Baritone Violins: About the website

This website was created and is maintained by Don Rickert Research & Design™, the parent company of Rickert & Ringholz Musical Instruments™. We wish to stress that, while we obviously talk a lot about our own instruments, this website covers general octave/baritone violin and fiddle topics in the most objective manner possible. There are lots of videos, some included in the postings themselves and many more, which are accessible via the small video players at the right of the screen.

If you have ever wondered about baritone violins (more correctly called octave violins), this website is for you. In addition to providing marketing information on instruments designed by Don Rickert Research & Design™ (owned by Dr. Don Rickert, IDSA of Atlanta, GA) and made by Fiddarci Lutherie™ (owned by Shep Jones, Helena, AL), our goals are:

To provide general information about low-pitched violins, fiddles and related instruments, including electric and electronic instruments (there is a difference between the two, the later referring to music synthesizers that are played like violins)
Obtain feedback, questions and design insights from current and prospective players of octave violins and fiddles...either ones that we make or those made by others.

We sincerely hope that people feel empowered and inclined to use the "Comments, Questions, Insights" feature...a link called "Feedback" is located at the TOP navigation section of the screen. This is a fully-functional "discussion thread" system rather than the normal blog-type comment feature. We really want to get some discussions going!

Several images of the Type II Octave Violin™ by Don Rickert Research & Design™ and Fiddarci Lutherie™ are shown below. Your eyes are not deceiving you...the backs of these instruments are concave rather than the traditional carved arch!

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