We are getting ready to go to our favorite festival, the Hoppin' John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention (Sept. 13-16, 2018) in Silk Hope, North Carolina. As always, we will be taking a whole bunch of instruments and accessories to sell, including a recently-completed Violoncello da Spalla - actually, it is already spoken for and will be shipped to the U.K. as soon as the festival is over. Of course, we have, lots of fiddles (some really superb vintage instruments included!), tenor and baritone violas and bows. We even have a really sweet violin-sized 4x5 viola d'amore - that's 4 playable strings and 5 sympathetic strings. You would not believe the droning overtones that this warm-sounding fiddle puts out. As per usual, we are also selling some unique instruments that we do not normally have to sell via our online store, including a super-cool 19th Century guitar replica, a nice tenor banjo set up for Irish traditional, an Oscar Schmidt banjolele (banjo uke) and a really nice restored vintage Neapolitan (bowl-back or "tater bug") mandolin with its original case.
We offer special festival pricing on everything we bring with us to sell at Hoppin' John. We are offering the same pricing on this extensive collection of instruments via this store (Don Rickert Musician Shop). We would really appreciate it if you took a look at what we have to offer.
The list of notables who will be performing at the Hoppin' John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention this year is astounding. Among them will be Tatiana Hargreaves, one of the current A-list competitors and recording artist. She is the first ever female "Fiddle King" of the famous Clifftop festival (2017).
With high-end bespoke musical instruments, "trying before buying" is not usually a realistic possibility. It NEVER has been. Potential buyers who cannot wrap their minds around this fact are limited to used instruments or mass-produced instruments from large musical instrument mega-stores, who have the cash reserves necessary to absorb the losses associated with returns as part of the cost of doing business. Buying a master level instrument is a lot like buying a new car - once you drive it off the lot, it is yours. This is why most instrument makers, including us, work very hard to build a great reputation for quality and trustworthiness.
Nevertheless, musicians planning on purchasing musical instruments often want to hear these instruments being played by accomplished musicians. Seeing the instruments being played is even better. Making this happen has always been easier said than done. The fact is, it is exceedingly difficult to produce a well-executed professional quality audio recording. Making a compelling video recording is even harder. For this reason, obtaining good video demonstrations of our instruments has always been a rare treat. We are delighted and awestruck by a recent video recording of the brilliant performance of Andrew Gonzalez, for whom we recently completed a Violoncello da Spalla set up in full Baroque configuration. Andrew, you have our compliments and gratitude.
Watch the video and be amazed!
The violoncello da spalla is a small 5-string cello that is held across the chest, suspended by a small shoulder strap; hence, the name, which, in Italian means literally "cello of the shoulder". It is often described as a "cello for violinists and violists". We are one of only a handful of makers worldwide. As Andrew Gonzalez clearly demonstrates in the video, this instrument is ideal for Baroque repertoire, especially the notoriously difficult-to-play cello works by Bach. We are absolutely certain that this instrument is also a heavenly match for Celtic music (especially Scottish Highland), as well as Contra Dance and Old-time repertoires, particularly the "Down-East" (i.e. New England and Canadian Maritime provinces) variants. How would you like to be the first fiddler on your block to bring one of these to a session?
Travel violins and fiddles are specially-designed instruments for adventurers and other travelers for whom small size, extreme durability and easy portability are essential. Travel violins/fiddles are also commonly known as “backpacker fiddles”.
Travel Violins and Fiddles by D. Rickert Musical Instruments
D. Rickert Musical Instruments has been designing and making historic pochettes (e.g. Baroque-period dancing master’s “kits”) and best-in-class modern travel violins (aka backpacker fiddles) since 2005. Continuous improvement based on customer and market feedback and our own continuous evaluation, is just the way we roll. This has led to the design and production of more than two-dozen models over the past 13 years.
We currently make three regular production models of travel/backpacker violin. We also make various custom variants, including “lefty” and 5-string models, as well as travel violas. All of our regular production travel violin models have 14” bodies with 13” playable scale lengths; the same body and scale lengths as full-size violins. All of these instruments are available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. See the Travel and Backpacker Fiddles category of the Don Rickert Musician Shop website (online store).
