General Information about Sale

In celebration of Independence Day, Don Rickert Musician Shop, the online retail face of D. Rickert Musical Instruments, is having a FREE SHIPPING sale! Here are some of the things we have to sell. There are LOTS of items that are NOT listed here for which you can get free shipping as well.

Give us a call....use the Google Call Widget below for a free call.

OR email us (don@donrickertdesign.com)

Our email is don@DonRickertDesign.com and phone number is (404) 828-0136. 

Mailing address:
Don Rickert Musical Instruments
726 Hall Creek Road
Hiawassee, GA 30546

Baroque Violins, Pochettes and Bows

See Baroque Instruments category.

See also the Baroque Bows category: Through a cooperative arrangement with a large supplier of early instruments, we have one of the largest selections of genuine Baroque bows anywhere. Call or email us to tell use what you are looking for.

Our Baroque violins are authentic baroque instruments rather than modern violins or fiddles "dressed up" to look more or less like the real aricles. For details on this matter, see the article, It's Baroque, Man! (or the Low-down on Baroque Violins).

See also:

• Baroque Pochettes and Modern Travel Violins at the Don Rickert Musician Shop (Part 1 of 2 Parts): Pochettes
• Modern Travel and Backpacker Violins: Baroque Pochettes and Modern Travel Violins at the Don Rickert Musician Shop (Part 2 of 2 Parts)

New Instruments and New Versions of Instruments

• V-8vb Long Scale Octave Violin
• T-Rex Octave Viola
• Custom Deep Body Travel Violin - Viola II
• Mountaineer V Backpacker Fiddle
• Frequent Flyer II Travel Violin

Best Sellers

We have not changed these best selling instruments in a while, nor do we plan to anytime soon. This weekend is a chance to get them shipped for free, as long as you live in the continental U.S.

• Maggini Violin by Calvert Violins
• Heinrich Gill Violin No. 54
• Heinrich Gill No. 58
• Fat Strad Deux 5-String Mezzo Viola (5-String Violin or Fiddle)
• Fat Strad 8vb Acoustic Octave Violin

Electric Violins and Electric Mandolins

We have entered the electric violin and electric mandolin family (includes the big mandos: octave mandolins and mandocellos) in a big way. Come see what we’ve got!

See the Electric and Acoustic-Electric Instruments category.

• D. Rickert FX-1 Venetian Series Arch Top Electric Violin (Pegbox version) Special Pre-Release Hand-Made Edition
• D. Rickert FX-1 Venetian Series Arch Top Electric Violin (Slot Head) Special Pre-Release Hand-Made Edition
• D. Rickert FX-2 Venetian Series Flat Top Standard Electric Violin
• D. Rickert FX-2 Venetian Series Flat Top Deluxe Electric Violin
• M-1A Venetian Series Semi-Hollow Body Electric Mandolin by D. Rickert
• M-1B Venetian Series Chambered Body Electric Mandolin by D. Rickert

New Instruments that are Not Yet Listed (Call or email us)

Give us a call....use the Google Call Widget below for a free call.

OR email us (don@donrickertdesign.com)

Our email is don@DonRickertDesign.com and phone number is (404) 828-0136. 

Mailing address:
Don Rickert Musical Instruments
726 Hall Creek Road
Hiawassee, GA 30546

A New 4-String Travel Violin: The Ranger

Summary of the instrument

Kind of a combination of the slim form of the Mountain Lion Travel Violin (not in regular production) and the new Deep Body Travel Violin II.

Templates and building jigs are made and we are tooled up to start making this instrument. We just have not gotten to listing it yet. It costs $1750. If you are interested, call or email (see above).

The Big Mandos

These new large members of the mandolin family are mentioned in the recent article (lots of pictures), Two New Electric Mandolins (and other New Instruments) by D. Rickert.

Even though they have not yet been announced, you can see images of the other new instruments below. The large image attempts to capture the sizes of these new instruments relative to each other. You can see that the Mezzo is actually a fairly small instrument, even though it has a 17" scale.

Give us a call....use the Google Call Widget below for a free call.

OR email us (don@donrickertdesign.com)

Our email is don@DonRickertDesign.com and phone number is (404) 828-0136. 

