This pochette, also known as a "kit" or pocket fiddle, was made for a customer who plays a lot of
American Colonel Period music as part of his historical reenacting passion. We believe it to be similar to one owned and played frequently by Thomas Jefferson (the President Dude). Note that all of our Neil Gow Pochettes
are more or less custom instruments built to meet the needs and desires
of the buyer (that's called human-centered design). It was designed by
Don Rickert of Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments based on an actual 1780s vintage pochette in the Burrell Collection
(i.e. museum) in Glasgow, Scotland. Unlike the original, which must
have sounded marginally tolerable at best (to be kind), ours utilizes a
modern bassbar and soundpost, which would have been used had they been
invented at the time we think.
This instrument is interesting in that it has Perfection Pegs (internal planetary geared pegs), a late 20th Century invention, which come in mighty handy on an instrument with no fine tuners.
Click on any of the thumbnail images below for a full-size view.
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