In a recent post, Instrument-Bow-Case Bundles: What You Will Find In Our Special Deals Section Part 1, we featured some really good deals on our own Don Rickert Lutherie (not inexpensive) backpacker violins and fiddles budled with a really great carbon fiber bow, as well as high-end traditional violins bundled with both a bow and a good case.
This post features some of the other great (and surprising) deals in the Special Deals section of the Adventurous Muse Store, the primary sales venue for Don Rickert Lutherie.
Christian Benker 4/4 Golden Brown Violin with Custom Setup
Wonderful golden brown (varnish not a nice or traditional as the Benker Professional Model) Christian Benker Violin manufactured by Hofner and meticulously set-up by Don Rickert Lutherie as a competition fiddle...all of our expert set-up time is included in the sales price. Made in Germany. Extraordinary, whether used as a violin or a fiddle, and you can't beat the price for this German-made instrument. This instrument has custom bridge work, Helicore strings and Wittner tailpiece. We'll even give you a slightly used molded case.
For an extra charge ($100), we will install Wittner Fine-Tune planetary geared tuning pegs.
Thi instrument is powerful (loud), with a really nice balance of bass overtones and brightness. The bridge is cut for competition playing (on the low side, but not low enough to buzz). Why would anyone waste his or her time bidding online for a piece of junk violin when they can get a quality German-made instrument for this price?
The BIG Question
Why the low price? Very simple. We have made one or two exchanges of instruments, but this one was our first outright return. The thing is that the customer expected the high-end spirit varnish of the the much more expensive Benker Professional, but this instrument, which plays wonderfully and sounds even better, has a well-done spray on varnish (looks great, but it is not the traditional spirit or oil varnish one only sees on expensive violins). That's about it...we want to sell it quickly to someone who deserves it. Our price is quite low for what you are getting.
Completed Body for Cigar Box Fiddle AND Book by Dr. Don Rickert, Cigar Box Fiddles: About Them and How to Make Them.
Save yourself a lot of money and 50+ hours of your time!
For the already low price of the completed 1860s style cigar box fiddle body, you get the most comprehensive book on making PLAYABLE and nice-sounding cigar box fiddles (not an interesting looking but unplayable instrument to hang on the wall), Cigar Box Fiddles: About Them and How to Make Them.
The Body: This is the completed body only for making an 1860s style cigar box fiddle just like the ones made by Don Rickert Lutherie. Made from Spanish Cedar with a Western Red Cedar top.
The Book: Most comprehensive reference available for making several different types of cigar box fiddles that are easy to play and sound great. This book, by Dr. Don Rickert, provides a general introduction to cigar box fiddles, their history, the differences between the solid wood 19th Century style fiddles and “modern” cigar box fiddles made from reinforced cheap plywood. The majority of the book deals with the actual making of two different types of cigar box fiddle, as well as a variation, a whiskey bottle box fiddle. 150 pages with over 100 illustrations.
Note: If you need a completed neck (with fingerboard) that is precision-drilled for screwing and gluing onto the body, we can sell you one...ranging from slighlty rustic (but still very playable for about $85) to good violin quality (about $150) to highest violin quality (about $225). We can also supply you with the other parts (tail peice, bridge, strings, etc.) you will need at a deeply-discounted price. Because we really know Cigar Bow Fiddles, a neck you buy from us will be angled correctly so that your strings are nice and close (but not too close) to the fingerboard rather than 3/4" (yes, we have actually seen such a string height!).
With this bundle, your finished fiddle should sound as sweet as the one being played by Civil War era musical expert, Troy Parker, accompanied by Michael Fox on diatonic banjo (i.e. Dulcijo).
Glasser Braided Carbon Fiber Bow for Violin, Octagonal Stick
NEW lower price!
THE GLASSER OCTAGONAL SHAFT BRAIDED CARBON FIBER BOW with octagonal stick (stiffer than a round shaft)
EXPERIENCED FIDDLERS - WOULD YOU LIKE TO IMPROVE YOUR FIDDLING SKILLS IN 5 MINUTES?
BUY THE GLASSER OCTAGONAL SHAFT BRAIDED CARBON FIBER BOW.
This is not a joke! With this bow you will be a better fiddle player within 5 minutes – or less. (Just enough time to get the feel of the bow). Amaze your musician friends! (They don’t have to know it’s your bow that bumped you to a new level of playing, but you’ll probably be so having so much fun that you will tell them anyway.)
Worth every penny of its ridiculously low price, this is the new, ultra-cool octagonal-shaped version of the Glasser Round Shaft Braided Carbon Fiber Bow (also a wonderful bow).
At a recent old time fiddlers' convention, we loaned a fiddler one of these babies, and THAT DAY he went on to win his category and he gave up his favorite antique Pernambuco bow for this one. He says this carbon fiber bow has it own "MOJO." We don't know, but we can say that you will never play a nicer bow.
Want a gift to surprise and delight your favorite experienced fiddler? This it!
Glasser Braided Carbon Fiber Viola or Baritone Fiddle Bow, Octagonal Stick
NEW lower price!
THE GLASSER OCTAGONAL SHAFT BRAIDED CARBON FIBER BOW with octagonal stick (stiffer than a round shaft)
BARITONE/OCTAVE FIDDLE and VIOLA PLAYERS - YOU NEED THIS ULTRA STIFF AND RESPONSIVE BOW to pull the notes from those F-A-T octave strings
This is not a joke! With this bow your baritone violin or fiddle strung with octave strings will sound better immediately. You may need 5 or 10 minutes to get used to using less muscle to move those strings. Guaranteed or you will get a full refund, and free pick up.
Worth every penny of its ridiculously low price, this is the Viola/Octave Violin version of the extremely popular new, ultra-cool octagonal-shaped version of the Glasser Octagonal Shaft Braided Carbon Fiber Bow for Violin or Fiddle.
