I know there have been lots of posts on this sort of thing before but I would like a few opinions.

My twelve-year-old daughter has grown a lot and needs a full size cello. We are going to use the luthier we bought the 3/4 from as he will part exchange it on favourable terms. I have just phoned him and he said he has either a Gewa set up by him (which is what her 3/4 size is) for approx 1 000 Euros or his own brand cello for approx 2 100 Euros.

My daughter is probably somewhere between grades 4 and 5 (having been learning for about five years) and plays for fun (ie has no intention of pursuing music as a career). My question is which cello to go for? The Luthier is about 120km away in the town where I work so I was intending to pick it up on my way home from work rather than going with my daughter and letting her try them out

I am going to ask her teacher's opinion tomorrow but would like to know what other peple think.

Thanks

Knowing how French luthiers work, I'd recommend his own brand.

It will be a chinese instrument that he has considerably reworked and set up to sound as well and play as well as possible - if he's putting his name (rather than Gewa's) on the line - the work will be outstanding.

Just my two centimes, though!