Hello all,

This is my first post on the board. I would like to ask for your expert opinion on the following.

By way of introduction to myself and my question, I've been playing music since the age of 6 or thereabouts. I started on violin, moved on to saxophone, and now I play a variety of plucked string acoustic and electric instruments (bass and regular guitar, ukulele, charango). I want to get back into playing classical, but my tastes have evolved and I'd like to give cello a go. Essentially, I'm not looking to become a professional -- I am 31 and have a career. But I'd like to be able to play a few things like Bartók's Romanian folk dances or Shostakovich's Sonata and perhaps join a contemporary music group like CoMA.

Now here's my problem:

Since I've been playing music many years and I'm lucky enough to own a number of high-quality instruments, I get very unhappy when I play anything that isn't set up properly, or that is a struggle in terms of playability. I expect that most rental cellos fall in this category. I was therefore wondering if any of you know of a way to rent a higher-quality cello and bow for, say, a three-month period, to see how I get on and whether regular practice is something I can work into my daily schedule. Failing that, I'd like to know what reputable stores you can recommend that rent a cello that isn't falling apart or unplayable.

Thanks all for your suggestions,

GvP

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Dear Iona,

Many thanks for your reply. I live in London (Westminster) but work in Oxford most of the time. If you (or anyone else) have suggestions about independent luthiers in these areas that might solve my problem, do get in touch. I don't mind paying more for a good quality instrument.

Cheers,

GvP

As far as I've heard, Beares is the top luthiers in London - they won't cater for your price range, but they might well be able to point you towards someone reliable who will.
I think there's a good luthiers' shop called "oxford violins" in Oxford. Worth a try.

Liz sells extremely good instruments for various price ranges at ElidaTrading http://www.elidatrading.co.uk/gliga.htm

I bought a violin which would easily have taken me to Grade 8 and it was inexpensive for the high quality.

Might be worth chatting to her if you have a budget in mind.

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Cellocase -- thanks, as a matter of fact if the store in Oxford you mention is on the Banbury Rd it's really close to where I work.

Lottie -- great suggestion, if I get on with the cello I'll definitely look those instruments up, they seem nicer than the usual Stentor ones that everyone seems to want to give me.

Iona -- thanks again, I'm often in Stokey as some friends live there but I'll make sure I contact the others too. Luckily (or unluckily) I have a car so travelling to get to these places shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks all for your help!

Georges