Double Bass How do I buy a cello?

[Joe Nerve]

The deets:

• It's for my wife for Christmas
• She may very well give it a go for a month and then quit
• She picks up on musical instruments really quickly (very musically inclined) but has yet to stick with an instrument
• I want to spend under $500
• I'd LIKE to spend under $300 but don't want to get her something unplayable
• I'd like to get her a complete package (stand, bow, gigbag,etc.)
• If she loves and commits to it we have no problem upgrading to a truly worthwhile instrument

And yes, she does plan to get a teacher. If I can get something in the $300 range I may include lessons as part of the gift.

 

[MonetBass]

Find some local stringed instrument shops (I'm sure they're a-plenty in NYC) and ask if there are any cellos on consignment or used. $300 is a bit tight, but you might get lucky. If nothing else, some shops will rent them, so you could do that until you found an instrument in your budget. Good luck, and cool present!

 

[Joe Nerve]

Thanks, but I don't want to rent or buy used. Should have put that in my first post. Want a shiny new instrument that's returnable.

 

[richfirstbass]

Rent, oops just saw you're previous reply. Purchase w/ potential for trade-in/upgrade? Rent (i know, i know) a new, shiny instrument with option to buy?

 

[Joe Nerve]

Spoke with my wife who liked the renting idea which opened another door. I have a friend who owns a few cellos. I asked if he'd lend me one for a month, and he said no problem . Said it's a really nice Yamaha one he'd be happy to sell me, too, if I decided to buy. Sweet.

Thanks for opening me up to that rental/used option I originally rejected.

 

[rickwolff]

That's what friends are for.

 

[Super Iridium]

Rent, rent, rent. Any decent cello (that would be not a student model made from laminate) should cost at least $1000, in my experience.

 

[s van order]

The deets:

• It's for my wife for Christmas
• She may very well give it a go for a month and then quit
• She picks up on musical instruments really quickly (very musically inclined) but has yet to stick with an instrument
• I want to spend under $500
• I'd LIKE to spend under $300 but don't want to get her something unplayable
• I'd like to get her a complete package (stand, bow, gigbag,etc.)
• If she loves and commits to it we have no problem upgrading to a truly worthwhile instrument

And yes, she does plan to get a teacher. If I can get something in the $300 range I may include lessons as part of the gift.

Glad you can rent one. As a cellist I can vouch for how much a decent one costs. A starter in your price range will be junky with cheap wire strings and fingerboard, poor setup, and be hard to get a decent sound from. It will serve as firewood one day. You can rent a decent instrument for her and arrange the lessons and see if she takes to it. Good luck and have fun. What a nice gift!

 

[JRA]

pretty neat! let us know how this goes. thanks.

 

[Mrlen613]

Rent and print up a gift certificate good for one beautiful cello when she feels ready. Go to pick it out together when she wants one.

 

[Federighi]

You can get a decent cello off eBay for a great price. The market is super saturate and most people don't understand how to measure quality.

 

[Tom Lane]

All good suggestions thus far about buying a cello for your spouse. The one thing absent is... if you hope that she'll stick with it, put her, SIT her down in FRONT of, a well-schooled accomplished cellist for a lesson. If she walks out of that lesson thinking, okay, cello's cool, but not for me, there you go. OTOH, if she walks out, telling you "DAYAMN, how can I DO that?"... then you know. No sense pushing a limp noodle through a too small hole.

 

[Supadope]

I almost bought a cello once. I didn't, and I don't play a cello. So take this with a grain of salt.

Go to your local music store and jam on them as if they were upright basses. I found a great deal of difference in the fullness/richness of sound, and action. Engelhardts consistently sound and play great.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Well...i bought a sadly worn but midgrade German Cello at a pawn for VERY low dough knowing it would need work.

Really it was a $1000 to $1500 new Cello.....i knew enough to understand it needed reglued in spots but the Cello also included several, which turned out to be decent bows and a soft cover.

I've spent some time with it and i must say it is impressive tonally...the neck and important parts were fine, it just looked a bit beat with shellac finish worn here and there but beautiful flamed maple all over! It has been played and it is a 4/4 cello.

The new cheapies are not even CLOSE imo....i can't see buying a new Cello when there are lots of really decent used for $500 to $800....ymmv.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I guess people on this side of the fence don't read past the title or OP either . I was holding you guys to a higher standard!

First, I am going with a used one. But only because it's coming from a friend.

But to be clear on my reluctance to buy used - I have less than zero knowledge when it comes to cellos. I wouldn't have a clue what I was looking for, how much I should be paying, if there were problems with it, and on and on and on. I also don't have the time to research stores, travel to those stores, and make it a full time job to buy a cello my wife may not even use after a month.