Late Baroque Pochette
While our modern travel fiddles look superficially like Barqoue pochettes (pocket fiddles), they are, in fact, full-length violins intended for backpacking and travel. All of our travel and backpacker violins are full 4/4 length instruments with chin rests and shoulder rest adapters.
They are very popular among traveling classical violinists as well as adventure-loving fiddlers. Unlike the cheap travel fiddles that cost much less than ours on the market, our travel violins respond to the bow like a full-size instrument and are quite sonorous.
What Is a Modern Travel Violin or Backpacker Fiddle?
Baroque Dancing Master w/ Pochette
Modern backpacker and travel violins are the highly-evolved descendants of the pochettes (pocket fiddles, also known as “kits” or “kit fiddles”) of the late 17th through the late 18th Centuries. The Baroque period in music (1600 – 1750) fell within the time period during which the pochette was commonly used. Anyone interested in learning more about the Baroque pochette should see my recent article, Things to Know About the Baroque Pochette (a.k.a “Kit”).
When one refers to a backpacker or travel violin, he or she is talking about a small and physically robust instrument that:
Will withstand far greater physical and environmental impacts than a regular violin or fiddle would normally be subjected to
Is substantially smaller in width than a regular violin (usually between 2” and 3.5” wide); in other words, “skinny” enough to fit into a high-strength tubular case (usually about 4” in diameter) that is often attached to a backpack or bicycle luggage rack.
Has the same important ergonomic attributes of a full-size violin in modern configuration
The Physical and Environmental Impacts
The physical impacts include being constantly being jarred due to be being attached to a backpack and even dropped.
Environmental impacts include:
Extreme high and low temperatures
Extreme low and high humidity levels
Radical rapid changes in temperature and humidity
Instrument Size (and Shape)
While some backpacker violins are shorter in length than regular violins, the norm is a playable string length (nut to bridge) identical to a 4/4 size violin, with an overall length approximately the same as a 4/4 violin. Sometimes, backpacker violins will have a slightly shorter body and/or peg box.
Ergonomic Attributes
Many, but certainly not all, designers of modern backpacker/travel violins and fiddles, pay great attention to the ergonomic aspects of these small instruments. Primarily, these "human-centered" ergonomics efforts are focused on removable chin rests and shoulder rests that, when installed on the backpacker/travel violin, replicate the critical ergonomic dimensions of a full-size violin or fiddle. The overriding criterion we adhere to is that a travel violin, whatever its size, should feel exactly like a regular violin when it is played.
A modern travel violin without its ergonomic fittings
This instrument, one of our designs, is 2" wide but full 14" long body and a full 13" +/- playable string length. Nevertheless, as is, it cannot be played like a modern violin or fiddle.
The same instrument with its ergonomic fittings installed
Owing to the high adjustability of the shoulder rest (fore and aft position, height, lateral angle), this instrument with its fittings installed is actually more ergonomically optimal than the average violin.
Sound (Timbre, Sonority and Power)
When it comes to sound, travel violins fall into two distinct groups:
Instruments primarily used for practice when traveling
Instruments for players for whom timbre, sonority and power approaching that of a full-size instrument is a priority
Instruments primarily used for practice
These are slim-bodied (about 2” wide) instruments that, when fully assembled with their chin rests and shoulder rests, simulate the hold, and afford the manner of playing and bowing technique of full-size instruments. This small-bodied class of travel violins is favored by serious violinists and fiddlers wanting a practice instrument (one that plays like a regular violin) with a highly-realist feel, but is as small as possible. In fact, we make one model (on strictly a custom basis), the “Frequent Flyer”, which disassembles such that the pieces can be fit easily, along with a take-apart bow into a rolling suitcase along with other luggage.
Frequent flyer NOT assembled
Frequent flyer assembled
Rich sonority is not a high priority for these musicians. Nevertheless, these slim-bodied instruments sound amazingly good, given their small sound boxes.
Instruments with timbre, sonority and power approaching that of a full-size instrument
These instruments are between 3” and 3.5” wide. They cost more than the slim-bodied instruments. Like the small-bodied instruments, their playing characteristics are virtually identical to those of full-size instrument.
