The Six-String Riviola - David L. Rivinus Violin Maker

	click the scroll to see an enlarged detail Acoustic six-string instruments tend to have two problems. First, the tops of their registers often sound "screamy" while the bottoms tend not to sound at all. (This is especially true when the top string is a violin E string, as it is on the Six-String Riviola.) And second, because of the added strings, bow clearance can become a real concern. On the Design Concepts page there are sections describing banking a fingerboard, shifting a neck, and increasing a string angle by raising a bridge. All of these techniques have been used to great advantage on the Six-String Riviola. Especially since six-string players are expecting the instrument to feel a little bit "different", it has been possible to make more ergonomic and acoustic use of these techniques than if the maker had been trying to appeal to someone accustomed only to traditional instruments. On the Six-String Riviola the neck has been shifted far to the treble side, the fingerboard is banked 4 to 5 millimeters (That's more than on any other instrument described on this site!) and the bridge and fingerboard are high. As a result, there is plenty of added bow clearance to accommodate two extra strings and the low F string actually sounds. Could you play a duet with a trumpet without being miked? Probably not. But you could certainly hold your own in a non-amplified bluegrass performance. You are invited to try one out! (NOTE: If you've suffered a repetitive motion injury, then this instrument is not for you.)

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