Celli: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By now, you should already have a cello to play on, but you may not. Some people will just rent a cello from a shop, some people buy on local yard-sale sites, such as Craigslist or Kijiji. I started on a purple cello that I bought from my first teacher... you know, the kind you buy on Amazon that comes with the free stand, bow, tuner, bag, strings... all for the bargain price of just south of $250. There's a reason for this... usually it's junk. Every now and then, you'll get a hidden diamond that only needs minor work to be a very playable (if not great...) instrument. I definitely got lucky and got an instrument that projects well and plays easily. That's not usually the case.

If this is the only option you can afford right now (i.e., you can't afford monthly payments on a rental, or you definitely can't afford a better cello), that's okay! No, it's not ideal, but it will do as long as you understand that your cello may need a little work when you get it, but you may also end up putting so much money into it that you may as well have bought a better cello anyway. Be realistic in what you can afford. Sit down and work out a budget and you may be surprised at what you can get. After two months, I'm on my third cello.... I want to try to keep you from making the same mistakes I did.

Here's what it boils down to and here's what you need to be aware of!

Plywood cellos. If it says "crack-proof" top, then it's plywood. Every now and then, the Chinese instrument shops get someone talented enough to overcome the unfriendly qualities of plywood and make a decent basic cello. While this is good, it's not the only part of the equation. Ninety-nine percent of the time, these are also strung with cheap strings that sound like someone wound a tin can up and stuck it on your cello. In combination, you'll get an instrument that sounds piercing in the high tones, and barely audible on the lower strings. My purple cello was like this, and to compound the issue, the bridge was ridiculously high, causing not only bad tone, but bad form. I've had the bridge cut down and new strings, and it's now a very playable back-up cello. Anything under $500 USD will likely fall into this category, and you'll usually outgrow their usefulness after a couple of months, at best, without help from a luthier.

Cecilio Plywood cello in purple

Laminate instruments. You can find some very capable student-quality instruments here, but stay away from the laminated tops, because you're no better off than having bought a plywood cello. There is a difference! You can find better quality here, and a lot of them have a solid, carved top with a laminate back and sides. Laminate is basically three very thin boards of wood, laid at 90-degree angles to each other. It's better than plywood because it usually uses nicely-grained wood as opposed to whatever junk they can find. Problem? It's still LOADED with glue, which is heavy and won't allow that wood to resonate. A solid top will help, but eventually, you'll still need to upgrade. Instruments along this line include Shen, Knilling...most cellos under $1700 or so will be of this quality. A good instrument can be had, but the quality will vary greatly and I strongly recommend against these without playing them first.

Shen Laminate-back cello

This Shen cello has a solid carved top with inlaid purfling, but a laminate back and sides. It's a decent-quality instrument, but as you can see, the top's wood grain has a couple of large imperfections that may cause it not to resonate properly in the long run.

Now, we'll get into the meat of it... the solid carved instruments.

You've likely seen anything from $800 on up cast as "solid, hand-carved spruce top, maple back and sides" instruments. You may or may not get a good instrument this way. Solid instruments may start out as great things, but if the wood is green (meaning it hasn't aged properly), your cello will start coming apart at the seams....literally. The wood will shrink and dry out as it ages, leaving you with a cracked, warped, or worse, unusable instrument. Make SURE you buy from a reputable dealer when dealing with a solid wood cello. You can find these at Krutz**, KC Strings, Sharmusic, and Stringworks, for starters. Often, these dealers are willing to let you have a two-week in-home trial if you live some distance away. They ship you an instrument or two, and you keep them for that time, until you decide what you like. This is a great way to get a good, solid instrument that will likely last for years if you can't get to a brick-and-mortar store.

Occasionally, you'll find instruments on sites like Reverb that come from shops. BE CAREFUL! Sometimes you truly can get a great deal, but sometimes you can really get burned. I once saw a "vintage" cello for $125... turns out it was "vintage" alright... vintage garbage. Once I expressed interest, the dealer raised the price $50 overnight. It was little more than a cheap factory instrument. Good deals can be had, but make sure you can return the instrument, if needed, and read the reviews on the shop!

Krutz solid, hand-carved instrument

This is the cello I bought from Krutz Factory Outlet on Reverb. You may notice the slight imperfection in the top. This allowed me to get a $2200 cello for less than half-price, at $999. They also gave me a TON of other items which made it well-worth my investment. It's a solid instrument throughout with a book-matched top, back and solid sides.

Take your time buying a new cello. It can be the best experience you ever had, or the biggest waste of your time and money. Whenever possible, take a cellist with you who has been playing for some time, whether that's a teacher, a mentor, or a friend. The brick-and-mortar stores often have someone who can play it for you if you're not advanced enough yet. Be open, have a budget in mind, but if you go to a store, have them give you instruments in every price range you can afford! You may find a $600 instrument with a better tone than a $2000 instrument. Go in with an open mind, and you'll likely find your perfect cello!

A final note: Make sure you get a cello with ebony fingerboard and pegs if you plan to keep it for a very long time. Maple fingerboards are usually painted, and can fade out, leave your fingers black, or even warp. Maple is also more prone to swell and shrink as it reminds you, "I'm still a tree!!", making tuning a nightmare! If the cello you fall in love with has a maple fingerboard, you can always have it changed out by a luthier later, but it's expensive and something you'll need to consider as you're shopping.

Happy Cello'ing! #celloislife

**(side note: Krutz Factory Outlet is my preferred dealer for buying an instrument on Reverb. Their service is second-to-none and they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which is REAL. This is just my preference and is not intended as a recommendation!)