D Rickert Musical Instruments – D Rickert Musical Instruments

Two New Octave Violins and a 5-String Violin Under Construction – Ready to ship in late November 2025

Oct 13, 2025

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in 5-String Violins and Fiddles, Announcements, D. Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Octave and Baritone Violins, Uncategorized, Video and Sound Demos

The new Double-Fat Strad Octave Violin has been getting attention of late. I am confident that the newest iteration of the Fat Strad 5-String Violin will be getting some good attention once a few are out there in the world in the hands of accomplished players. These instruments sound incredible; powerful (loud), with a rich…

Instruments Completed in 2025 to Date

Oct 1, 2025

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Donald Rickert

in 5-String Violins and Fiddles, About Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Announcements, D. Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Mezzo and Quasi-Mezzo Violins, Octave and Baritone Violins, Pochettes, Kit Fiddles, Pocket Fiddles, Tenor and Octave Violas, Travel and Backpacker Fiddles, Violoncello da Spalla

I have been very busy in the first 3 quarters of 2025. I have completed and delivered 12 instruments thus far in 2025. The represent an even mix of ‘Conservatory’ level (intermediate “value priced” instruments) and ‘Professional’ level (high-end) instruments. The latter are the ones made completely by me in our Hiawassee, Georgia (US) workshop.…

How Good Can an Octave Fiddle Sound?: Demos of the NEW Double-Fat Strad Octave Violin

Sep 28, 2025

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Donald Rickert

in D. Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Low-Pitched Instruments, Octave and Baritone Violins, Video and Sound Demos

Introduction Anyone who has followed this blog for the past 15+ years or has ever spoken to me about musical instruments will know that I am passionate about Octave Violins, which are regular violins modified and fit with special strings to play one octave lower. They are between violas and cellos pitch-wise. They, the good…

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…

Just shipped a Violoncello da Spalla and Starting on A New and Very Special Instrument, the Violoncello da Spalla Artist Model (Number 1).

May 21, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Baroque Instruments, Cool Instruments for Hep Cats, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Low-Pitched Instruments, Podcasts and YouTube Channels, Violoncello da Spalla

Violoncello da Spalla Standard Plus Model I just shipped a very nice Violoncello da Spalla to its new owner in the US. This one was NON-commissioned, meaning that it was built without a specific buyer lined up. It is a fine example of my “Standard Plus” model. If I am counting right, it was my…

NEW Violoncello da Spalla Artist Model: Description and Specifications

May 21, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Baroque Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Low-Pitched Instruments, Violoncello da Spalla

The new Violoncello da Spalla Artist Model is for accomplished musicians seeking the best sounding and most playable instrument possible, as well a distinctively unique appearance. My new Violoncello da Spalla model is a departure from “traditional” violoncellos da spalla made by me and other top luthiers. It is definitely my most expensive model to…

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…

Index to Topics Related to Violoncello da Spalla in Past Episodes of ‘Cool Instruments for Hep Cats’

Apr 27, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Baroque Instruments, Cool Instruments for Hep Cats, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Video and Sound Demos, Violoncello da Spalla

'Cool Instruments for Hep Cats' is a video podcast (YouTube), which delves into the realm of unusual and intriguing musical instruments. Episode 5, Part 1 just posted on April 24, 2024. It is one of three entire episodes, comprised of 11 parts, specifically about the Violoncello da Spalla. The host for all episodes is Donald…

Violoncellos da Spalla by Donald Rickert (Update Feb. 2024)

Feb 14, 2024

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Baroque Instruments, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Historic Instrument Replicas, Low-Pitched Instruments, Video and Sound Demos, Violoncello da Spalla

Contact Info. Don Rickert on Linktree: https://linktr.ee/donrickert. This link gets you to ALL of my detailed contact information, my websites and social media. Email: don@donrickertdesign.com OR doctorfiddle@gmail.com Phone (in US): 706-896-0909 or 706-400-1481 (mobile) Update: I am rolling back the price for my Violoncello da Spalla Standard Model to its 2021 price! Recent instruments have sold…

Special Pricing for a Violoncello da Spalla (Standard Model) and a Tenor Viola (additional information for prior article)

Nov 5, 2023

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Low-Pitched Instruments, Octave and Baritone Violins, Tenor and Octave Violas, Tertis Violas, Violoncello da Spalla

Update: Since the original publication of this post, we have rolled pricing for my standard Violoncello da Spalla l to 2021 pricing, about $10K. This is about $3,000 less than the special pricing described below. As of today, March 2, 2024, we still have a Tenor Viola (tuned G2 to E4, like an Octave Violin)…

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