Hi, I'm very new around here and also to the world of strings (apart from dabbling in friend's violins) I'm in my early twenties and I've recently decided to learn the cello in addition to the other instruments I've played all my life (played high end brass at university, also play clarinet, piano etc.).

Now the question I would like opinions on is would a really inexpensive cello such as that found in such a place as gear4music.com, or from a UK seller on ebay (not sure we are allowed to give names on here) be ok to learn the very basics on? Having played other instruments for quite a while I appreciate that these basic models aren't likely going to get me to grade 8 (nor 5 I expect) by a long shot, but surely they would be sufficient to grasp the basics on wouldn't they? Or are the prices of about £150-£199 (excluding shipping) too good to be true?

I asked a cello playing friend about the basic (non deluxe) 4/4 cello at gear4music.com and she seemed to think it would be ok for grade 1-2 and as long as I was realistic in my expectations it would be a very good buy, but I would like other's opinions.

Many thanks for any replies, I'ld really like to know.

I can't help here, but I would also be interested to hear what people have to say here... as it is a very cheap price and I'd consider buying one myself, for that money. I am not sure on the quality of the instrument though... hmmm

Tempting aren't they? I really only want a very basic bargain instrument that will allow me to learn the very basic techniques however naturally I don't want the thing to fall apart or be completely unplayable. Thanks for you reply

If you want to get through the basics first, then I would suggest you hire an instrument to begin with. Buying a VERY cheap cello is uneconomical and you are likely to be stuck trying to get rid of it when your playing progresses and you want to upgrade to a better cello.

Most music shops hire out instruments for reasonable rates with the usual minimum hire period being 3 months. This should be ample time for you to get to grips with the preliminaries and to see if the instrument really is for you.

Thank you for your input, yes hiring an instrument is another option that I am considering, I did phone around locally about a month back and the only shop I could find that hired cellos, hired them exclusively for the use of children registered in schools, aparently they wanted the reasurance of a school behind every transaction however I have been recommended a place in the next county over that should be of more help to me. I have to say though that the re-salability isn't really an issue so it's not that so much that concerns me more that I worry that I will be disapointed by the quality of an inexpensive instrument.

Ok, well, even if getting rid of it isn't an issue, you might find a very cheap cello something of an offputting experience. They are often overly heavy, may not be particularly comfortable to play because the dimensions such as neck thickness or even angle might not have had a huge amount of attention paid to it during manufacture. In my own experience of these really cheap instruments (pupils that have come to me for lessons), they can often be the musical instrument equivalent of a not very good flat-pack piece of furniture.

Hey Bunny - congratulations on being member number 7000!

perhaps the abrsm will give you £7000 and then you can buy a really nice cello

I recently started cello - to begin with someone kindly gave me a cello, although it wasn't a very good one. It was an Antoni model - I understand they cost around 200 - 250 UK, now admittedly I got it for free so that was already a huge saving, however I did have to have the set up completely redone by a luthier, which cost me 300 euro (around 200 UK) BUT once this was done the Luthier was very impressed with the sound of the instrument for the price and I, having only paid 300 euro, was very happy with the sound too - it compared soundwise (but definitely not looks wise) to cellos in her workshop for 1000 - 2000 euro. That being said, if I had had to purchase it AND have it set up, it would not have been such a fantastic find.

In any case, once I officially fell in love with the cello I ordered a Gliga Gama cello (Liz from elida trading sells them) and am now anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I will still take it to be set up, though, but I don't expect that as an amateur player I will ever need anything more complex than that.

Dependent on your budget, I would say avoid really cheap instruments and aim for something a bit more well known or be prepared to lay out extra cash to make it truly reach its best by taking it to a luthier. I agree with AmandaL, hiring is a good way to start out - once you've made your mind up you may well find you've adjusted your budget ideas in any case.

Welcome to playing the cello and have fun!

Allan

Thing with the cheap cellos is to make sure they're properly set up. My first cello was terribly set up - with a very high bridge, which made it close to impossible to play. The tone isn't great on these cellos, but well set up, they should get you through the early grades.

That said, I think Amanda's right, and a hire cellos is a good way to go.