# Anyone know much about cellos?



## soliloquy (Mar 9, 2011)

i should be studying..but i'm looking into cellos...

anyways, so my gf used to play cello about 10 years ago and quit. and i really want her to get into it again as shes had fond memories of it. 

and yeah, just like EVERY classical instruments, these massive fuckers can cost quiet a bit. 

so since my gf is WAY out of practice, and i'm not even sure if she would actually pick it up or not, i'm thinking of just grabbing one from ebay for 200ish bucks. figured that if she doesn't play it, then it will be a beautiful decorative piece around the lounge...

anyways, so, for those who have experience, how bad can a 200ish dollar cello be? i've read a few pages online about how a beginners cello can cost from 1500-5000ish bucks. but they also sound like cork sniffers.

and yeah, i know cellos are expensive, so a 200 dollar cello cant really compete...but i just want to know if they are in decent shape, and are playable, and they wont become undone within days of owning it...

so, how much work could a 200ish dollar cello cost? a new nut? a new saddle? new tuning pegs? those are the only movable items on a cello, so it doesn't seem that complicated...right? 

and while we're at it...


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## AK DRAGON (Mar 9, 2011)

From my experience of looking for classical instruments (violins, violas, etc) go through your local craigslist first. You would be able to judge for yourself. Also ask your local music shop what to look for (i.e. signs of malnourished wood, where cracks will start to form first) if you are in the prelims and will wait your best bet might be to wait until school starts and parents are unloading used cellos. Even better is to find a way to hint your interest, without giving away your intention, to see if she is interested in picking it up again


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## Mettle209 (Mar 9, 2011)

Speaking of cellos, I actually have a Florea 4/4 Violin on my local CL and I am hoping to trade for a cello. I tried the violin when I was in college and it didn't work out. It is just not my kind of instrument. However, I am thinking that the cello is better suited for me given the natural position of sitting down and playing. With that said, the guitar is my first love. 

Good luck with finding a cello although 200 dollars is quite low even for a used one of average quality.


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## sebby123 (Mar 9, 2011)

Im ironically in the same exact position!
My girlfriend played from elementary school to the end of high school she never got around to buying a cello after school and shes a med student now so shes quite busy, but out 5 year anniversary is this year so i figured id buy her a decent cello im looking more around 500$ though..will keep my eyes open on this thread.


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## KingAenarion (Mar 9, 2011)

A $200 cello...


Hmmmmmmm... 

Imagine the beat up old stratocaster copy you found in your uncles garage from the 70s. The one where the frets actually aren't correctly set up for playing chromatically above like the 5th fret. The one where there's only 3 strings left, they're all rusty and leave brown residue on your fingers when you look at it. The one that smells like rat shit and look like it's made of Mother of Toilet Seat...


Yea that's a $200 cello.

I spend my time around these instruments regularly. Serious cello players drop up to $80,000+ on them (yes they take out small loans and get sponsorship and grants usually)... Think of THESE as the Blackmachine, PRS Custom Shop guitars. Beautiful instruments designed for masters.

Then with the $200 cello as your "OMG BURN IT" guitar.

$800 -$2000 is your Squier/Epihpone to Agile level instruments

$2000 - $5000 is your MexiFender to Ibanez RG, some prestige models included

$5000 - $25,000 is your Good Ibby and Gibsons right through to your PRS and really overpriced Gibson

$25,000 - $80,000 - 1960s Strats, custom guitars etc


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## SirMyghin (Mar 9, 2011)

Maybe you could discuss with these folks, being in Toronto

George Heinl & Co. Limited - Welcome

I have had recommendations to them for repairs and such before (and they don't even work guitars..)


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## scherzo1928 (Mar 9, 2011)

To start, I'll put things into perspective. Kinda decent strings start around $70, with good sets costing around $120.

If you are going for something brand new, expect a chinese instrument. To be perfectly honest, there are many of these that are actually well made(I mean, they wont break in a week like you mentioned). But they will be made out of laminated wood. Odds are you will also get black marks on your fingers from the fingerboard dye.

Still, I have played a few of these, and with a good set of strings (almoast what the cello costs) they can sound quite alright. And around the $400-500 mark, you can find rather good instruments, for someone who isnt giving concertos.

It's like with guitar really. Concert Classicals cost at least $10,000 but that doesnt mean that a $200 guitar is going to be made out of dung.


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## KingAenarion (Mar 9, 2011)

scherzo1928 said:


> To start, I'll put things into perspective. Kinda decent strings start around $70, with good sets costing around $120.
> 
> If you are going for something brand new, expect a chinese instrument. To be perfectly honest, there are many of these that are actually well made(I mean, they wont break in a week like you mentioned). But they will be made out of laminated wood. Odds are you will also get black marks on your fingers from the fingerboard dye.
> 
> ...



A $120 set of strings is going to last you more than a year though...


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## scherzo1928 (Mar 9, 2011)

KingAenarion said:


> A $120 set of strings is going to last you more than a year though...


 
My point though, is if just the strings cost 120, you can imagine how much the rest costs.


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## soliloquy (Mar 13, 2011)

so china does make decent cellos...this is a bit 'higher end' one at 500 bucks


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## Thep (Mar 13, 2011)

I'd expect to pay around 1200 for a decent cello. Not including the bow. 

DO NOT buy those Merano cellos (or anything you suspect might be) you see on ebay for around $400. They came with a fancy case, and do look gorgeous, but they are terrible instruments. 

Look for inlayed (not painted) purfing, solid wood (not plywood), and ebony (not boxwood) fingerboard. Be weary of tinted laquer cheaper instruments have sprayed on. Shiny cellos look tachy anyway, but they come in sprayed in satin too!


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## soliloquy (Mar 13, 2011)

Thep said:


> I'd expect to pay around 1200 for a decent cello. Not including the bow.
> 
> DO NOT buy those Merano cellos (or anything you suspect might be) you see on ebay for around $400. They came with a fancy case, and do look gorgeous, but they are terrible instruments.
> 
> Look for inlayed (not painted) purfing, solid wood (not plywood), and ebony (not boxwood) fingerboard. Be weary of tinted laquer cheaper instruments have sprayed on. Shiny cellos look tachy anyway, but they come in sprayed in satin too!



well, if you read the first post, i said that she USED to play cello. and i dont know if she will if i do buy a cello. as a result, i dont want to toss out too much money on it. 

from what i've seen from reviews, ebay cellos for 150-400 dollars aren't as bad as they seem. sure, they need a bridge, and maybe file the nut, and maybe change the tuners, but aside from that, they are playable and they do sound decent. will they sound like the top of the line, or even come close? prolly not. but i suspect its the difference between a stagg/squire guitar vs a fender/prs/gibson/carvin/ibz prestige guitar...


that way, even if she doesn't play it, i wont lose too much money on it, and worse comes to worse, it will act as a decoration piece on the side of a room... 

and i'm fine with a 200 dollar piece being a decoration as supposed to a few thousand dollar peice that is a decoration....


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