I play on a borrowed cello from the earlier 20th century, which was crafted from cheap wood, but by a skilled master (probably for fun or something). It sounds truly great and lovely. I think it depends a lot on the right proportions and on the love and skill that goes into the building process.
Even the cheaply made cello sounds beautiful with the way you play. If I'm as good as you yet poor as I am now, wouldn't mind buying a cheap one if I can't afford the more expensive one.
There's a huge difference in how accurately someone plays a piece of music versus how the cello actually sounds. A bad cello will always be a bad cello regardless of who is playing it. Sadly, the more expensive cellos are still far superior. Cost hasn't really come down at all over the years for a string instrument that actually sounds good. Edit: actually commented before I watched--just watched and yea, that cheap cello sounds god awful. The piece is played well, the cello sounds horrendous.
Theo Rosenfeld Actually, the quality of the instrument matters a great deal. You could have Yo-Yo Ma playing a $100 cello and it would still sound like crap.
TheEonGamer I think on the fundamental emotional level a $100 cello in the hands of Yo-Yo Ma would be pretty inspirational. Unless of course you are a technical elitist.
Not with my first student cello. It was horrible, the fingerboard was kind of curved inwards so if you look at one side of it you will notice that curvation. It looks nearly like a kayak lol. And functionally, it doesn't serve the convenience for the players, having the fingerboard curved away from the strings which are above it. This condition would want your fingers to tap extra hard just to put your left hand fingers to make a decent sound of the cello, let alone to play with vibrato (extra hard😂). So back in the time, I always borrowed my teacher's instrument for moments like recitals, exams etc.
wood does not need to sit for 30 years before use. With the appropriate sized cut it takes at most 3 years for spruce and about 5 or 6 years for maple. It is also not one piece of wood. The front plate was probably made from one or two pieces of spruce, the back plate from one or two pieces of maple and the sides made from multiple pieces of maple. Many Seraphin back plates are two pieces of wood. There are currently around 300 Seraphins still in circulation. Its nice to think he spent a year working on it but based on approximations on how many of his instruments were in circulation during the time he was alive, he may have cranked that sucker out in less than a week. And a final note, the biggest issue with sound quality with "cheap" cellos has nothing to do with the body of the cello or the wood used. The problem with cheap cellos is almost always the bridge placement, tailpiece quality, and most importantly, string and bow quality. A cheap cello can be retrofitted with better parts and easily match the quality of a master luthier. Unfortunately, many people have trouble getting over the fact that its still a "cheap" cello.
And no. A cheap cello does not turn into a good or great cello merely by its set up. And yes, luthiers wait years before they work on work on wood. Whether its logs floating down the river to Venice or a few decades in a cabin in northern Wisconsin.
Apologies if I sounded angry? I assure you I was coolheaded when I wrote that. I'm not just shooting from the hip either. I'm a luthier(20+yrs), so when I see videos like this I do everything I can to stop the spread of misinformation. And no, most luthiers do not wait decades. The majority wait the aforementioned period of time. Sure, there are rare exceptions depending on the wood cut but typically its only 5 or 6 years for maple and 3 years for spruce. And yes, a cheap cello can be retrofitted with different parts to produce a high quality sound. It's easier just to buy a good cello set up to begin with but that doesn't change the fact that a new tailpiece, strings, and proper bridge placement--can go a long way. Also, no experienced luthier would use a random log floating in a river. Yes, a chemical analysis of Stradivari violins showed they had been soaked in water. That does not mean they were found in a river. A waterlogged hunk of wood from a river would not have any structural stability. Many luthiers suspect Stradivari soaked them briefly after cutting the wood to size, before carving the plates. BIG difference. A handful of biochemists have spread an incredible amount of misinformation about water soaked wood. They've even attempted to make instruments from logs at the bottom of Lake Superior. This practice has already been debunked. Again, I am not angry. My intent is to act as a benevolent voice of reason, speaking from experience in the industry. Cheers
Thanks for the demonstration! (For other viewers, below are the time stamps of his demonstrations. I have intentionally labeled the cellos simply as C1 and C2 without identifying which one is the "bad" one and which is the "good" one. It might be even fun to listen to his demonstrations first, then watch the complete video and compare your impressions with his. Lower register scale: Cello 1 (C1) 3:46 Cello 2 (C2) 4:07 Full scale: C1: 7:59 C2: 7:18 Higher register example C1: 5:02 C2: 5:44
I have a very cheap chinesse cello. To make things worse the original varnish is black, a thick black paint. So it's volume is very low. The good thing about that cello is it's been autographed by Apocallyptica, so looks awesome and everybody envies my cello. The bad thing is that is very hard to play, i'm always struggling with it. when i play in a sightly better cello, everything seems so easy and sounds a lot better. I love my cello, but i would progress faster and sound better in a better made one. I bet a couple of thosands dollar would be worthy. And i'm not a professional cellist, not pretending to be one. But i'm serious about cello.
