Neil Gow 21C Travel Violin

ATTENTION!: You most likely got to this page via a search engine rather than visiting the Adventurous Muse Storefront. This is an obsolete instrument that is superceded by a new custom-made model, which is available ONLY at our new store, Don Rickert Musical Instruments (www.RickertMusicalInstruments.com).

Our extremely popular Neil Gow Pochette, an interpretation of an 18th Century pochette (pocket fiddle or kit) on display in the Burrell Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. The 18th Century Neil Gow Pochette, in addition to being charming and beautiful, sounds wonderful. In fact, it has been chosen to be part of Pochette and Kit exhibit at Ringve - the Norwegian National Museum of Musical Instrument.

Typical of the many comments we recieve on the Neil Gow pochette's sound is the one below, which was posted on YouTube.

Wow - that sounds great ! To my understanding, this size/style of instrument usually doesn't have much of a bass response - but this one does. Some luthier magic there (and a good player too)!

The main shortcoming of our original Neil Gow Pochette is that it is made to be played in the style of the late Baroque period, tucked in the arm pit and resting on the arm. Unless the player is an early music enthusiast, he or she usually wants the benefits of a shoulder rest and a chin rest. In fact, many Neil Gow owners have come up with ingenius methods to attach a shoulder rest and chin rest. Well, with the introduction of the Neil Gow 21C Travel Violin, work-arounds are a thing of the past.

The new Neil Gow 21C, which it looks like the historic reproduction instrument, is different in many ways. The most noticiable differences are that the Neil Gow 21C has a screw on 5-point adjustable shoulder rest and a chin rest. There are also other important differences that make it sound even better than its predecessor, such as a tweaked bass bar and a Western Red Cedar top, known for its deep powerful timbre. There will soon be a YouTube video to demonstrate the sound differences between the two instruments, but for now you can listen to and download an MP3 of the new Neil Gow 21C.

More details and photos of the Neil Gow 21C Travel Violin
Sound sample of the Neil Gow 21C Travel Violin