Musical Instrument Inventions and Designs: Don Rickert

The New Adventurer II Travel Violin from Don Rickert Research & Design

This is the instrument that many of our customers have been waiting for. The fact is that the boxy shape of the Adventurer Travel Violin does not correspond with everyone's idea of beauty. Over $100,000 of design research, consumer research and technical R&D went into new Adventurer II, scheduled for January 2009 availability. Options for this new version of the Adventurer include a carbon fiber/Nomex(tm) composite double top.

The Adventurer II is curvy like the Neil Gow Pochette. We invented our own carbon fiber reinforced chin rest system and clamp-on adapter to accommodate Kun-style shoulder rests. We used every known technique and implemented some of our own theories for coaxing power and depth from an instrument that is just over 3 inches wide, including floating plate (a.k.a. free plate) design, a double top, "wrap-around" soundboard, tuned porting (see those tell-tale holes where the neck meets the body) and the latest in bassbar research for starters. 

The photos show the Adventurer II with a very traditional varnish; dark amber ribs and back and lighter amber top. It will be available in a wide variety of finishes, including black fine line Celtic "tattooing" under an amber or clear finish.

We want to make it clear that we DO NOT use a Zaret Patent Bassbar (Dr. Peter Zaret does not have to worry about infringement, from us at least); in fact, we have filed 4 (and counting) U.S. Patents Pending applications of our own. This is not to be jerks, but to protect our investment in design long enough to deliver a number of journal articles and entry in key design competitions. Our goal is to win at least a Bronze medal or equivalent from a major Industrial Design or lutherie competition in 2009.

Click on any of the thumb-nail images below for full-size views.

Adventurer Travel Violin Being Played Along with a Baritone Violin

Try to ignore all of the mistakes made by the Baritone (Octave) Fiddle player, who is none other than Dr. Don Rickert himself...musical instrument designers/makers never practice their playing! Darci Jones is playing the Adventurer Travel Violin. The recording was made at the Don Rickert Research & Design Studio and Workshop in Atlanta, GA, Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments occupies part of the space.

Note: the tune is Tripping Up the Stairs, an Irish jig.

Adventurer Travel Violin Designed by Don Rickert

The Adventurer Travel Violin from Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments and designed by Don Rickert, sets new rules for pulling astounding sound from a box with strings. Essentially, the Adventurer is and extremely durable modern pochette (a.k.a. kit, travel fiddle, pocket fiddle). The Adventurer uses all of the tricks in the book, and then some, to defy the laws of acoustics. It utilizes extensive porting technology (all trade secrets currently...they will eventually be put into the public domain in the form of scholarly papers) and "floating plate" technology, which is beyond the scope of this description and the methods are also trade secrets.

With easy-to-attach shoulder rest adapters and screw-on chin rest in place, this instrument is held and played EXACTLY like a standard violin or fiddle. The key ergonomic dimensions are all correct. It is played with a FULL SIZE BOW and responds to the bow just like a regular violin or fiddle...this is critical to serious musicians, who know that "it is all about the bowing." Note: The first production models, such the one pictured, uses smaller shoulder rest adapters and a small shoulder rest. Newer models use wide shoulder rest adapters, allowing the use of standard shoulder rests of the player's preference.

While the body is merely 3 1/4 inches wide, allowing it to fit in a well-padded tubular adventure case (note: There are many case options), the Adventurer is as loud as a standard instrument, with astoundingly rich timbre...it actually sounds MUCH better than many fiddles (and we have heard and played a lot of fiddles!).

One of the primary goals driving development of the Adventurer Travel Violin is for potential customers to ask themselves  "What else will I give up so I can get one of these?" We honestly wanted to make it an act of insanity to buy any other modern or historic replica pochette or travel fiddle.

Click any of the thumbnails below for a full-size view.