Musicians who commission these instruments do, in fact, often use them as practice instruments when traveling. In addition to practicing, these musicians usually intend to play along with other musicians while traveling; therefore, they need an instrument that, while compact, sounds pretty much like an unmuted full-size fiddle and the acoustic power to hold its own in jam sessions and the like.
How Good Can a Travel Violin Sound?: Demonstrations
Many years of continuous design research, involving experimentation with many variables, has gone into achieving good sonority and projection volume from these small instruments whose body size, materials and construction method departs radically from conventional full-size violins.
Most makers of modern travel violins will tell you that they sound good. When we tell you that ours sound amazing, we really mean it. Watch the following videos to hear for yourself what we mean by amazing!
That's it for now. Look for a follow-on article in the next few days about traveling with your fiddle.
Since the inception of our ongoing adventure as an independent boutique custom lutherie (began in 2007 officially), we have always allocated much attention to designing and making the best possible acoustic octave (aka baritone) violins and fiddles. More recently (about 4 years ago), we added acoustic octave violas (aka “chin cellos”) to our product offerings.
Our Initial Goal for Octave Violas
When we stepped into the octave viola arena, our goal was simple: To develop an instrument that sounded a lot better than the original “ChinCellos”, cleverly marketed by a large Asian manufacturer with an Italian-sounding name.
These original “ChinCellos”, still sold today through the large online musical instrument mega-stores, are basically student-level instruments set up with special octave viola strings (made by SuperSensitive) and tuned to the same notes (i.e. frequencies) as a full-size cello. The maker claims internal modifications to increase sonority. We assume that this would be some kind of modification to the bass bar.
These instruments sound about as good as an $800 converted student instrument could sound. To summarize, their sound is somewhat muffled with a particularly weak-sounding C-string. They do not sound anything like a full-size cello.
To be fair, they do sound pretty good with a decent pickup installed and played through an amplifier.
Our Quest for an Amazing Chin Cello
Over several years of experimentation and very patient original customers, we discovered the lutherie secrets for generating great sound from purpose-built (i.e. not converted regular instruments) octave VIOLINS. Unfortunately, those trade secrets did not apply in any direct way with octave VIOLAs. It really was difficult to coax amazing power from that pesky low C-string.
Special bass bars and deeper bodies achieved more volume but not the cello-like focused sound we were going for. We could not even get that elusive sharp, focused, rich and sonorous sound from small cellos suspended by a guitar-like shoulder strap (called a Violoncello da Spalla).
Our Discovery of the Tertis Wide-Body Viola Pattern
Lionel Tertis is regarded by many as the greatest viola player of the 20th century. Tertis preferred a large viola in order to get an especially rich tone from his instrument. Tertis created a viola pattern that would provide the tonal advantages as a large 17.5 inch viola from a 16 inch viola, which is today regarded as a full size viola. Tertis violas are considerably wider than conventional violas of the same body lenths, especially in the middle bout. This extreme body width with a relatively shallow depth seems to be the source of the acoustic magic of a Tertis body.
Tertis pattern instruments have the appearance of incredibly large violas; however, their playable string lengths and rib heights are standard. In the case of a 16” instrument, the string length would be about 14.5” and the rib height of about 38mm.
The T-Rex Octave Viola
Through our business relationships with the top Asian lutheries (yes, there are some really great master luthiers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea these days), we sorted out having the T-Rex instruments partially made to our specifications. They are then completed in our Hiwassee, GA, USA workshops. We can make you one completely in our U.S. workshop for about 4 times the price ($8,500+)…and it will not sound any better!
The primary work we do on the instrument is fine-tuning of the top graduations and occasional bar adjustments, as well as a quite unique setup using a Dov Schmidt “Harp” tailpiece to which we attach the strings in a most unconventional way, per discoveries we learned from the great maker of large violas and, at one time, octave violins, David Ravinus. Our stringing practice is a complex topic for another time. Trust me: the compensated tailpiece; unique stringing and setup makes the difference between sounding really good and amazing!
How Does it Sound?
