"Deep Body Custom Travel Violin/Viola" is the new name for the Rickert "Travel Viola – Octave Violin." We believe that the re-christening reflects more accurately reflects how this instrument has been used by musician customers.

This instrument was originally conceived as a 4-string 3.5-inch wide, 4/4 length travel violin, which is capable, when strung with special octave strings, of playing, with good projection volume and a full-bodied timbre, an octave lower than a normal violin (see the original product description). Additional information about the original instrument can be found in the article, Don Rickert Travel Viola - Octave Violin. Among other innovations, the instrument was designed accommodate a variety of necks and stringing configurations.

What we are now calling the Deep Body Custom Travel Violin/Viola has become one of the most popular instruments we have ever sold. It is definitly the best-sounding pochette-type travel violin we have ever produced.  Interestingly enough, not a single customer has opted for a 4-string octave violin (aka baritone violin) configuration. Rather, to date, we have made (or are in the process of making) the following configurations:

• 4-string standard violin or viola tuning
• 5-string violin/viola with standard 5-string violin neck
• 5-string violin/viola with custom extra-wide 5-string neck
• 10-string instrument configured as follows:
  • 4 playable strings tuned C3, G3, C4 (middle C), G4 (G above middle C)
  • 6 sympathetic strings that run through a channel under the fingerboard and then through a special cut-out in the bridge (i.e. the sympathetic string bridge) and attached to metal hooks on the underside of the tailpiece (just like a Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle)

Special No-Extra-Cost Features:

• Custom-made chin rest
• Wittner FineTune internally-geared tuning pegs
• Latest version of the Rickert Adjustable Shoulder Rest Adaptor

How Does It Sound?

We recorded some video of a top competitive Bluegrass fiddler at a recent fiddle competition. To see and hear fancy Bluegrass-style (aka “modern style”) fiddle playing on a 5-string version of the Deep Body Custom Travel Violin/Viola, watch our video on YouTube.

• Rickert Deep Body Travel Violin (5-string version) Played by Nathan Aldridge (YouTube)