Thankfully the stars have aligned and I'm getting what I need in the best possible way I could imagine.

Thanks for the input, but all I just wrote is pointless cuz nobody is going to read it anyway . Next post in this thread will probably be stating why I should buy used. Let's see ...

 

[s van order]

I guess people on this side of the fence don't read past the title or OP either . I was holding you guys to a higher standard!

First, I am going with a used one. But only because it's coming from a friend.

But to be clear on my reluctance to buy used - I have less than zero knowledge when it comes to cellos. I wouldn't have a clue what I was looking for, how much I should be paying, if there were problems with it, and on and on and on. I also don't have the time to research stores, travel to those stores, and make it a full time job to buy a cello my wife may not even use after a month.

Thankfully the stars have aligned and I'm getting what I need in the best possible way I could imagine.

Thanks for the input, but all I just wrote is pointless cuz nobody is going to read it anyway . Next post in this thread will probably be stating why I should buy used. Let's see ...

Good outcome for you, I hope your wife is patient and falls in love with it. Very few instruments can sing with the range of a cello.

 

[JohnDavisNYC]

At 3 am, go to the corner of Eldridge and Broome. There will be a shady looking older Chinese man with a trench coat on the north west corner. Don't talk to him, yet. Go to Vanessa's Dumplings. It will be closed. knock 2 bars of 3-2 rhumba clave on the locked door. Wait for 3 minutes. Then walk past the old man. He will ask you if you want to buy any Gucci handbags. Tell him 'No, I'm more into Prada.'... He will then take you around the corner to an old noodle factory, but into the back room that is full of cellos. You will have 12 minutes to select and pay cash for the cello you choose. Don't touch the cello in the back left corner, it's his, and he will kill you if you touch it. Don't even look at it.

 

[two fingers]

I guess people on this side of the fence don't read past the title or OP either . I was holding you guys to a higher standard!

First, I am going with a used one. But only because it's coming from a friend.

But to be clear on my reluctance to buy used - I have less than zero knowledge when it comes to cellos. I wouldn't have a clue what I was looking for, how much I should be paying, if there were problems with it, and on and on and on. I also don't have the time to research stores, travel to those stores, and make it a full time job to buy a cello my wife may not even use after a month.

Thankfully the stars have aligned and I'm getting what I need in the best possible way I could imagine.

Thanks for the input, but all I just wrote is pointless cuz nobody is going to read it anyway . Next post in this thread will probably be stating why I should buy used. Let's see ...

Glad you found a solution!

Joe, I am outside of your relationship and have never met either of you. So I am totally qualified to give you expert advice at this point.

As soon as possible, get her involved with other musicians. Get her into a community orchestra or a group lesson or a string quartet or something. Even if it's the classical version of a "garage band" it will keep her interested. Playing cello by oneself is likely as boring as doing the same on bass.

Also, my brother's ex wife got a cello and never took to it other than lessons. After a while she lost interest because nobody wanted to attend her living room concerts. I'm not saying the cello broke up their marriage, but they were fine before the cello. Just sayin'.

(True story by the way. )

Last piece of useless advice. If you guys want to make sexy music together, you should get her a set of electronic drums. Then you guys can jam through headphones in the living room.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Glad you found a solution!

Joe, I am outside of your relationship and have never met either of you. So I am totally qualified to give you expert advice at this point.

As soon as possible, get her involved with other musicians. Get her into a community orchestra or a group lesson or a string quartet or something. Even if it's the classical version of a "garage band" it will keep her interested. Playing cello by oneself is likely as boring as doing the same on bass.

Also, my brother's ex wife got a cello and never took to it other than lessons. After a while she lost interest because nobody wanted to attend her living room concerts. I'm not saying the cello broke up their marriage, but they were fine before the cello. Just sayin'.

(True story by the way. )

Last piece of useless advice. If you guys want to make sexy music together, you should get her a set of electronic drums. Then you guys can jam through headphones in the living room.

LOL... we went the drum route about 8 years ago .

 

[SteveCS]

In 'Cello terms, $500 gets you a reasonable intermediate bow or a couple of sets of strings!
When my daughter started out 6 years ago I got lucky and found a used 3/4 Stentor Student for that kind of cash, but she was at the limits of its capability within a year. Her current 'Cello, which is still very much a student instrument, was over $2500, plus $400 for the bow and another $200 for the case.
That said, the 'Cello is a wonderful instrument and would make a superb present for a loved one.

If you can, I suggest you avoid generic music shops and look for a strings specialist with a good stock of older used models and someone capable of doing setup. Make sure the bridge and soundpost are correctly fitted, that the bass bar is in good shape (ie not parting company with the top) and that the bow is not twisted and you should be good...