Large But Quite Playable
As big as it looks next to a regular violin (see image), it has a 16” body. Because it is based on a Tertis viola pattern, it is really wide, making it look like a much larger instrument. The span of the lower bout is more than 10 inches. That is really wide! Nevertheless, the instrument is surprising easy to manage and hold (yes, with an extra large shoulder rest), as the rib height is a manageable 38mm; about the same as a regular 16” viola.
Attention!: We have more recent articles about Travel Violins. Better still - See the Travel and Backpacker Fiddle category at the Don Rickert Musician Shop.
Modern Travel and Backpacker Violins
D. Rickert Musical Instruments makes some of the world’s finest Modern Travel Violins (aka Backpacker Fiddles) and more models (6 models currently; one a 5-string). We also make two Pochette models; one a Baroque (early to mid-1700s) and one a Pre-Modern (1780s). All of these instruments are available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop.
Travel and Backpacker Violins and Fiddles by D. Rickert Musical Instruments
These are instruments that look superficially like Barqoue pochettes (pocket fiddles); however, they are full-length violins intended for backpacking and travel. All of our travel and backpacker violins are full 4/4 length instruments with chin rests and shoulder rest adapters. They are very popular among traveling classical violinists as well as adventure-loving fiddlers. Unlike the cheap travel fiddles that cost much less than ours on the market, ours respond to the bow like a full-size instrument and are quite sonorous...be sure to watch the videos below.
How Good Can a Travel Violin Sound?
Most makers of modern travel violins will tell you that they sound good. When we tell you that ours sound amazing, watch the following videos to hear for yourself what we mean by amazing…
We have been talking about a new travel violin to supersede the Neil Gow 22XL Travel Violin for several years. It is not that we do not like the Gow Travel Violin. We always felt that we could get a more full-bodied and balanced sound from an instrument of similar size (14” long x 3.25” wide, at the widest point). After many tries, involving countless prototypes, we achieved success. We call the new instrument the “Mountain Lion”.
At some point (soon!) we will have a video demo of the Mountain Lion Travel Violin. We can tell you that it sounds almost as good as the one played by Nathan Aldridge in the first video above (we do not see the possibility of ever making a travel violin that sounds better than the Custom Deep Body Travel Violin – Viola played by Nathan) and a little bit better than the one played by Troy Parker in the second video.
The instrument played by Troy Parker is an Adventurer II. We no longer make this instrument on a regular production basis, as it is too expensive to build, given its internal labyrinth of tuned porting that rivals the complexity of a Bose speaker enclosure (we still make them on a custom basis for those willing to pay the hefty price…about $3,000).
What we are now calling the Deep Body Custom Travel Violin/Viola has become one of the most popular instruments we have ever sold. It is definitely the best-sounding pochette-type travel violin we have ever produced. Interestingly enough, not a single customer has opted for a 4-string octave violin (aka baritone violin) configuration. Rather, to date, we have made the following configurations for customers:
4-string standard violin or viola tuning (base price applies to this configuration)
5-string violin/viola with standard 5-string violin neck (this is what most customers buy)
5-string violin/viola with custom extra-wide 5-string neck
6 sympathetic strings that run through a channel under the fingerboard and then through a special cut-out in the bridge (i.e. the sympathetic string bridge) and attached to metal hooks on the underside of the tailpiece (just like a Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle)
This last instrument is interesting, as it is used by a performer of Hindi Classical Music living in Australia. In Indian classical music, the violin or viola is played with the musician sitting in something like a lotus position. The instrument end rests on the upper chest (we made the buyer a special chest rest for that purpose). The finial (e.g. scroll), in the case of this instrument, a viola d’Amore blindfolded muse (Baroque symbol of True Love), is held by the player’s toes. Only a picture can really convey how this is done.
This is our most popular travel violin (it is also our most popular instrument regardless of type)
The Rickert Mountaineer IV Backpacker Fiddle is a really skinny (but full 4/4 length) travel fiddle that is extremely durable for the most punishing environments. This instrument and its predecessors have now been on journeys in the U.S., Europe, U.K., Canada, Middle East, North Africa and the African sub-continent.
The instrument is just 2 inches wide and is standard 4/4 length (body just under 14", playable string length of 13”, and total length about 23").