I did the same thing June. I bought a 1000 or so dollar cello at first an got a 3/4 size. I found out as I went along with my lessons an started getting more serious about playing the cello I needed a 4/4's cello. Make sure when you get your first cello that it is the right size because that will have a lot of impact on how you play an progress in your learning. So, now I have a 4/4s size cello the right size an it cost me around $2400.00. Also, don't go by the way the cello looks! Go by the way the cello sounds. If you dont play well at first have your cello teacher go along with you an play the cello for you an you can see the different tones that the cellos have. Love your video an keep them coming!!!
I see he has no respect for the , cheap MDF Chinese, student cello .that's as it should be. nothing can beat' a hand built luthier crafted instrument. but you have to start somewhere and not every one can afford such fine instruments . he is fortunate to have found one the very finest are priceless,
old bladder Horn Do I at least have a better chance at having made a good choice by making sure it was actual Spruce and Maple and not 'Basswood' like most cheaper ones I could find? Thanks!
They sound pretty darn close to me, if one costs $100 and the other $3,000! He is also, not playing with the same feeling on the student one. Unfair test at best.
They are also tuned differently, can't you hear it? thing is usually the cheap cellos also need some adjustments like shaving the bridge more and these things do affect tone. Also the cheap one has cheap strings
I actually started playing cello in the 6th grade, my cello was worth well over 1,000USD, and it was hand crafted, I remembered my teacher was admiring my instrument, while all the students played the their factory cellos that got donated to the school. It landed me first chair, and an Audition for chamber, which at that time was a huge deal for my school because I was in grade 6, and I was good enough to play in a symphony, Later that same year, I had to give up this angelic instrument because it was either my cello or my house. I had to play the manufacture cello, still had my first chair and audition, but couldn't audition without my instrument, that I had a bond with. all cellos sound differently, but if it is cheaply made, and you work hard to improve yourself, the cello with be beautiful sounding no matter what the price is.
very true! my son has a factory made knilling cello. he made all State as well as first chair chamber orchestra on his factory made cello. yes we are going to upgrade but in my opinion, it's the Musician who makes the instrument sound
only a professional like him can make a student cello sound that great. But, like he said, it is harder to get a higher volume. On a good cello you don't have to worry to make it sound "good"
This is so wrong and I wish people would stop making this mistake (not personally directed, just in general). A poor quality string instrument will still sound horrible regardless of how accurately a piece of music is played. It's just too hard to tell over digital recording--it really requires you to be in the same room. A crappy cello vs a quality cello will blow you away in person, no matter who or what is being played. A bad cello will always sound like a bad cello.
The cheap cello should have been tuned!!! It being out of tune could be very misleading to some people who don’t have more extensive knowledge because of the brains natural negative response towards dissonance!
