Adventurous Muse: Musical Instruments and Whimsical Things

The Elaborated Part 7 and Part 8 of the Cigar Box Fiddle Book are Ready

Finished the final details on Part 7 and completed Part 8 (Antique Style CBFs and the Whiskey Bottle Box Fiddle are ready for download. If you forgot your User ID and password, email me at don@donrickertdesgin.com.

Once I am finished re-writing the Introduction Chapter, which has nothing to do with making cigar box fiddles, but rather CBF lore, all sections will be combined into a single book.

Antique Cigar Section of book to be posted by this evening

Section includes plans for the Whiskey Bottle Box Fiddle as well.

Adventurous Muse is Getting Flatiron Bouzouki to Sell

This is genuine 1980s Flatiron Bouzouki, which is actually a long-scale octave mandolin. Many regard the Flatiron Bouzouki as the best Irish octave mandolin ever made. Anyway, we will have one for sale in the next few days at the Adventurous Muse Online Store.

Valued at $1,400 in 1999...so, yeah it's going to be a lot more, especially since you can't get them anymore and this one is in perfect condition with a hard-shell case.

If you want to put in dibs for the instrument before we list it, the email address is don@donrickertdesign.com.

Hey, check out the new profile photo of Dr. Don.

Photo of Don Rickert of Don Rickert Design and Adventurous Muse, taken at the Hightower Creek Clydesdale farm in Hiawassee, GA at the annual day-after-Thanksgiving oyster roast. Thanks Pia and Jim (the owners) for another great one.

Don't Miss Antique Maggini Violin

Go to Adventurous Muse Store NOW!

Maggini Violin - Antique Replica Available - Rare Opportunity

Don Rickert Design (Adventurous Muse) has acquired an old Maggini copy (1920s or 30s) in perfect condition. We are selling this rare find at the Adventurous Muse Online Store for $1400...price includes a high-end suspension case as well as the original period case (1920s - 1930s).

 

Well-made antique Maggini copies in perfect condition like this one really pack a punch and are not for the timid. This is an instrument for  musicians who are confident about being heard. Because of their legendary sonic power, these instruments have long been used as small violas and work very well strung with octave strings. It could be years before you find another like it with NO cracks or even repaired cracks.

We are pretty certain that the instrument is German-made (either Mittenwald or Markneukirchen), but cannot be absolutely sure, as the label has been lost over the years. The missing label is the main reason for the incredible price. We are, however, very confident of the instrument’s age, after inspection by one of the top violin appraisers in the U.S.

Why are Maggini violins so cool?

• History: Giovanni Paolo Maggini was 15 years deceased before Antonio Stradivari was even born (c. 1644).
• Size: One-half inch longer than what is now standard, with highly arched top and back (much larger internal chamber)
• Sound: Louder with a powerful and deep, dark tone
• Design: Distinctive double-purfling on the later (considered the best) Magginis
• Quality: Replicas of this quality are hard to find at any price
• Uniqueness: Maggini’s instruments are still the most sought-after in the world by all great players, but especially expert fiddlers.

Giovanni Paolo Maggini (1580-c. 1630), is considered one the three co-founders of the modern violin. Since only about 60 of these highly sought-after instruments were ever made, the probability of getting an original is pretty slim, and well-made copies like this one are hard to come by.

This instrument is selling for a mere $1400, including a very high end suspension case (we will only ship a gem like this Maggini in a suspension case). You also get the original period wooden case, which is in need of some small amount of restoration work but VERY high in “Coolness Factor.”

This is your chance to get this exceptional copy of a four hundred year-old Maggini violin!

New link in Other Makers and Shops Category (on the left)

We have added SG Fiddles to the Other Instrument Makers and Shops links category, on the left of the screen.

At this year's Hoppin' John Fiddlers' Convention we had the opportunity to meet another vendor, Shay Garriock. Within minutes, Shay, a true gentleman, went from competing vendor to friend/colleague. It turns out that Shay is also a champion fiddler, recording artist and teacher...he was teaching a fiddle workshop as well as selling fiddles at Hoppin' John. Shay and Leslie Staggs own and operate SG Fiddles (www.sgfiddles.com) out of Pittsboro, NC.

If you want to see and hear Shay's fiddling with the Carolina Catbirds, check out the video we captured at the 2009 Hoppin' John Old Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention.

Long-Awaited and Very Overdue Cigar Box Fiddle Making Book in Final Stages

Days away from publication of Don Rickert's long-overdue book on making cigar box fiddles. It will be a super big relief to have that done.

Maybe tonight, but certainly be tomorrow, we will make good on all of our promises to cross-post links with colleague's websites and other cool websites.

Have another video or two of the Red Hots in the works. We connected with a guy who had a recorder plugged into the board at the same event that we video-recorded. The Red Hots have apparently given their OK, but we'll make sure. Will be nice to have some re-mixes with less audience ambient noise and more Red Hots!

Will have some exciting news on Don Rickert Design electric violins and bowed synthesizer collaborations we're involved with.

Lots more...got to get back to finishing the Cigar Box Fiddles book completion for now...some justifiably impatient customers are waiting.

BIG Change in the Adventurous Muse Product Offerings

We have some obligations to fulfill...instruments that we still need to get to customers, which will be completed by week's end. After that, until further notice, we will sell in the Adventurous Muse Online Store ONLY instruments made by other companies. This means that we are discontinuing the making of our own instruments until it becomes profitable to do so.

But Why?

We need to purchase materials in bulk. The current market conditions make such bulk purchases idiotic. Basically, we have run out of wood, fittings, etc. and we are not going to waste any more precious operating capital that will be more wisely spent on other projects, such as completing other product designs and offering instrument-making classes (see Adventure and Whimsy site).

Buying behavior (not what people say, but what they actually do!) with respect the many items by other makers that we will continue to sell will tell us when it is time to start making and selling our own instruments again.

There are a few of our instruments available, so if you want them, quick decision-making would be prudent.

Don Rickert Design Having Online Yard Sale

ATTENTION!: Online "yard sale" this weekend (Oct 7-8)...items that we do not normally sell, prototypes, etc. for really good prices. Of course anyone trying to navigate these adventurous times can figure out why we are having such a sale. You will find items under the featured category "Yard Sale" at the Adventurous Muse Online Store.  Yes, there is a juicy  back story for the yard sale and the following news item, complete with a villain, but we shall remain mum on that for now (but not forever!).