The Mountaineer utilizes an innovative internal bracing, which performs the critical functions of the sound post (damping shrill high frequency overtones while enhancing mid and low frequency overtones). The advantage is that the Mountaineer IV can withstand shock and extreme temperatures without the risk of the sound post falling out of place. The new Mountaineer IV, unlike its predecessors, uses a separate bass bar (not part of the internal framing).
The sound?
The instrument is quite loud (louder than a regular violin), and well balanced across all four strings. It is NOT shrill or “tinny”. Rather it tends to favor the mid-range. While having as much bass punch as a 2-inch wide instrument could possibly have, it is somewhat less than what we would call full-bodied.
Basically, it gets the job done sonically for those whose needs require such a small instrument. It does quite well in impromptu jam session due to its shear volume and mid-range bias.
The Frequent Flyer Travel Violin is designed for players who need a travel instrument that can be easily be packed inside of a suitcase or carry-on bag.
It is based on the Mountaineer IV (see product description for the Mountaineer IV above), but has very special structural enhancements, which allow for the easy removal and reattachment of the neck. The entire instrument, together with its accessories and a take-apart bow, fits into two small boxes, which, themselves easily fit into one’s luggage. The photos illustrate how it works.
Like the Mountaineer IV, the Phantom Shoulder Rest is an available option.
The sound is almost as good as the Mountaineer IV. The Mountaineer IV is a bit more sonorous due to the latter’s permanently set neck, using a traditional modern violin mortised neck joint.
The Neil Gow 21C, the predecessor of the Neil Gow XL Travel Violin, while actually quite modern under the surface, is based on our extremely popular Neil Gow Pochette, an interpretation of an 18th Century pochette (pocket fiddle or kit) on display in the Burrell Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. The bodies of the Neil Gow Pochette and its modern descendant, the Neil Gow 21C by Don Rickert Musical Instruments, while longer than the historic original on which their design is based, and have a full 4/4 size playable string length (nut to bridge), of 13 inches. This is one inch shorter than a 4/4 conventional violin. Most players do not notice this small difference in body length. For other musicians, especially novice and intermediate players, that one inch difference is important. For this reason, and to add a few more cubic inches of internal air space, the Neil Gow XL Travel Violin body is a full 14 inches long, which is the same a regular violin or fiddle.
David Thames Demonstrating Fat Strad Deux 5-String Mezzo Viola
David Thames Playing Fat Strad Deux 5-String Mezzo Viola Accompanying a Violin
David, a violist and cellist (who also plays violin) is accompanying violinist and fiddler, Mary Ann Thames, who is playing her cool Lion Head fiddle. They are playing a baroque liturgical canon.
David, a violist and cellist (who also plays violin) is accompanying violinist and fiddler, Mary Ann Thames, who is playing her cool Lion Head fiddle. They are playing a baroque liturgical canon.
This instrument is NOT for a beginner who likes the idea of having a low C or D string (D is a more common note than C for an experienced 5-String player). Becoming proficient on a 5-String fiddle takes practice beyond that necessary to play a standard fiddle.
The Fat Strad Deux 5-String Fiddle is made for…
Professional and advanced fiddlers looking for 5-string fiddle that:
Has string spacing wide enough to be actually playable
Volume, depth, deep tone and sheer raw power of a championship level fiddle across all 5 strings
The awesome responsiveness and power of the C string is not achieved at the expense of the responsiveness and sound of the e” string, or vice versa.
The Fat Strad Deux in 5-string configuration is simply the best 5-string violin you will find anywhere!
Don Rickert Musician Shop, D. Rickert, Musical Instruments, Fat Strad, Deux, small viola, fiddle, octave viola, 5-string, bass bar, mezzo viola, 8vb, 4-string, Octave Violin
The B-Rex II 5-String Octave Viola by D. Rickert Musical Instruments has proven to be an extremely popular instrument for fiddlers, violinists and violists looking for a powerful acoustic low voice tuned EXACTLY like a full-size cello, with the added benefit of a fifth string at the high end tuned to the high E of a octave violin.
