Can we buy the instrument we’re renting?
Yes, and you can do it whenever you like rather than waiting for the rental to end. Everything we rent is available to buy, at every label, and what you have already paid in rental fees comes off the price.…
Cello
Cello questions, answered by our string team — and overseen by our founder, a concert cellist. Sizing runs from 1/8 up to full, set by height and arm length. The questions we hear most concern the bridge, which is held up by string tension rather than glue, and winter, which dries the air and opens seams. Both are quick fixes caught early and expensive ones left alone.
Why did my instrument arrive out of tune?
Because it is a string instrument, and that is what they do. We tune every instrument before it leaves the shop, but strings stretch and settle, wood moves with temperature and humidity, and the instrument travels. By the time it…
Can we move up to a better instrument partway through the year?
Yes, and there is no penalty for it. There is a change of instrument form for exactly this. You pay the difference in the monthly rate for the months remaining in your rental, the insurance is recalculated for the new…
Is a laminated cello a worse cello?
It is a different cello, built for different conditions, and for a student in the first years it is often the better one to have. Laminated means several thin sheets of wood glued together rather than one solid piece carved…
My child’s teacher is skeptical of an instrument with no brand name on it.
That is a reasonable instinct, and we would rather a teacher raised it than said nothing. Instruments do turn up in school music rooms that arrived from an online seller and cannot be played properly, and a teacher who has…
Are the violins sold online for under a hundred dollars any good?
No, and the reason is worth understanding before you spend the money. We hold every instrument to four requirements before we will stock it: it has to sound like a violin, play like a violin, look like a violin, and…
What does “set up by a luthier” actually involve?
Setup is the hand work done to a string instrument after it is built and before anyone plays it. The bridge is carved and fitted to that individual instrument, the sound post is positioned inside the body, the string height…
What’s the most common avoidable damage you see?
Five habits would prevent most of it: use a sturdy case and treat carrying the cello as part of playing it, run a humidifier in winter, oil brass valves and grease the slides, grease clarinet corks before assembly, and swab…
Can we swap to a bigger size as our child grows?
Yes, at no charge, as many times as growing requires, and it is one of the main reasons to rent a string instrument rather than buy one. Most students move up a size every eighteen months to two years through…
How do I tune a cello?
The strings are C, G, D, A, lowest to highest. For everyday touch-ups, use the fine tuners on the tailpiece with a tuner app, and leave the pegs alone. Beyond that, the most useful thing we can tell you is…