baroquecello

Well, some cellos sound decidedly better with an end pin that protrodes far into the instrument. It could be the same principle, but tarted up a bit. Doesn't bender make metal violin end pins for acoustic reasons?

Don' use chalk! It is terrible, it increases the wear on pegs and pegbox, and doesn't allow for smooth turning. Use properly shaped and cleaned (no wood dust from shaping the pegs) pegs and peg holes (the pegs need to fit well at both ends!), and peg soap, or traditional soap, or even just a little candle wax or antique wax. All in moderation! I recently broke a violin peg that had been chalked stuck when humidity was low. When humidity was high, the peg just wouldn't budge.

Oh, so that you don't accidently drink it when doing the dishes, right?

He was (is?) an, in Romania, respected bow maker, for his good price/quality ratio. I met him once in 2003 I think and bought a Cello bow from him. In retrospect, it was a bit too stiff and heavy for my taste, and I sold it later on. Back then (20 years ago), I think I paid about 300 or 400 Euros for it, but it was a substantial improvement upon my 800 Euros Dörfler I was playing before that. Better wood, craftsmanship and playing characteristics. Prices for Romanian instruments have since risen markedly and I think you could sell it for similar prices as good student bows from Germany, for instance.

Has anyone ever used this?

I'm a professional baroque cellist. But I have to admit that I don't have the faintest idea where to get information that is rooted in sources from the 17th and 18th century on the topic of setup. I'm not only talking about bass bar size and neck angle, but rather about things like the bridge model, the bridge thickness, the sound post position, the tail piece (weight, thickness, size and placement) and also string diametre. I only know enough to know that I do not really know much with certainty. There seems to be a tendency nowadays to believe setup wasn't that different from modern setups after all, but sometimes one finds radically different opinions. Today, I played a cello that supposedly is a Klotz (forgot which family member) from the 1770ies. It had a peculiar "baroque" setup: a huge and thick tail piece which looked like it had been cut out of a multiplex windowsill, a Stradivari model bridge which was thick, especially at the string end (I'd estiate 3 or 4 MM thick!), a sound post that stood at least 12 MM south of the bridge foot, a true Romberg (which is not flat under the c string, but hollow) fingerboard that was massiv ebony without underside fluting, and very lightly strung. 65 CM string length, so technically a 3/4 cello. I'd never have expected this cello to work well at all. But I was wrong. For me, this cello offered opportunities like I've never experienced. The sound was not loud at all (as I expected), rich and colourful (which I didn't expect), and very direct, with very immediate string response and incredible possibilities regarding articulation and therefore, timing (which I expected, but not this extreme). It required almost no weight in the right arm, but it nonetheless could withstand weight, which gave a lot of opportunity for couloring the sound. I imagine this has more to do with the weird setup than with the cello itself. I'm wondering where this kind of setup comes from. So, the question is, does anyone know of any solid sources regarding the setup string instruments (regarding cellos in particular, but violins are also interesting), or of properly researched books on the topic that are not written with a certain ideal, but rather with a neutral mindset?

I'm really just a spectator to this, because I haven't even started the plates of my first violin yet. But I thought a higher arching raises taptones, while a lower arching reduces them. Is that correct? Wouldn't initial high tap tones be a reason to adjust the arching by taking off wood from the outside, so as to lower the arch?

These aren't tool marks, but rather accumulations of coulored varnish, due to imperfect varnish application. It is fairly common to see these exactly there on cellos. I have never varnished a cello so do not know why this happens, (my guess is too hasty application of coulor in to thick layers, which then, because of the surface tension, accumulates at the edges of the f holes, but what do I know) but I come across a lot of cheap cellos and occasionally see this. I own a cello (a modern chinese 3/4) with this varnishing mistake. As to the cello itself, @violins88 you can't seriously think any attribution can e made based on this one photo. Fluting of f-holes is really not that hard compared to the rest of the shaping of the cello top and doesn't take a lot of time for an experienced maker to do. The myths around this being a sign of good quality are many and are just that, myths. You come across this type of f-hole fluting on many cheap instruments as well. Personally, I think it is ugly unless done with restraint.

I'm a pro Cellist and a Cello teacher. Don't buy your wife a Cello as a surprise. Price and playing quality are not necessarily connected, and you may end up buying a nicely made, good looking Cello that doesn't play well at all. It is completely unlike piano buying, where you can expect a certain model to work and sound a certain way. Also, throw overboard your preconceptions about what you are looking for. Well working instruments come from anywhere. Try before you buy is the golden rule when it comes to string instruments, and you'd do well asking an experienced players opinion on what you plan to buy. Good luck!

That is interesting! In the Netherlands at least (and I'm just asssuming it is the same in Germany, where I currently reside) the party that loses has to pay the expenses the party that won had. This is to prevent bs trials being used as methods of extortion.

It would be interesting to know what legal basis they believe they have, with which they can shut you up. It sounds more like a baseless threat to me. And it is working, as you are not expressing your opinion.

This bass bar crack was clearly caused by impact on the bridge, the bridge foot breaking and then exerting pressure on only one side if the foot, thus causing the wood to crack very locally. Nothing is visible in terms of arching deformation, which usually is part of the cause of bass bar cracks (which usually are on the bass side of the bass bar and not on the treble side of the bar). The crack looks clean, and it looks to me as if the rest of the wood along the bass bar is in very good shape and I would never expect the crack to become larger than it is by itself. It seems to me that with a properly done bridge, the crack is perfectly closed. Do you really feel this kind of crack requires more than just careful glueing from the outside? Am I missing something?

While 2500 is little money for a decent sounding cello, it is possible to find something that will be enjoyable to play (I'm thinking purchasing price 2500$ and then adding another 500~800 for a good setup). I've seen a Yitamusic best model cello of the Montagnana model that did have this boomy sound and sounded quite good generally. There are lucky instances. But instruments always need a proper setup to sound good, and cheap instruments never have that straight from the producer.

Rostanvo is a british brand. I've had mixed results. If the work on the cello, they are good. There is a bit of "pitch bending" on particularly the c string. I don't think the booming sound he was talking about can be replicated with certain strings. It is in the instrument, and either t is there or it is not.

I'm hesitant to post as it may sound unfriendly, but then you are asking for an opinion, and honesty is what brings us most, I think. Please don't take it too hard! If it can all be stripped off, then I'm for a whole revarnish. The woodwork I see is ok, but the varnish not. Also not on the back. It is uneven, and doesn't seem to do much with light, it looks "flat". The color is, to me, an unpleasing yellow and grey. I'm a player, and I'd not buy this violin, even if it sounded good.