You are trying to describe chinese cello worst than it is, I own one and it is still made of bookmatched flamed maple in the back, sides and the top is solid spruce, I own many instruments I wanted to have a cello but I cant afford a costly one.. I am also an instrumenty builder, so I tcheck every part by using a strong light source so I could see through the wood from every angle and the consistency of it by translucidity, the only part I did not like was the fingering board, it was a white wood painted black I removed it and changed it for a ebony one. The difference I have seen between chinese violins or cellos and vintage ones is mostly the ageing process, the chinese are quick dried using an oven. they may sound a bit harsh at first try but I found out that the more you play them, they open up and the sound gets better and better, so if in fact you used the chinese cello daily for a while, the sound would have got even much closer to the old one, and the difference is not that big already... I changed my bridge for a belgian style too, sounds way louder and less dark than the usual french bridge... so I can tell that your demonstration is not conclusive, as the other factors like the setup, hours of playing and what bridge have a big influence on the sound too, and also the fact that if you feel better playing the old one this changes the ring of it too! You play very good, and you deserve a fine instrument, but you dont have to diss the chinese copy, because many people can just afford these and I think they can become really good with them, better than if they would keep dreaming about a vintage stradivarius! I played violin for 25 years and now the cello for 4 years, so I am very happy about my first one, it may be just a chinese bought 300$ on Ebay, but it is mine and now people are beggining to hire me to play it in studio and onstage! Hope someday I can get a better one, but I know I will keep the first one, it looks great too because it is all white, and I dont worry taking it outside when the warm season begins... If I had a 10 000$ cello I am not sure I would feel comfortable taking it outside of the house! I would say you show the difference between a good, and an excellent cello, there is no bad one!
Means two piece cut out in the same piece of wood, then opened and facing each other like mirror, like pages off a book, hence the "bookmatched" expression.
I can relate when you said "It's my cello". I also own a chinese made 250$ cello. I have been playing on it and disassembling it and putting it back together all by myself. My teacher is impressed with how good it sounds and I've grown to like it, and im no longer thinking of it as a cheap copy of something better. It is my cello and i've put my time, effort and wear in to it.
Chinesse instruments are superb when you go up to 3000dollars, I got one and when I brought it to my luthier and asked what price he thinks it was he said within 10000-15000 range. He was quite shocked when I told him it was 3k. Well I chose it from about 50 or more instruments of same pricerange, the chinesse ones were better than the german or european in general but this particular one was very exceptional among those( vibrant deep growling yet not agressive sound, right proportions, just felt so right). It has perfect measurements, has european spruce on top and the varnish and details are awesome. They even make it look very old somehow even though it's just just over 3 years old. If you try a lot you have better chance of getting the best for the price, I would reccomend 20 cellos atleast. Chinesse instruments are great unless you buy 250d one. It's a crap, I got one at home, laminated and it sucks so hard, the measurements are so far off, doesn't resonate, the fingerboard is badly curved , the cello overall gets worse with time(unlike proper cello which gets better). I had to invest a lot of money to make it acceptable - bridge, tailpiece, few sets of strings luthier works etc(probably twice the price of the actual cello)... If I could go back in time I would go work more for a month and buy something wooden at around 1k
I have a cheap Chinese brand cello and I must say, I am struggling. I am a beginner cellist and my tone quality sucks. One day, however, my teacher happened upon an antique German cello. She told me to try it out. It felt like I was gliding. It sounded beautiful and rich instead of the tinny scratching sounds I got on my cello. I think a lot of the sound quality is because of the overtones and that results from the wood reverb and the strings. Anyhow, enough sciencey stuff hahaha. I love my cello and I'm sure I can make it soud unique. It won't be a classic sound but it will definetly become a good sound. Great video by the way. You've gotten a new sub!
i think the bad cello still sounds pretty good. No wonder my teacher keep saying my student cello is fine, which I think I need a better cello. My teacher is a professional player at Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with a Ph.D.
Were you guys watching? He said he couldn't tune it any higher, because the measuring won't allow it. He said the string would snap if he tried to. You guys need to *pay attention* before you go around wrongly criticizing people.
