Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Video Treat: A Master (Andrew Gonzalez) Playing Our Violoncello da Spalla

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,... Read more →

The Latest on Travel Violins and Fiddles by D. Rickert Musical Instruments

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Introduction 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... Read more →

T-Rex Octave Viola by D. Rickert Musical Instruments with Demo Video

Attention!: This is an older post. Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. How good can an acoustic octave viola sound? The T-Rex Octave Viola sets the standard. Note The T-Rex Octave Viola by D. Rickert Musical Instruments and other amazing low-pitched acoustic bowed instruments are available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Go Right to YouTube for Demo T-Rex Octave Viola Demo on YouTube Introduction 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.... Read more →

Modern Travel and Backpacker Violins: Baroque Pochettes and Modern Travel Violins at the Don Rickert Musician Shop (Part 2 of 2 Parts)

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. This article is about the modern Travel Violins and Backpacker Fiddles you will find at Don Rickert Musician Shop. You might also want to read Baroque Pochettes and Modern Travel Violins at the Don Rickert Musician Shop (Part 1 of 2 Parts): Pochettes, which is about our pochettes, and some of the lore associated with them. 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... Read more →

Demos (video with audio) of the Fat Strad Deux 5-String

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Demos (video with audio) of the Fat Strad Deux 5-String See the D. Rickert Fat Strad III 5-String Violin at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The Fat Strad Deux 5-String Fiddle is a now called the D. Rickert Fat Strad III 5-String Violin. It uses the same acoustically advanced body as our D. Rickert Fat Strad Acoustic Octave Violin. 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. Links: David Thames Demonstrating Fat Strad Deux 5-String Mezzo Viola (YouTube Video) David Thames Playing Fat Strad Deux 5-String Mezzo Viola (YouTube Video) 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. The NEW Fat Strad Deux Mezzo Viola by D. Rickert Musical Instruments See How the Fat Strad Deux Mezzo Viola Works Who is the Fat Strad Deux 5-String Fiddle for? 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... Read more →

David Thames Demonstrating B-Rex 5-String Octave Viola (aka Chin Cello)

Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The B-Rex II 5-String Octave Viola, discussed and demonstrated on this page, has been replaced by the T-Rex Octave Viola, which is available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The new T-Rex is available in either 4-string or 5-string configurations. Links David Thames Demonstrating B-Rex 5-String Octave Viola (aka Chin Cello) (Link to YouTube Demo) The NEW B-Rex II 5-String Octave Viola (Photos) B-Rex II 5-String Octave Viola (Product Listing at the Adventurous Muse Store) Introducing the NEW B-Rex II 5-String Octave Viola (Informational Article) Introduction 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.... Read more →

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... 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 →

Video of Dr. Rickert Installing Pure Gut Strings: UPDATE

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 Read more →

Is it a Tailpiece or a Chin Rest? How About BOTH!

The Tailpiece-Chin Rest Combination from Dov Schmidt Dov Schmidt, himself a violinist and conductor, is also one of the most innovative suppliers and inventor of ground-breaking bowed string instrument accessories such as chin rests and tailpieces (http://www.dov-music.com/). We have begun using Dov Schmidt Harp-style tailpieces on a number of Don Rickert Lutherie instruments. These tailpieces achieve astounding d’ and g string response by increasing the length between the string and the tailpiece on the lower strings. The photo of one of these Harp tailpieces illustrates what I am talking about (click on the photo thumbnail for a larger view). The Dov Schmidt Harp-style tailpieces also use built in fine tuners of polycarbonate, which have far better acoustic properties than metal fine tuners, resulting in much-improved overall instrument sonority and power. Another product, not invented by Schmidt, but one that he sells, is a unique tailpiece, which incorporates a small chin rest in its design. Now, anyone who has had classical violin training might recoil at the thought of using the tailpiece as a chin rest, as it reduces tailpiece vibration, having a slight muting effect. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but many traditional fiddlers, especially Irish Traditional fiddlers, have been using the tailpiece as a chin rest for well over a century. I do not claim to understand all of the acoustical physics involved; however, the widespread chin-on-tailpiece playing style of Irish Traditional players seems to introduce some smoothness to the instrument sonority that is lost be use... Read more →