Don Rickert Musical Instruments

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. Read more →

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... Read more →

The Irish, the Harp and Civil War

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The minstrel boy to the war is gone, In the ranks of death ye will find him; His father's sword he hath girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him; "Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard, "Tho' all the world betrays thee, One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee!" ("The Minstrel Boy", known by anyone with even a drop of Irish blood in his or her veins, is an Irish patriotic song written by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) in remembrance of friends killed during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.) The Harp is mentioned twice in first verse. The instrument has deep symbolic significance of every Irishman. There were Irish-only (not necessarily their own choice!) regiments on both sides of the American Civil War. Images of a Federal (Union) and Confederate battle flags, remarkably similar in design, are shown below. The old Irish Harp figures prominently in both. The 28th Massachusetts (designated 4th Regiment Irish Brigade) Battle Flag (Federal) 10th Tennessee Irish Infantry Brigade (Confederate) We have considered and are now reconsidering carrying arrying a number of small Celtic and Irish harps, ranging from about 2 lbs to 9 or 10 lbs at our Adventurous Muse online store. Some of these are pictured below. We will also sell weather-resistant period appropriate carrying bags. Harp images Copyright Your World Instruments 2010 Read more →

Take-Apart Travel Violin by Don Rickert Design

Sometimes you just need to have a travel violin or backpacker fiddle that can be quickly assembled and disassembled and packed into a small box (15" x 9" x 3" deep). By quickly, we mean less than 5 minutes. Well, here it is, the new Take-Apart Travel Violin by Don Rickert Design. And there is more: this fiddle DOES NOT need to be de-tuned and re-tuned every time it is taken apart and later put back together. The instrument actually sounds very good, considering the removable neck and the various mechanisms not found on a regular violin or fiddle. Click on the image below or its caption to see a slide show of how it works. Don Rickert Take-Apart Travel Violin The photos pretty much speak for themselves, though it should be noted that this instrument stays amazingly close to being in tune after being disassembled and then reassembled. The first prototype of this instrument several years ago was Don Rickert's first experiment with a violin without a sound post, as the sound post staying in place was a vexing problem for an instrument that is repeatedly being taken apart and put back together again. Instead of a sound post, this instrument utilizes a "tone bar" or small bassbar under the treble side of the bridge foot. There is, of course, a full-size bassbar under the G-side bridge foot. If anyone would be interested in purchasing this instrument, it will soon be available at: The Adventurous Muse online store The... Read more →

NEW YouTube Videos by Don Rickert Design (and Don Rickert Lutherie)

First, you might have noted that we are starting to use the name Don Rickert Design rather than Don Rickert Lutherie. The reason for this is that we are branching out from just designing and making stringed instruments. Lutherie only refers to the design, making, setup and repair of STRINGED instruments. We are also in the process of consolidating our various brands (Don Rickert Design, Old Mill Musical Instruments and Rickert-Fiddarci) under a single brand, Don Rickert Design(tm). Our Two Newest Videos (Three, if you count our potato cannon demonstration) are: Tail Toddle Rickert chord pad and drone box The great Scottish tune, Tail Toddle (scored as a Strathspey if played slowly and a reel if played fast) .The first new video we have posted in a while and one of the rare video demos with yours truly playing the fiddle...I generally enlist fiddlers he considers far better than me for demos. The main purpose here is to introduce the new Chord Pad and Drone Box from Don Rickert Design. Enjoy! Note: The fiddle tune, Tail Toddle, is actually the melody to one of Roberts Burns' more, shall we say, bawdy, songs. If you understood the Old Scots language (NOT Gaelic!), in which Burns wrote many of his songs, you would get the elaboration; however, the title pretty much implies what you need to know :-) Click here for the lyrics (WARNING: Extremely vulgar!...I don't want any complaints, as you were warned). Needless to say, the Old "Kirk" (Church of... Read more →

Tattooed Fiddles by Don Rickert Design

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Do you want a "full body suit"...not on you, but for your violin or fiddle? We have not figured out fiddle body piercing yet, but we are working on it. Read on... The decoration of musical instruments has been done for hundreds of years. Such decoration has included inlay work of various types, painting, etching, carving, application of gold leaf and "rosing", the Norwegian nickname for "rosemaling", which is the tattoo-like inkwork one sees on Hardanger Fiddles. Some Historic and Recent Examples Giovanni Paolo Maggini (c. 1580 - c. 1630), while making violins without special decoration, is best best known for his later instruments that two rows of purfling on the top and back. Many of Maggini's instruments are ornamented on the back with decorations such as Saint Andrew's Cross, clover leaves, crests and other motifs. His most famous decorations are designs accomplished by extending the inner of the two purfling rows onto the backs of the instruments to form various designs, as illustrated. You can see more Maggini designs, as well as other historic and recent decorated violins and fiddles in our photo gallery: Historic and New Rosed and Inlaid Instruments Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 1737) is not generally known for elaborate violin decoration. He did, however, produce a number of instruments with complex and beautiful decorations. Many of Strad's decorations look like inkwork, but they are, in fact, inlays. The photo of a quartet of inlaid instruments shows some of Stradivari's... Read more →

Tatooed Violins and Fiddles (New Photo Albums)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Don Rickert Lutherie is gearing up to offer custom "tatooing", more properly called "rosing" or inkwork decoration for a number of our musical instruments. This service will be available via our Adventurous Muse Store. We will have a proper article about what we are doing and the history behind it in the next few days. In the mean time, you may enjoy taking a look at four new photo albums on our Facebook site. The New Albums to Check Out Historic and New Rosed and Inlaid Instruments Old Hardanger Fiddle with Elaborate Rosing (Inkwork) Rickert Pochette with Celtic Rosing (Inkwork) Don Rickert Tattooed Fiddles Read more →