Observations and Opinion – D Rickert Musical Instruments

How Will U.S. Tariffs (April 2025) Affect D. Rickert Musical Instrument Pricing?

Apr 23, 2025

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in 5-String Violins and Fiddles, Announcements, Banjos, D. Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Observations and Opinion, Octave and Baritone Violins, Pochettes, Kit Fiddles, Pocket Fiddles, Tenor and Octave Violas

Due to the apparent chaotic nature of new U.S. tariffs, everything about this topic is a moving target. I will post updates as appropriate. Key points My flagship instruments are made in the U.S. and, presently, there should be little, if any, effect on the prices of these more expensive instruments that are shipped within…

Planetary Tuning Pegs for Bowed String Instruments and Historic Banjos

Apr 23, 2025

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Donald Rickert

in About Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Announcements, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Observations and Opinion

Virtually all violin family instruments we make at D. Rickert Musical Instruments are fit with planetary pegs. The image of the violoncello da spalla pegbox/scroll clearly shows the planetary geared pegs, which look exactly like regular ebony pegs. Planetary geared pegs provide a profound enhancement of the playing experience, especially for non-standard lower pitched violin…

Brief Descriptions for Various Alternative Violin Family Instruments

Mar 11, 2025

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Donald Rickert

in 5-String Violins and Fiddles, Backpacker Violins and Pochettes, Baroque Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Observations and Opinion, Octave and Baritone Violins, Pochettes, Kit Fiddles, Pocket Fiddles, Tenor and Octave Violas, Travel and Backpacker Fiddles, Violoncello da Spalla

Introduction This post provides brief descriptions of the various alternative and extended range violin family instruments made by D. Rickert Musical Instruments. The descriptions include the normal tuning for each instrument, as well as links to other reference material about each instrument. There are two related posts: Travel / Backpacker Violin A travel violin, also…

Alternative Violin Family Instruments: Relative Sizes and Shapes of Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Range Instruments

Mar 10, 2025

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Donald Rickert

in 5-String Violins and Fiddles, Backpacker Violins and Pochettes, Baroque Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Observations and Opinion, Octave and Baritone Violins, Pochettes, Kit Fiddles, Pocket Fiddles, Tenor and Octave Violas, Travel and Backpacker Fiddles, Violoncello da Spalla

This article, which includes a photo essay, is about the different “form factors” of various “alternative” or “non-standard” violin family instruments, all of which are made by Don Rickert Musical Instruments. With a few exceptions, the images in the photo essay part of this post are of actual instruments made in the workshop of Don…

Alternative Violin Family Instruments: What Are They For?

Mar 9, 2025

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Donald Rickert

in 5-String Violins and Fiddles, Backpacker Violins and Pochettes, Baroque Instruments, Guitars, Observations and Opinion, Pochettes, Kit Fiddles, Pocket Fiddles, Tenor and Octave Violas, Travel and Backpacker Fiddles, Violoncello da Spalla

Related Articles: Alternative Violin Family Instruments: Relative Sizes and Shapes of Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Range Instruments Brief Descriptions for Various Alternative Violin Family Instruments In this context, “Alternative” or “Non-Standard” bowed string instruments refer to the following: Violin Variants 5-string Violins: See 5-String Violins and Fiddles Travel / Backpacker Violins: See Travel and Backpacker…

Chin Cellos (Octave Violas) AND Tenor Violas are Back!

Apr 30, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Low-Pitched Instruments, Observations and Opinion, Tenor and Octave Violas, Video and Sound Demos

Full disclosure: I LOVE violas, especially those that are tuned like a cello (chin cello or octave viola) or like an octave violin (tenor viola). It will be of interest to anyone who currently has, or is considering acquiring, a lower-pitched viola. The Chin Cello fad Do you remember the “chin cello” fad just a…

Alternative Violas for Non-Conformists Who Play Non-Orchestral Music

Mar 10, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in 5-String Violins and Fiddles, Announcements, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Observations and Opinion, Tenor and Octave Violas, Tertis Violas, Violoncello da Spalla

Introduction If you want to do anything with a viola, such as use it to play anything other than classical orchestral music, good luck finding a luthier who has ANY clue about what you are talking about. There are a few of us, but not many. If you are a member of the growing sub-culture…

Octave Violins, Tenor Violas and Related Instruments from Donald Rickert

Feb 17, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Low-Pitched Instruments, Observations and Opinion, Octave and Baritone Violins, Tenor and Octave Violas, Video and Sound Demos

Note: This is an update to an earlier article entitled, Octave Violins, Octave Violas and Hybrids from Don Rickert Musical Instruments. With a current introduction of several new Octave Violins underway, this post is a good resource for one wanting some details on what octave violins and similar instruments (e.g. tenor violas) are, where they…

Octave Violin or Violoncello da Spalla?

Feb 15, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Low-Pitched Instruments, Observations and Opinion, Octave and Baritone Violins, Tenor and Octave Violas, Violoncello da Spalla

Update Intro: This is an update to an earlier article entitled, Do You Really Need a Violoncello da Spalla? Since publication of the original post, much has changed with respect to the instrument alternatives, including cost and variety. For example, I have rolled back prices to 2021 level on the popular Violoncello da Spalla Standard Model.…

What Makes the Difference Between Pretty Good and Great Acoustic Stringed Instruments? (Revised 6-2023)

Jun 3, 2023

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Donald Rickert

in Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Observations and Opinion

This article is an update to a similar article published about a year earlier. If you really care to see the original article, see: What Makes the Difference Between Pretty Good and Great Acoustic Stringed Instruments? If you wish to discuss anything covered in this article, see Don Rickert on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/donrickert. This link gets you to…

Category: Observations and Opinion