Don Rickert Musical Instruments(tm)

Baritone (a.k.a. Octave) Violins/Fiddles

One of the first things V-Gear set out to do is to design and build the best acoustic baritone violin in the world. There are several instruments referred to as 'baritones'. You can find out about this topic by reading the extended post, especially information about the New Violin Family, also known as the Violin Octet. When we say baritone violin or baritone fiddle, we are talking about an instrument with the exact nut to bridge length (just under 13") as a standard violin or fiddle, but tuned an octave lower.

We have extensively tested several models with professional and amateur old time, bluegrass and Scottish fiddlers, expert level viola players, 20 or so violinists in the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra and a former violinist in the Russian Chamber Orchestra.

One model is based on an enlarged Chanot-type (i.e. cornerless or 'guitar-shaped) violin, another on a modified 14" (i.e. student) viola and yet another on the concave back 'Cradle of Harmony', patented by the artist William Sidney Mount in 1852! We have judged further work on the small viola to be a waste of time and are evaluating where to go with the Chanot-type instrument (which actually sounds pretty good).

Photos of the Chanot-type baritone being played: One of the players is Natalie Haas, known for here 'New Age'/Traditional fusion style on the 'cello.

Laura Risk, one of the finest fiddlers (and teacher) on the planet.

A very fine viola player and fiddler giving the Chanot-type baritone prototype a try. Her playing was beautiful and her insights were extremely helpful.

   

Want to here it? Click here for an all too brief sample of Natalie Haas warming up with some nice Darol Anger riffs.

Several photos of Natalie appear below.

      

We are ready to go into production with the Sidney Mount inspired instrument. We made a number of modifications, including adding about a lot of airspace by extending the rib width from the standard 30 mm. to 42 mm., utilizing a bassbar based on current best practices (not a Zaret Patent Bassbar!), a viola soundpost to equalize the volume of the higher and lower strings. The top plate is made from Western Red Cedar, know by classical guitar experts for its low rich tembre. Finally, the soundholes are of the Chanot-type and smaller than standard practice in order to increase 'turbulance' inside the instrument. The result is an instrument with unbelievable projection and a nice deep tembre (unlike some other instruments, which are loud but 'thin')...this instrument sounds like a fine 'cello!

Is Snakewood and Alternative to Pernambuco?

No!

Snakewood is for Baroque bows, which are used for playing Baroque music on Baroque violins. The wood is heavy and does not hold the camber (reverse curve) that is so critical to Tourte (i.e. modern) bows. Francois Tourte explicitly rejected snakewood as being suitable for his bows. We nearly cried when we heard that a vendor (yes, a competitor) sold a snakewood Tourte bow to a young fiddle student who was considering buying an IncrediBow (OK, yes from us).

Now, you might ask, why not use a Baroque bow for modern playing. We'll get into the details some other time, but suffice it to say that Tourte did not invent the modern bow just to be different.

Snakewood looks really cool, but it sucks for modern violin/fiddle bows. We sell a carbon fiber bow with an imitation snakewood finish and will post the picture in an update to this post, but gotta' run over to Radio Shack now to get some components for our new electric octave violin, which we are showing tomorrow.

Got comments...bring them on!

D.R.

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It's All About the Bow

Assuming that you have at least a moderate-quality fiddle or violin (that is properly set up) and some skill at playing it, NOTHING matters to your playing, the sound your playing makes and your development as a bowed string musician than the bow. The old rule of thumb that we old people were taught is that you should spend at least as much on your bow as you do your fiddle or violin. How many of us really followed that advice. Especially those of us who practice the fiddle discipline played on the cheapest Brazilwood or fiberglass bow that we could get our hands on.

Until you play a great bow, you just can't get it--you play a lot better with a high-quality bow. Not too long ago, a great bow could cost thousands of dollars. Invariably, great bows were always made of Pernambuco wood, or occasionally Snakewood (but Snakewood is more common for Baroque bows, and that is a different topic than today's). Perambuco bows can be real a joy to use; but there is a serious shortage of Pernambuco wood, so buying a new one could be considered irresponsible, and a good old one is going to cost you some big bucks.

Today, you can get a carbon fiber or carbon graphite (they are slightly different composite materials) bow for under $500. In the case of the IncrediBow, you can get one for about $150 or less. High-end carbon fiber bows that I have played are better than ANY pernambuco bow I have played (that should generate some comments!). Being in the fiddle/violin and bow business (www.rickertandringholz.com and running the online Fiddle and Bow Store: www.fiddleandbowstore.com) and having observed hundreds making bow buying decisions, I can report the following 'consumer insights':

1. The majority of potential customers enter the purchase dialog with the notion that they want a wood bow.
2. We take more old Pernambuco wood bows in trade as partial payment for high-end carbon fiber bows than we sell.
3. We sell more carbon fiber bows than wood bows. In fact, I cannot remember the last time we actually sold a wood bow.
4. The new generation of "braided carbon fiber" bows (carbon fiber fabric wound around a core and encased in a resin) perform better than the older style extruded carbon fiber bows.
5. The majority of bows we sell are of the braided carbon fiber type (and these are the most expensive...in the $300-$500 price range).
6. The second most popular seller is the IncrediBow; which is maligned mostly by those who have never played one.

