I have a beginner cello, and due to a recent significant birthday and impending significant anniversary I have "permission" to upgrade. When I was having some work done on the bridge of my current cello I was shown an old cello which was about to be renovated. It is now ready, I played it yesterday and I'm due to go back tomorrow with my teacher.

I'm now being told that I should spend 25% of the value of the cello on a bow and should buy a hard case. My teacher has told me horror stories about cellos getting broken inside hard cases and she has a case with hard sides and a soft top. I have lessons at home, so my cello will only ever get out to go out exams or the cello repair shop. I haven't found anywhere to play with other people locally. So is a hard case really needed?

I can't understand the 25% value "rule" for bows. Do you aim for 25% of list price or 25% of what you pay? And does the level of your playing have any impact on what you should pay? My standard of playing doesn't even justify a new cello yet , but this opportunity is too good to miss. I'm currently playing pieces from Times Pieces for the cello volume 2 which says that it is grade 2 to 3 standard.

The 25% rule is only a guideline/rule of thumb, it is not a definitive line to adhere to. Generally speaking, a bow which will cost roughly a quarter to a third of what you have paid for the instrument will buy a bow that is sufficiently good enough to do the instrument justice.

However, it's perfectly possible to spend a lot less - on a new bow for arguments sake, rather than an antique bow - and get a lot more for your money.

As an example I recently spent just £1500 on a Charles Bazin cello bow, simply because it had a replacement frog. But it's the bow stick that does the work, not the frog and when you are playing it is the balance, flex and weight of the stick that matters most. Had the frog been the original then the bow would have set me back something like £4000. As a player, I didn't care that the frog had been replaced, I want it to play not just look pretty, but if I'd simply been a collector of old instruments then I wouldn't have bought it.

Similarly, buying a bow by a new or young maker often means you are buying good quality without the price tag.

I think your biggest hurdle at the moment will be knowing exactly what YOU (not your teacher) want from the cello and bow at this early stage in your playing. By all means listen to your teacher's advice and yes, it's a opportunity you might not get again, so purchasing while you are able to is good in some ways, but choose wisely because these might not be the tools for your playing in another three or four years time. A good investment now will mean you will be able to part-exchange/upgrade later and get most of your money back, or, hang on to what you have and use it as a second bow/instrument. A rash decision purely down to inexperience might leave you with something nobody else wants at a later date.

Many specialist string instrument dealers will off a 100% trade in (less the VAT) on purchases made from them, if you go back at a later date and upgrade the instrument or bow. It's worth shopping around for a while first.

Thank you for your advice - it makes good sense! If I do get this cello I will be able to trade it in for at least what I've paid for it in future if I ever need to upgrade. However I think at my age I won't ever have to consider that ! But I am really enjoying playing the cello. I've been surprised by how many people have a secret ambition to play. If they are anything like me I think the problem is the embarrassment of going into an instrument shop when you're middle aged and know nothing/ very little.