Musical Instrument Inventions and Designs: Don Rickert

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The Adventurous Muse Online Store (www.AdventurousMuseStore.com) aims to be the most interesting musical instrument store in the universe! Acoustic, electric and electronic musical instruments, ranging from innovative to beyond your dreams. The Adventurous Muse venture (www.AdventurousMuse.com) was created to expand our focus beyond violins and fiddles to other types of musical instruments.

The Adventurous Muse, owned by Don Rickert Design, is for the adventurous musicians of the world for whom having the most innovative instruments for pursuing their art is a high priority and who possess and are not afraid to spend the necessary money to obtain them. They are committed to restoring the U.S. economy by supporting small businesses (by buying stuff).

Self-funded Product Development: Groundbreaking Bowed Musical Instruments

Dr. Don Rickert, IDSA, Guild of American Luthiers, who is also a master musical instrument designer, has invented, designed, prototyped and user-tested an extraordinary number (close to 30) of unique bowed string (violin-like) instruments. Wiederholt & Rickert Partners, LLC made the strategic decision to go with unusual instruments, as the “normal” violin marketplace is very crowded with well-established resellers and the competition is cut-throat, resulting in low profit margins.

Among Don Rickert’s musical instrument design portfolio includes such items as:

• A true Violin Synthesizer/MIDI Control Surface (see www.MusiqElectroniq.com)
• Baritone Violins and Fiddles (special violins tuned an octave below standard violins). Dr. Rickert’s baritone/octave violin designs are regarded as among the best available.
• Replicas of historic instruments, such as pochettes (pocket fiddles)
• Electric Violins, standard as well as baritone tuning
• Extraordinary “backpacker” violins and fiddles that can be taken almost anywhere (and have been, such as mountain expeditions, bicycle journeys from Europe to Tibet, and Lord knows where else).

A "collage" of the various musical instrument designs of Don Rickert appears below. Use the "Categories" links at the left to get the details, design rationale, lots of photos and videos, and so forth.

Click on any of the thumbnail images to see a larger view.