Don Rickert Musician Shop is Unique: Part 2 (Every Sale a Consulting Engagement)

For Don Rickert Musician Shop (D. Rickert Musical Instruments), every sale of a premium instrument is a consulting engagement, focused getting the setup exactly right.

Part of the purchase of a new violin is customer specification of stringing and accessories appropriate for one of a number of historic periods, ranging from contemporary all the way back to the late 1700s. Consultation with us about correct setup for specific genres (orchestral violin, Old-time, Irish, Scottish, Cajun, etc.) is also included with the purchase of one of our instruments. As far as we know, this is completely unique to our company.

Contemporary orchestral violin, as set up by the manufacturer

Price: No charge, except for cost of any desired upgrades

No changes to the manufacturer's setup, except for minor adjustments, and/or common upgrades, which will generally include a particular string type, special tailpiece and/or tuning pegs (e.g. Wittner FineTune internally-geared pegs)

Specialized Fiddle Setups

Note about bridge and nut adjustment for non-orchestral (i.e. fiddle) playing: 

This process is more involved and time consuming than it sounds. With fiddle setup, we are often trying to achieve the sweet spot between a low string height and buzzing that can occur if the strings are set too low. We go through iterations of bridge trimming in approximately 1mm increments. We have done so many setups that we can tell when the point has been reached when one more millimeter will make the strings too low. 

Contemporary Fiddle Setup

This is the most common type of fiddle setup we do on a new violin. This includes setup for many contemporary genres, including Bluegrass, Old-Time, Irish Traditional, Cajun and Scottish Highland styles.

• Each violin will have a particular type of string installed by the manufacturer. Many, if not most, of the violins we carry already have the ideal strings installed. Variations from the stock strings for the instrument will cost extra, generally approximately the wholesale cost of the strings. We will contact you to help you to determine the perfect string for your playing style and the sound you wish to achieve.
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specifications. This process is more involved and time consuming than it sounds. With fiddle setup, we are often trying to achieve the sweet spot between a low string height and buzzing that can occur if the strings are set too low. We go through iterations of bridge triming in approximately 1mm increments. We have done so many setups that we can tell when the point has been reached when one more milimeter will make the strings too low.
• The Sacconi (i.e. Black Nylon) type or stainless steel tail adjuster is used for a Contempory Fiddle Setup

1920s and 1930s Setup

• Ebony “butterbean” chin rest 
• Modern equivalent of silk and silver strings (e.g. Vision Stark, Zyex, ProArte) with a loop end period appropriate e-string
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specs
• Modern keyhole type tailpiece, secured by a real gut cord (in use until the invention of the Sacconi adjuster in the 1950s)
• Hill type fine tuner for the e-string, if desired

1890s to 1920 Setup

• Either no chin rest or a Sarasate type chin rest
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specs
• Two stringing variations. Only the first option (all gut with a wound gut G) was common. We will contact you to discuss which option you want to go with.

1)   All pure gut with a metal wound gut G (Gamut standard gut set)

2)   Metal would gut G, pure gut D and A, with a silvered or gold plated E string (Gamut standard gut set)

• If all gut strings are used, a 19^th Century type tailpiece with simple string holes for knotting or looping gut strings rather than the keyholes of later tailpieces
• If a metal e-string is used, a keyhole type tailpiece with a Hill-type fine tuner for the e-string is installed.
• Real gut tailgut

1820s to 1880s Setup

Note: this is the set up for authentic Civil War re-enacting

• No chin rest
• All pure gut with a metal wound gut G (Gamut standard gut set)
• Bridge and nut adjusted for fiddle playing according to customer specs
• 19^th Century type tailpiece with simple string holes for knotting or looping gut strings rather than the keyholes of later tailpieces
• Real gut tailgut

Pre-Modern 1770 to 1820s Setup

This is for the serious Scottish Highland style fiddler who wants an instrument setup in the same manner as Neil Gow (pictured here); arguably, the Father of Highland fiddling and the probable originator of the “Scots snap” (a bowing technique), as well as the Strathspey.

• No chin rest
• All pure gut with a metal wound gut G (Gamut standard gut set)
• Simple Baroque style tailpiece
• Baroque bridge
• Real gut tailgut