Don Rickert Musical Instruments – D Rickert Musical Instruments

Instrument Builds Planned for 2026: Violoncellos da Spalla, Octave Violins, Tenor/Octave Violas, Travel Violins/Violas and 5-String Banjos

Mar 25, 2026

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

I try to start every year with a basic idea of what I am going to build in the coming year. This is my way of establishing some type of focus, especially when there is a lot of chaos going on, like, for instance, right now. Every year, I am surprised by the way things…

I Recently Shipped a New Iteration of the International Travel Violin to Germany and It Has Arrived Safely!

Mar 22, 2026

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Backpacker Violins and Pochettes, D. Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Pochettes, Kit Fiddles, Pocket Fiddles, Travel and Backpacker Fiddles

I always breath a sigh of relief when a newly completed instrument gets to its destination, especially when shipped to somewhere else in the world. This one is now in the custody of a happy client. The International Travel Violin was designed for violinists and fiddlers wishing to travel without worry with their instruments by air:…

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…

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

Apr 23, 2025

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Donald Rickert

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…

It’s Travel Violin (and Viola) Time 2025!

Apr 20, 2025

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Donald Rickert

in Announcements, Backpacker Violins and Pochettes, Don Rickert Musical Instruments, Don Rickert Musician Shop, Pochettes, Kit Fiddles, Pocket Fiddles, Tenor and Octave Violas, Travel and Backpacker Fiddles

This is an update of an article first published in April 2024. Just as in the past, this is a time of year to be thinking about a travel violin or viola if you are going to be needing one in the late spring or summer. While an update of a year-old article, the prices…

The Latest on Octave Violas and Tenor Violas by D. Rickert (with Demos)

Apr 17, 2025

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Donald Rickert

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

New product listing for Octave Violas and Tenor Violas at the Don Rickert Musician Shop! For the first time in years, we have a specific product listing on our online store website, Don Rickert Musician Shop (www.donrickertmusicianshop.com), having treated Octave Violas as completely custom commissions. Octave Violas and Tenor Violas are now listed as two…

What Are ‘Alternative’ Violin Family Instruments?: Three New Articles On that Topic

Mar 13, 2025

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Donald Rickert

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

Introduction These recent posts on www.RickertMusicalInstruments.com, by luthier Donald Rickert (me), will be of particular interest to players of such instruments as 5-string violins, octave violins, tenor violas, 5-string violas, octave violas and revival instruments such as the violoncello da spalla. With the exception of maybe the violoncello da spalla, classical repertoire is NOT the…

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…

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