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ATTENTION!: You most likely got to this page via a search engine rather than visiting the Adventurous Muse Storefront. This is a custom-made instrument, available ONLY at our new store, Don Rickert Musical Instruments (www.RickertMusicalInstruments.com).
Our extremely popular Neil Gow Pochette has been chosen to be part of Pochette and Kit (another name for a pochette) exhibit at Ringve - the Norwegian National Museum of Musical Instrument. The Neil Gow Pochette is inspired by a pochette in the Burrell Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Neil Gow Pochette sounds and plays better than an 18th Century pochette should sound. It sounds sweet and powerful rather than thin and raspy. This is because it, while meticulously authentic on the exterior, uses a bass bar designed by Dr. Don Rickert specifically for the instrument, as well as a sound post placed under the e-string bridge foot in the same position as a modern setup on a Stradivarius violin. It also has extremely large sound holes for such a small instrument developed through much experimentation to obtain the “sweet spot” between projection volume and beautiful tone.
The thin and raspy sound of a typical 18th Century pochette has a charm of its own. Some customers desire this meticulously authentic sound in a pochette, which were not known for sounding sweet, powerful or loud. While some pochettes of the late 18th Century had a more or less modern bass bar and sound post, the one in the Burrell Collection has neither. Rather, it and others like it, has a single crude (by today’s standards) bass bar centered under the bridge and NO sound post. The sound holes are also much smaller than those of the Neil Gow Pochette. The photos show these differences. The Glasgow has a period-appropriate surface-mounted neck with some angle-back. A baroque neck is NOT authentic to the period.
In order to compare the sound of the Glasgow Pochette with the more sonorous Neil Gow II Pochette, listen to the sound samples below. Each instrument's sound has its own kind of beauty; however only the Neil Gow Pochette would be described as "sweet", which is has been many times.
The NEW Glasgow Pochette by Don Rickert Lutherie: Those interested in the more primitive style of pochette, we now make one just for you. It looks a lot like the Neil Gow Pochette, but with smaller sound holes. It is called the Glasgow Pochette. Internally, it has a centered bass bar with no sound post. It comes to you strung with plain gut (with a copper wound G) strings (Pirastro Chorda Unwound Real Gut Strings). Everything has been done to achieve the best sound possible; thus, the Glasgow Pochette sounds like an extremely well-made old-style 18th Century pochette. Upgrade to period gut strings from one of several Master String Makers is only $75. The Glasgow Pochette is designed to be played baroque style (tucked in the arm pit, resting on the forearm); however, the instrument can be played under the chin in a "transitional style". Either a baroque bow or a modern bow is historically appropriate, as both types were being used in the late 1700s. More historically appropriate than either a baroque bow or a modern bow is a Transitional Bow (between a baroque bow and a modern bow), which was popular through the better part of the 1700s. We offer a wonderful transitional bow by one of the world's leading bow makers, the Sebastian Dirr transitional violin or pochette bow. This bow lists for over $2,500. We sell it for about $2,000; however, you can purchase it for about $1,600 with the Glasgow Pochette.
The Bow Discount
- Note: The first price listed in parentheses is the list price. The second price is our normal discounted price.
- Sebastian Dirr transitional violin or pochette bow, Germany ($2540/$1999.50) $400 extra discount...Enter code DIRR
Case for this Pochette
We no longer offer free cases for our pochettes and travel violins. If you are interested in absolute historic authenticity, the following cases are available:
If you are interested in superior protection from the elements:
 This instrument is "TATTOO FRIENDLY"...suitable for inkwork decoration (rosing)
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