There are a lot of cellos in the world. I feel like there is even more misinformation about cellos.

So here's an attempt to clear up a few of the basics. Whatever I missed, add it to the comments…

Cellos are an old technology that has been updated only a few times since the 1700s - for the most part, people still build cellos (and violins and violas and basses) much in the same way that Stradivarius and many of his contemporaries like Amati or Guadanini or Montagnana built them. The shape of the body, in the case of the violin and the cello (violas and basses are a story for another day and blog) was more or less perfected by the 1700s, perfect in the sense that for the notes that the cellos needed to play, the body was the exact right size to make them sound as beautifully as possible. 

Cellos are bigger than violins because they play lower notes, so the bigger sound waves are better reflected and project nicely. The general shape is somewhat variable, but the curves are ideal for having the vibrations from the strings amplified in the body of the instrument. A cello is, in essence, an instrument with a built-in amplifier, which is why electric cellos can get away with having “just” the strings, the tuning pegs, and a bridge - they use external amplifiers or speakers to amplify the sound. 

Wood was the material of choice for cellos and for the violin family generally because it is easy to work with, it is (was?) readily available everywhere, and it has lovely acoustic properties. It is flexible - over the course of a year, straight planks of thin wood are dampened and bent around a hard frame to create the sides, and the top is carefully carved to a delicate curved shape. The pieces of wood are glued together with a flexible glue that can adjust to the temperature and humidity in much the same way as the wood. The instrument is traditionally hand-carved because every tree is unique, and therefore needs individual care to be formed in the best way possible without breaking or damaging it in the process.

Machines cannot reproduce this. I repeat: machines cannot reproduce this…!

In the last few decades there have been many alternative materials suggested and used for the creation of cellos that are not made of wood. Wood is becoming scarce, which makes it more expensive. It is also a time-intensive process to slowly mold wood into a specific bent shape which means that mass production (cheap production) is basically impossible. Each instrument needs a specially trained craftman's care in order to become even an inexpensive cello. Probably the best material of those that have been tested is carbon fiber, a lightweight and easily moldable material, that also has decent acoustical properties. By approximating the size, shape, and weight of a cello with carbon fiber, it has become possible to make good cellos that are not made of wood. Good, and relatively inexpensive, but not great.

There is another material, which technically is also wood, but it is composite - blended wood bits or layers held together with a strong glue to make “planks”. These can be created in any shape and are used to make cheap furniture. The problems begin there - firstly glue doesn't vibrate as evenly and nicely as wood, so none of the cello's parts sound quite as nice as they should. Then, if anything breaks, it is nearly impossible to fix - think about the 5€ Ikea table you bought as a student: even if you took it apart, sometimes it wouldn't even work to put it back together as the places where the screws were attached were worn out. And apart from simply glueing them shut, no furniture maker can repair them. However with hardwood it is possible to repair nearly any “injury” to the furniture, or cello, and therefore save the instrument. 

Composite instruments are the kinds of cellos you'll often find marketed as new student quality instruments and some people think they are a good “investment” as they hear of other cellos, like Stradivarius models, being sold for millions as collector items, so they figure the instrument should hold its worth. They are wrong - these composite wood cellos cannot be fixed and are therefore (unfortunately) not able to hold their worth, especially if broken. 
A hardwood cello, on the other hand, does manage to hold its worth over time. And if it is broken, it is not immediately worthless - it will drop in worth, but not enormously, if it is repaired correctly. It can also sound just as good as before.

So if you're going to get a cello on a super tight budget, I suggest looking for a used hardwood instrument that has been broken and repaired a few times. This instrument will be cheaper because of its scars, but it will sound good and be repairable, and it will also hold its worth over time if it is not broken again. You'll likely be able to sell it for about the same amount you purchased it for. If you're lucky, the maker of the instrument is or becomes well known, and then the instrument will appreciate in value. These instruments can often be found for less than 2.000€.

If you've got a bit more cash, you might be able to find some newly built budget hardwood cellos - these are often partly or nearly fully built in Eastern Europe or Asia, sold to German or other violin makers, finished by them, and resold at a bit of profit. These will often start at about 2.000€ and go up in price from there. In this category are also many other hardwood cellos that have been broken and repaired, but perhaps not as much, or by very obscure or unknown makers. 

And if you have lots of money, you can spend as much or little of it as you want on higher quality instruments. New instruments made by living makers usually are sold for at least 20.000€, anything below that price is probably a used instrument. 

My advice for cello buyers is to look within your budget and find the cello you think sounds the very best. It may not be the prettiest, or have the red tone you might have imagined, but if it sounds good then it is a good match for you. 

There are a few things to remember: different strings can make a different sound on the same instrument, as can a different bow, different rooms bring out different aspects of the sound of the instrument, and some of the setup changes (bridge, sound post) can make massive differences to sound as well as playing comfort…

It is hard to account for all of these possible factors, so I suggest going with a professional cellist to buy a cello. Ideally you can also take it home for a few days or weeks to try it out in different rooms and settings, and to allow other people like your private teacher to play it for you so you hear what it sounds like from a few meters away. If you don't currently have a cello teacher and want to do a bit of cello shopping with a pro, just email us and we'd be happy to set you up with a cello mentor. 

What did you look for when buying your cello? This topic is huge so I'm sure I didn't cover everything - let me now what I missed!

by Natasha Jaffe