The B-Rex II 5-String is a 15” or 15.5” body* viola that is tuned an octave lower than a violin (the first 4 strings), making it quite large-bodied octave violin (i.e. tenor). Strings 2 to 5 are tuned an octave lower than a viola (i.e. identical to a full size cello), making it a “chin cello” (i.e. baritone) as well. You can think of the B-Rex II either as…
An octave viola with an extra octave E string at the high end
A big burly octave violin or fiddle with an extra octave C string at the low end.
* Note: with violas, the standard 4/4, 3/4, etc. size designations used for violins do not apply; rather, one refers to the length of the instrument body in inches, even today, when the metric system is the international standard.
With top and back dimensions about the same as a smallish standard 15” or 15.5” body viola, making it ergonomically feasible for most adult players.
Key Dimensions:
Upper bout width: 7 1/8"
Middle bout width: 5 1/4"
Lower bout width of the body: 9 1/2"
Rib depth: 45mm (an increase over the 41mm ribs of the original B-Rex)
The dimension that differs radically from a regular 15” body viola is the depth. The B-Rex II 5-String has a rib depth of 45mm (>1 3/4"), compared to about 36mm (1 3/8”) of a typical 15” Viola.
Translates to an incredible approximate 55 additional cubic inches of air volume inside the sound box!
How the B-Rex II is Different
Several characteristics differentiate the B-Rex 5-String from a regular small viola strung with octave strings.
Extreme sonic power and deep timbre throughout its entire range (even the low C string)
Ergonomic features that make it possible to actually play!
Adequate string spacing at BOTH the nut and the bridge
How the incredible sound is achieved
For the B-Rex II, it is primarily a matter of body size, specifically the large air volume inside of the instrument body. Other factors for the B-Rex II’s powerful sonority include:
A specially graduated top
The design of the bass bar
A neck angle allowing for a high bridge
A composite (spruce, ebony and maple) fingerboard that is more resonant than the usual
A sound post that is cut and placed in just the right place
Key Features
The Finest "Old School" Classical Italian Style Varnishing (and non-toxic / zero VOC to boot)
Specially graduated fingerboard to accommodate the large diameter C-string
Allows for arching of the nut and bridge that affords for ease of playing while avoiding string buzz.
Wider fingerboard to allow for better string spacing at the nut and bridge
Adds to the playability benefits of the specially graduated fingerboard
Fingering and/or bowing adjacent strings unintentionally is a thing of the past.
Choice of Fingerboard
Maple
Ebony-maple composite
Innovative New Peg Box
Designed specifically to avoid the frequent breakage of strings typically associated with 5-string octave violas
Tuning Pegs (Graduated Sizing: the right size for each string)
The B-Rex II is fit with Wittner FineTune internally geared pegs.
Rather than using one size of peg for all of the strings, the pegs on the B-Rex II are graduated in size to match the extreme variation in string diameter from lowest to highest.
The pegs range from a small cello peg for the cello-sized C-string down to a normal viola peg for the e string.
Given the size of the B-Rex II, we work with the customer to determine the ergonomically correct combination of chin rest and shoulder rest to match the musician’s physique. We apply a $100 credit to the chin rest and shoulder rest. For the most common setup of the new Everest ergonomic shoulder rest and a Strad or Guarneri over-the-tailpiece chin rest, there would be no additional charge.
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.
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.
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:
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 Scotland) had lost its tragically cruel control over the Lowlands of Scotland by the time Burns came onto the scene.
This is another demo of the new Chord Pad and Drone Box by Don Rickert Design. A medley of the Strathspey AND reel versions of the Scottish tune, Devil in the Kitchen, are used as part of the demonstration.
Yesterday (Saturday, June 11) we shot most of the video of Dr. Rickert of Don Rickert Design installing 18th Century type gut strings (copper wound g string and unwound pure gut d', a' and e' strings) on a an 1780s style pochette.
We were also shooting video for a demonstration of the use of basso continuo fiddle accompaniment using our new foot pump bass/chord/drone box (we have not named it yet), a free reed instrument similar to an Indian shruti box that runs on compressed air supplied by a powerful foot bellows rather than the traditional hand bellows of shruti boxes and harmoniums.
both videos will be available on YouTube in several days