I know I am bumping a very old comment. However, the problem here isn't highlighted all that well because the musician is very skilled. In the hands of a student or mediocre cellist, the shortcomings of a bad instrument get amplified, more than the virtues of a good instrument become compromised. A student cello that costs less than $1000 USD is likely a rip off. Furthermore, he highlighted something that is totally inexcusable for an instrument, and that is the inability of it to be tuned to concert pitch. For a beginning student, ensembles are a key part of development. If the student cannot properly tune their strings to match their group, it not only compromises them but the entire ensemble. This would never be tolerated. Parents out there looking to find the cheap way out, you're better off renting if you don't want to fork out the cash for ever increasingly sophisticated instruments. A good starter, as I said is around $1000.00. After around 5-6 years of dedicated practice and improvement, the $5000 price tag will be necessary. After one becomes accomplished, master crafted and antique instruments are a must. Hopefully by then, your kid is earning their own money and can do it themselves. If you're an adult who just wants to mess around on a cello a bit, go ahead and buy one of those cheap Chinese cello outfits and have fun. Just don't do it to budding young musicians.
Whatever one can afford is - GOOD. On sax, a pro said 90% your sound comes from YOU. Great players can make nice music on cheap instruments for THE PEOPLE listening to music, and not the instrument, notes, type of wood, strings, etc. China makes cheap instruments for its billion, which is good. Quality stuff just costs too much, we love quality SOUND like a great cello, a GIbson J45, a Steinway, etc, but billions cannot afford.
I think there are three main things that affect the quality of the cello; 1. The bows quality 2. The size of the cello, (a greater sized cello will produce a nicer sound) 3. The quality of the cello. read John Campbell's comment down below for a good explanation PS: and the bridge but that in my opinion is a must
I think it is easy to pick out which one is the better cello. The question is whether it is worth it to buy a cheap cello from ebay or amazing to learn to play on first, or if it is better to buy something a bit more expensive from the start. Is it harder to learn on a cheap cello?
It actually is harder to play on a cheaper cello. There are many reason but some which include poor setup (bad placement of bridge, sound post, tailpiece, etc), poor materials (as he mentions), poor carving (fingerboard not properly shaped), and the action. Because cheaper cellos are hastily made, that affects the sound, as heard here. Even to me who has been playing for 17+ years can see that he is almost trying harder on the cheap cello to try to achieve the same dynamic and intensity. You just have to work much harder to get that sound that makes the cello come alive. Could you learn on a cheap cello? Yes you can, just will take more work. Maybe that isn't a bad thing though...
According to me you should hire a better cello in the beginning, because chances are, especially if it's a kid learning, that they won't be playing for that long and then you can just leave it back if you don't need it. If you can't hire though, buy a cheap one, don't invest in something there's a big chance you won't get money out of, unless you're incredibly sure of it. But since part of learning to play an instrument is to make it sound good, and the cheap ones don't sound good at all you should really hire.
Got to be honest with you. I can tell a difference but it's not significant. I'm not blown away by the difference. Any instrument sounds good in the hands of someone who knows how to play it. I'm a violin person so maybe my opinion doesn't mean much.
I agree with I Love Trees. I do think there is a richer tone on the older cello, but its only slightly noticeable because this player plays very well and he is producing the tone just as much as the instruments.
FIrst for many it might sound nearly the same. Thats because of the Microphone itself for example. But you can clearly hear a much more characteristic in the expensive one. That being said: the cheap one is a good starter one for learning the basics, but as your skill advance you should consider buying a used one. The character of the sound they produce is so much better in person. As chellist i had a medium quality one for beginning which i rent for a year, then bought myself a high quality one as i play on concerts. Short version: Go with a cheap chello first. But when you want to go more and more with emotions putting into your art the more you will find out that it has a cap where u cant put any emotions into it anymore. Thats where the highquality Cello becomes important.
Why don't you suggest to your student to get lower gauge heilocore strings? Then it won't have so much tension to "snap" the string and thus allowing him or her to actually learn the instrument properly to get as good as you?
I think you have proven it really doesn't matter the quality of cello if you're a skilled player. The price and age of the cello only matters to a cellist. We don't play cello for cellist where I come from. We play for the people, and the people can't tell the difference so its a moot point. Of course if trained, one sounds way better but the only issue omen can hear is the different tuning.
