop.com) or you can call us at 706-896-0909 or email to discuss and/or finalize a purchase. To be honest, there is really not much to discuss—professional level violoncello da spalla, set up by a master U.S.-based luthier, for $3,499. The lead time from order to delivery is currently about 30 days.
Here are some photos of an actual Conservatory Model Violoncello da Spalla.
Attention!: The offer of a 10% discount to buyers is now expired. In the words of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, "Time Waits for No One". The 10% commission for those who make a referral leading to an actual sale still stands, at least for now. That could mean almost $1,000 in your pocket! Call us or email us if you wish to discuss.
If you have decided to acquire a professional level violoncello da spalla, you should pay attention to this!
If you do not know what a violoncello is, or you are just kind of dreaming about getting one someday, this is NOT for you. Put another way, if you are not sure that you need a master-grade violoncello da spalla, you DO NOT need one! Or, if you are not that committed and you want one cheap, such as a converted fractional cello, go for it. That road is paved with failure and disappointment, made worse by wasted money and time—just saying.
If you are merely curious, you can satisfy your curiosity elsewhere, such as:
I have not yet put you off and you are still here, read on …
Of the top makers of violoncellos da spalla, which are played by the top players, I am pretty sure that we are the last who are still making instruments for less than $10,000. We still have enough materials on hand to make one or two Standard models, which are the same instruments played by the likes of Andrew Gonzalez, William Hurd and Albert Chang (aka sleightlymusical).
Andrew Gonzalez
After those are gone, we will only be making the Artist models, which are 100% hand-made in our Hiawassee, Georgia, USA workshop. The Artist model costs A LOT MORE ($16,500+) money and already has a lengthy wait list queue, along with our new Irish Bouzoukis and Octave Mandolins, which have not even been officially announced yet.
We are holding space in our instrument build workflow so that orders for the last one or possibly two Standard Model violoncellos da spalla can be completed in 60 days or less from time of order. The regular price is $9,600, with a discounted price of $8,600 for payment up front. Any one of our fans who help us sell a violoncello da spalla will get a 10% commission. That is $960 or $860! If you buy the instrument for yourself, you will get the same 10% commission as a discount. In summary, for the last time ever, you can have a professional level violoncello da spalla for a little as $7,740.
