I part-exchanged my daughter's 1/2 size cello for a 3/4 size one at the luthier on my way home from work on Tuesday. As I was carrying it home I decided I didn't like the case at all which not only had no padding at all but also seemed to be too big so that the instrument wasn't balanced properly inside it. When my daughter tried it she had trouble with the bow which seemed very long compared to her previous one. When my daughter had her lesson yesterday her teacher immediately noticed that both the bow and the case are 4/4 size and not 3/4 size.

I phoned the luthier this morning who apologised and will change them but going to the luthier on the way home is not convenient and I am not pleased at having to do so again. I thought the whole point of buying through a luthier (and not just any old music shop) was that they knew what they were doing.

Full size soft case with 3/4 cello is useless. The instrument flops about and is very vulnerable, also I don't think the bow is well enough protected if the case is not a snug fit. We were given a full size soft case with my daughter's 3/4 but we understood we were buying the instrument without case and he just gave us an old one he had lying around to get it home.

All very annoying for you.

I hope your daughter enjoys the bigger sound of a 3/4. It can take a while to get used to - not just finger spacing but getting used to "reaching round" it and getting the bow angles correct again.

Totally different but similar experience. When my eldest started Clarinet I went to the "best" music shop locally for reede. I took daughter along to make sure we got the right thing. We ended up with 4 clarinet and 1 Sax reed (her teacher sold it on). Next time we got 3 Clarinet and 2 Sax reeds and the final time 4 Sax and 1 Clarinet reed. I was furious, trailing into the city centre, paying carparking and not getting what I wanted. I decided to phone and complain, I went to the top and spoke to the head of the Wind Department. As soon as I heard the voice on the phone I knew he was the person that served me. Needless to say they now don't have my custom at all unless I'm desperate. I now buy all our reeds and music online. Over the last 3 years that guy has lost that company 100's of pounds worth of business every year.

I think it was just a mistake by the young member of staff who served me. The luthier is used by all my daughter's cello teacher's students and as she has a lot, and he is not the only luthier, it is in his interest to sort things out rapidly. I also had no problem with the 1/8 cello we initially rented from him and the 1/2 size which we bought from him three years ago.

How many teachers do your daughters have?

Have corrected the previous post (I don't usually make mistakes with apostrophes) and "teachers" could have been plural as he was indeed recommended by two different cello teachers.

Sorry, I've been reading 'eats shoots and leaves' again. Couldn't resist it!

lol