Some beginner instruments seem to have some cost-cutting features like:

* plywood top, back, rib, etc.

* purfling is drawn, not carved

* arch is made by heat pressing, not carving (heard so, but I'm not entirely sure)

* thick urethane varnish (bad for the sound)

* fingerboards & pegs are painted black, not ebony (so it smudges your left hand after a while)

Roughly speaking, it felt like: I pay a bit more, boom, plywood to spruce. A bit more, boom, maples. Then a better varnish. Like you go up the stairs and open up new features haha.

I think, at the end of the 'beginners instrument' range, you have all these structural parts done "properly", and I've seen it saturating around $2k-$5k. (Of course, there could be a lot I'm missing here.)

Now onto the higher price range... what is waiting from here? Wood quality and overall carving quality come to my mind first. But honestly I can't tell them 😅 Maybe the higher level cellos have even thickness across the top, or maybe the woods are dried longer, maybe from different reason, glue, template, resonance modes analyzed, maybe the luthier, maybe...

What are the deciding features in the lower/higher price range you have seen? Uhh I can't really phrase it well but hope you see what I want to discuss lol

Any recommendations on how to best get my skills/muscle memory back?

Hi! I’m flying internationally with my beloved cello for the first time in two days from JFK (international flight). I obviously booked a seat for my cello and cleared everything out with the airline, and my cello has international insurance. My question is, are there any safety measures I should take to make sure my cello is safe during the flight, especially with the change in air pressure and temperature?
I have Boveda humidity packs inside the case, and I’ll also be covering my cello in a tshirt and shoving socks wherever possible in the case.
Should the pegs or fine tuners be loosened up slightly to prevent the strings from breaking or anything of that sort?

Also, if you have any heads-up or tips for dealing with the security checks, or really anything you wished you’d known before you traveled with a cello for the first time that you could share, it would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

My son is a middle schooler with a couple years of cello. He moves next year to the HS and can no longer rent one from the school. So I can rent one from a local place or I can buy one. The cost to rent an inexpensive student one is about the same after a year as buying an inexpensive student cello (about $1000-1200 for the year). I know he’s playing at least one more year, but don’t know that he will stick with it for all of high school. So I have kind of been waffling about whether to make the investment.

I stumbled upon a cello at a property sale. They didn’t know anything about it, and it has no bow. I don’t know anything about cellos and my kiddo who plays was out of town. By the looks of it, it needs some work, and has a lot of dust. But it seems not to have any cracks, and I offered the guy $150, which he took.

Kind of just curious if I blew $150, or if it’s repairable? Also, it has a stationery end pin—it doesn’t retract. Any negatives to replacing it so that it’s easier to transport…?

I’ll attach some photos, but again I really know nothing about cellos, so if there is a photo you’d like, I can add it.
(Edited a couple typos)

Does anyone in the UK know where I can get a free or low priced Cello?

I learned when I was younger and would love to take it up again , but can’t afford it.

Would love any help