Mailing address:
Don Rickert Musical Instruments
726 Hall Creek Road
Hiawassee, GA 30546

Our Big Mandos

As fraught with possibility as the 14” scale mandolins may be, the real possibilities are with the longer scale instruments, especially for fiddlers, violinists and other bowed string players (I will explain below). We are referring here to the… 

• “Mezzo” (5-string 17” scale) mandolins (could also be called mandolas with a high e-string)
• Because they cover both the mandolin and mandola ranges, we think that “mezzo” is a better descriptor.
• 5-string octave mandolins (22.5” scale)
• 5-string mandocellos (25.5” scale)

Each of our “Big Mandos” has ALL of the capabilities of our electric 14” scale mandolins, plus they can do a lot more. And I mean a whole lot more!

Characteristics Common to ALL of Our Big Mandos

• Chambered Western Red Cedar bodies (we are considering changing to tempered basswood bodies)
• 5-Strings
• Capability of synthesizing 2 octaves lower and 1 octave higher than the physical string tuning
• Can be played with a plectrum
• Optimized for use of a Direct String Synthesis™ device, called an EBow
• This is a virtual bow! No picking required
• The EBow vibrates the strings with an electro-magnetic pulse. The EBow works best when in close proximity to a powerful magnetic pickup.
• This optimization for use of an EBow includes a powerful magnetic humbucking pickup (an Almuse “Aggresor 5”, a 5-string version of the Seymour Duncan “Invader” pickup, well-known by electric guitarists) at the neck and string spacing in the region of the pickup in the 10.5mm–11mm range.
• Through use of gesture combined with the appropriate external signal processing (supplied with the instrument), the EBow can synthesize attack ranging from a plectrum to a physical bow.
• A multi-transducer piezo bridge pickup (actually 5 separate pickups, one for each string), affording the capability of pure acoustic tone
• Sohisticated internal electronics including a special advanced pre-amp that makes the relatively low impedance magnetic pickups (about 1220 Ohms) and extremely high impedance piezo pickups (500,000+ Ohms) work together without damage to either pickup.
• All of the things the player can do to mix the magnetic and piezo pickup signals and the use of the electro-magnetic pulse of the EBow are mind-boggling and a bit beyond the scope of this post.

Summary of Each of the Big Mandos

Despite the fact that all of the Big Mandos can play music in the lower octave ranges, each of the Big Mandos has its own special magic.

5-string “Mezzo” mandolins (17” scale)

• Physical tuning: C3 G3 D4 A4 E5 (mandolin tuning with a C at added to the low end)
• With an octave conversion effect processor (supplied with the instrument), the Mezzo’s signal can be taken down to a realistic sounding one octave lower (Cello with an E string at the high end)
• The output of the Mezzo can also be taken down 2 octaves (large contra-bass), however, a second amplifier (bass amp) with appropriate sub-harmonic generation capability (important for achieving a realistic sound with such short strings) is necessary.

5-string octave mandolins (22.5” scale)

• Physical tunings options:
• Default tuning: G2 D3 A3 E4 B4 (Octave mandolin, tenor guitar or tenor banjo in “Irish” tuning, with a B at the high end)
• Mandocello tuning: C2 G2 D3 A3 E4 (5-string Cello tuning)
• Note: With a 22.5” scale length, the Mandocello tuning requires very large diameter special gauge strings.
• With an octave conversion effect processor (supplied with the instrument), the default tuned Octave’s signal can be taken down to a realistic sounding one octave lower (Small bass with an E string at the high end)
• A mandocello tuned Octave’s signal can be taken down to a realistic sounding one octave lower (large contra-bass)
• With either tuning, going down two octaves enters the near sub-sonic (you can feel it more than you can hear it) range. It can be done.

5-string mandocellos (25.5” scale)

• Physical tuning: Mandocello tuning: C2 G2 D3 A3 E4 (5-string Cello tuning)
• With an octave conversion effect processor (supplied with the instrument), the default tuned Mandolcello’s signal can be taken down to a realistic sounding one octave lower (full size contra-bass)
• Going down two octaves enters the near and actual sub-sonic (you can feel it more than you can hear it) range. It can be done.

Related articles

Two New Electric Mandolins (and other New Instruments) by D. Rickert

M-1A Venetian Series Semi-Hollow Body Electric Mandolin by D. Rickert

M-1B Venetian Series Chambered Body Electric Mandolin by D. Rickert

D. Rickert FX-1 Venetian Series Arch Top Electric Violins

NEW Custom Deep Body Travel Violin - Viola II by D. Rickert