Beautiful Tones on Cello vs. Violin: My Knilling Cello has a beautiful tone. As a child I played the violin. I was gifted the Cello and am finally learning to play music on it. I am noticing the beautiful tones on the Cello - even the open strings sound beautiful. When I was a kid I almost never played open strings on the Violin. I do not remember the Violin having beautiful tones on the open strings. Vibrato greatly improved the sound quality on the Violin.
He has convinced me to buy a less expensive cello. The sound is much better than I expected on the cheap one. Of course the more expensive one is bigger in sound and easier to play, but this shows, the instrument is nothing but a piece of wood until played by a dedicated, talented musician.
The more expensive one does sound more "open", but then again you'd have to use the same make of strings on both instruments. I know what an improvement higher-quality strings can bring. If the strings would snap on the cheap cello if raised to 440, then the strings are bad or else there's some problem with the tailpiece, bridge or nut.
I agree with some of the other comments. I couldn't hear much of a difference, but I'm not a string player, so my opinion is pretty superficial. I did notice that the lower notes were taking a bit longer to speak, which would make sense if he was having to use more pressure to "dig in" to the string. Which brings me to one of the things I think is missing from videos like this. Concentrating on sound quality is one thing, but for many instruments (such as piano, which I do play), an important consideration is how good the mechanics of the instrument are, the "touch" as it's called for a piano. And demonstrating a good touch from a bad touch is impossible to show through a video. You have to be there and play each instrument. Oh, and finally, the thing that REALLY makes me crazy in videos like these is the use of ambiguous terms like "aura." Several times he said the cheap instrument did not have the aura or the syntax that the more expensive instrument had. What do those terms even mean in this context. Maybe it was a language issue, maybe he had picked up these words from past teachers. I don't know. And I certainly don't mean to imply anything negative about Mr. Wu. He is obviously a wonderful cellist.
my suggestions for poor people, once you've played a few years, get expensive strings, starting with high quality cello/strings, makes you work less to get a rich tone
I started out with cheap hoffman cello. I only have to get by with expensive strings, bridge, rosin, and bow. I have to save uo a lot of money for that sans the one my parents gave me, but it is still workable for several years until I can save up for more higher quality cello. Or take it to luthier if the problem lays in the wood. It can be expensive, but will worth about 5-7 years until you can save up for more better cello.
Yours has a bit more vibration/rumble over tones, bit more life, but with some eq in software the cheap one could be made to sound pretty damn good with some tweaks. For live obviously that wouldnt work, but I think overall more people would be more capable of buying a cheap one compared to one that is as expensive as a car. The sound just isnt different enough to justify that kind of money, seems more like status and class that would push for the higher pricing as a priority.
Still love my 13 year old chinese made cello. My first love that has only seen upgrades in the strings and bow department and sound incredible. I have had people ask who is the maker and when I say its just a run of the mill chinese cello they are mind blown. But then again, different from the cello in this video, my dearest is made out of a real piece of wood.
I have a chinese cello and I love it too! - And I doubt what is said that this cello would be made of wood chips conglomerate, this would not be able to hold string tension, 4 cello strings tuned properly have a very strong pull, maybe around 200 pounds, wood chips glued together would explode!
He didn't found the appropiate word for the material. Is not conglomerate, is triplay, and they're made of cheaper woods. So they stand the tension and so on, but not vibrate quite as well as the real wood, specially those made with the finest wood selection.
You know, a good cello that fits his requirements can still be a milled cello. Even Chinese. I'd be happy to agree with Fan Wu on nearly anything based on this video. I AM a professional cellist with 40 years experience performing and 25 years teaching experience. For all of you that think you have to spend 10,000+ you're wrong.
Would you recommend a $7k cello from Luis and Clark? I'm thinking about it since I travel a lot and would love to bring my cello without worry of severe weather damage.