One more point about bows: The best bows available are all made in the USA. Even the old London based P&H bows are now made in the US. Our list of the great carbon fiber bows--Glasser, P&H, CodaBow. We think that the IncrediBow, made in Arkansas, is a very good bow and excellent value.

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First Annual Hoppin' John Old-Time & Bluegrass Fiddler's Convention

Hoppin' John could not have been more different than the big established festivals. We had more fun at Hoppin' John than any of the festivals we went to this year (Note: anticipate having just as much fun at the upcoming Stone Mountain Scottish Highland Games).

The Hoppin' John convention was pretty small (hundreds rather than thousands of attendees). It took place at Shakori Hills in Silk Hope, NC. Shakori Hills is a sort of land trust (about 70 acres) as far as we understand, staffed by volunteers and funded by the likes of really cool bands like Donna the Buffalo. The 'vibe' of this festival was "5-star". We met the nicest people and the best Old-Time musicians we have ever had the pleasure to meet, hear and jam with. We particularly enjoyed the Civil War re-enactor fiddlers and banjo players and the "neo-jam-cajonish" contingent, who seemed to never sleep :-)

In addition to the competitions, which included a category for Alternative (e.g. "Jam-grass", jug band, skiffle, etc.), there were jam sessions going on all night as well as organized square and contra-dancing that went on at least until midnight.

We made several key contacts, including a potential Master Luthier for Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments and a guitar restoration firm to help us keep up with varnishing new instruments. We did not take too many photos, but we do have lots of great sound samples with permission to post them. We will be doing so soon.

Worthy of mention is that we saw and heard for the first time one of the bowed dulcimers of Ken Bloom, which we hope to carry in our online store in the near future.

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Old Fiddlers' Convention at Galax, VA

Earlier we posted some photos of the Rickert & Ringholz tent at Galax, but we never wrote a review. Here is a  brief review:

• It was very hot, in the 100s, almost every one of the six days we were there.
• There were a lot of people in attendance...most came out after dark.
• Lots of great musicians
• We met a number of interesting people, many of whose company we enjoyed. In particular, we really enjoyed the company of Jerry and Mary Jane of Fretwell Bass (our next door neighbors) and Bruce Haney, the inventor of the FiddleWidget, which we now sell in our online store.
• We'll give this festival another try next year. Hopefully it will not be so hot and the fun factor will be higher.

We're interested in other folks' review of Galax 2007, so feel free to comment.

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Our Policy on Pernambuco Wood Bows

Pernambuco is an endangered wood and has been since the 17th century, at least. To be fair to those of use who make and sell bows, the shortage of Pernambuco has more to do with the fabric dye and furniture industries, combined with centuries of poor forestry manangement than the making of violin bows. But the bow industry doesn't get off so easily, as the best wood for bow-making comes from the centers of old growth trees.

Why Pernambuco for bows in the first place? Francois Tourte (see Wikipedia article on Tourte) invented the "modern" bow, which curves backwards, at least from the perspective of the musicians of the period. He made them out of Pernambuco wood, due to its high stiffness and low weight. This is, of course, an oversimplification, but you get the idea. Interestingly enough, the stiffness to weight issue is one of the primary advantages of a high quality carbon fiber bow over a pernambuco bow (yes, there is a thinly-veiled hint in that statement.). In any case, in any likely future that I can foresee, pernambuco bows are going to get more and more expensive and carbon fiber bows more prevalent.

We proudly support IPCI-USA the "International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative-USA". In practical terms, this means that we will sell our current stock of about a dozen new genuine pernambuco bows; thereafter, we will only sell old pernambuco bows acquired as trade-ins for carbon fiber and carbon graphite bows. We will continue to sell extremely high quality carbon fiber and carbon graphite bows...now you have an excuse to buck peer pressure from blind traditionalists and upgrade to a better (carbon fiber) bow.

Together we can make a difference.

Please visit IPCI-USA : www.ipci-usa.org

Final Carbon Fiber Travel Violin Prototype

Note: This instrument is now in full production and available at the Fiddle and Bow Store (www.fiddleandbowstore.com).

   

We have built a Travel Violin prototype using the full production process (as opposed to hand-building as a "one-off"). The instrument pictured above has 1/32" carbon fiber sides and a black translucent finish. The extremely thin sides are made possible by our internal open web truss space frame (specifics are a trade secret).

We would like to note that these instruments are built entirely in Atlanta, Georgia, using machines such as a laser cutter and CNC machine (rather than exploited/underpaid labor in developing countries) for otherwise time-consuming but low-skill tasks, such as cutting out the basic shapes, sound holes, etc..

Thing-Farm(tm), an Atlanta-based design firm, is a partner in the fabrication of instruments. David Ringholz of Thing Farm (www.thing-farm.com) and Don Rickert are both members of the Industrial Design Faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech (the "Yellow Jackets" to college basketball fans).

Final construction, varnishing and set-up is performed by expert Atlanta-based craftspersons, supervised by Dr. Don Rickert, an experienced musical instrument designer and member of the Guild of American Luthiers.

Based on this prototype, we have made 4 or 5 subtle but significant improvements, which will be detailed when we show you the final production version within the week.

The final version, with fiber mesh-reinforced walnut, maple, or birch sides, will blow your mind!

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