Dear Fan Wu, thank you for this informative video. I have found a german cello made from maple wood and spruce with a nice sound and lots of harmonics coming to life when I'm not off tune. It was 200 euro's because it hase some amateuristic repairs. I have been playing cello for three weeks now, I have been playing the violin at intermediate amateur level.
That's actually insane how bad that cheaper one sounds. After playing for a while, this really stands out now. Starting to notice a lot of poor tendencies that my own $1,500 cello has. Someday I'll be able to afford an actual cello. T_T
My first cello was a factory cello and I didn't like it at all. It had a huge hand position (for me at least). Now I have a Scott Cao 1739 Montagnana copy, made in 2011. It was the only cello that I liked and I love it
Question. Do both cellos have the same quality of strings? That makes a big difference. I have celico Cello and I can tune it to concert pitch. IF they both do not have high quality strings the comparison is not fair.
Your cello definitely sounds better and is much prettier. 💖 But the Chinese cello is still good for learning. I'm guessing the price difference is a few hundred dollars versus thousands of dollars. I own a Chinese cello and love mine. It's a hobby and I don't expect to ever make money from playing, but it's fun and having a cheaper option allowed me to afford it. 😎
i have no doubt hand made can not be beaten manufractured... but please give it a chance at least. If you don't even tune it the same way :') the manufractured one did not have a big enough box to let resonate its strings
Nice video. You make either sound well. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about purchasing a cello. I used to have a Becker and a Peccatte and am looking to play again although I can't afford what I had. If we can communicate privately that would be great. Thanks.
Chinese manufactured cellos aren't all bad. In fact, I once considered buying one from my local violin shop that was made with maple, spruce, and ebony. It was actually a pretty decent cello, but, I fell in love with a workshop cello from Bubenruth, Germany, which I still play 14 years later, and I plan to keep playing it until the day I die. On the other hand, a good friend of mine plays a Chinese manufactured cello, and it works just fine for her. She loves it as much as I love mine. So, bottom line, the "bad" cello is the one that doesn't work for you. Although its quality is certainly lacking, the Chinese cello pictured in this video most certainly could help a beginner get started.
Its easy to make a great cello sound great... but someone who can make a cheap cello sound great is indeed a greater cellist. Finding the difference between these two cellos would be the same as finding the difference between apples and oranges. Where they are both a fruit but taste very different in part by the way they are formed.
Hi Fan, Is a cheap cello worth buying for a beginner student? Or is leasing a better quality instrument worth the investment? I'd appreciate your honest opinion. Thank you.
I would say if they are unsure of whether or not they would continue in the future, then perhaps not buy the expensive one. However if you are invested into learning, then you may as well get a decent instrument! In the end it all depends on how much you are willing to spend on it!
Thank you for the info, Alex. As an adult beginner, perhaps I should try to find a music shop where I can rent a cello while I decide whether or not it's for me. Buying a cheap instrument that sounds bad is a waste of money, as is investing in a decent instrument but then losing interest in it. If I can stick with it, then it will make sense to get a quality cello at some point in the future. I guess I just needed to hear an informed opinion. :)
No worries! I've been playing for 15 years, but by no means would I call myself an expert, but any other questions are welcome! Yeah, a quality cello makes quite a bit of difference to how much time I want to spend on the instrument.
I played piano years and years ago - I could play well but I didn't exactly find it enjoyable. What would you say are the "easiest" or "least frustrating" instruments for an adult beginner to learn to play? I love the sound of the cello, but is it difficult to learn? (especially the reading) Thanks so much!
I play guitar and cello, and a bit of bass as well. I find that it will honestly depend on the person more than anything else. Guitar might be somewhere you might want to look, the frets make it much easier to hit the ground running and get a great sound and in tune a lot easier. It also tends to be a bit cheaper, good quality mass produced guitars are commonplace these days. But that's just my experience, go with your heart and that's where you'll find the most enjoyment out of it :) what instruments do you like the sound of the most?
I covet that cheaper cello. I can't afford it. But I do have several violins that I picked up broken or neglected for very little $$$. With trial and error I learned how to improve them with proper sound post and bridge construction and placement (thanks UA-cam!) and then with a set of beginner-decent strings (Series 50, $13 a set when you find them on sale), these violins have plenty of volume and a healthy mellow tone for a beginner or intermediate player like me. The other violinists who attend the jams can't believe it's a Chinese Strad, some of them don't even have real purfling!
You get what you pay for, but I mean if someone is just starting to pick it up as an absolute beginner, they aren't going to invest in a handmade antique cello. I feel like for $100, it's not that bad of a deal, and you would only invest in a more expensive one if you start to get serious.
The synwyn cello is made up of simple plywood (as are all cheap instruments), and not MDF as you have suggested. Your cello also probably took 2-4 weeks to make. Makers in the 1700's typically make 1 a month to pay the bills. Taking 6 months is ridiculous. More accurately, it takes about 150-200 hrs to make a cello. Lastly, it is debatable how old wood is when they made it. Researched shows that some strads used very young wood or only dried for 5 years. And being in a high humidity place like venice does not dry wood very well either.
You can learn to produce a really beautiful tone on a cheap cello. Then someday, if you are fortunate enough to get a good cello, you are in heaven, because it is so much easier to play! But you have to have a good bow. A good bow might cost you more than your cheap cello.
if you're going to compare two instruments you should at tune them the same way because now it was hard to hear the supposed difference in sound quality between the two. I know you gave an explanation for this, and I understand, but still. All I could heard now was that they were tuned differently and not much more.
Now really? Come on. Very disappointing comparison your attitude with the cheap cello shows that you have an attitude with it. you played it like a beginner would play it yet you choose to play the better cello more professionally. On the cheaper cello you used no vibrato. But you did use it on the more expensive one. Two completely compare something you need to have a an exact comparison and style of playing to be able to compare sounds.
Not necessarily true. You can find a lot of videos on YT where people are reviewing inexpensive instruments and they are playing them beautifully and in tune. The Online Violin and Piano tutor is one. Fiddlershop is another.
Wtf are u talking about, he literally uses vibrato on both, cheap instruments are very difficult to play just because of the amount of effort u have to put in them to sound even half way decent
The two instruments are tuned differently. A cello itself sounds different if it is not well tuned. Why doesn't it bother you? So this test is not worth much.
This was cool, thank you! My cello is very similar to the Chinese one (except correctly made and from Germany) so I wanted to see what made it harder to play and what the sound does
Exactly. I was stunned by this and only this. It's the intonation on that cheap one that's terrible; not a huge difference in tone. Though I understand how having to exert more effort to get the same amount of sound would be annoying.
1750 cello from Italy probably worth about $200k or more ..vs $100 cello from China... got to admit.. the 100$ cello delivers a massive bang for the buck. ( unless the differences are totally muted in this recording)
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I play on a borrowed cello from the earlier 20th century, which was crafted from cheap wood, but by a skilled master (probably for fun or something). It sounds truly great and lovely. I think it depends a lot on the right proportions and on the love and skill that goes into the building process.
Even the cheaply made cello sounds beautiful with the way you play. If I'm as good as you yet poor as I am now, wouldn't mind buying a cheap one if I can't afford the more expensive one.
There's a huge difference in how accurately someone plays a piece of music versus how the cello actually sounds. A bad cello will always be a bad cello regardless of who is playing it. Sadly, the more expensive cellos are still far superior. Cost hasn't really come down at all over the years for a string instrument that actually sounds good. Edit: actually commented before I watched--just watched and yea, that cheap cello sounds god awful. The piece is played well, the cello sounds horrendous.
Mainly this video proves not the big differences in quality but that even the shabbiest piece of wood sounds good in the hands of a skilled player
absolutely!)) it doesn't matter what kind of cello you have if you play out of tune))))
Theo Rosenfeld Actually, the quality of the instrument matters a great deal. You could have Yo-Yo Ma playing a $100 cello and it would still sound like crap.
TheEonGamer I think on the fundamental emotional level a $100 cello in the hands of Yo-Yo Ma would be pretty inspirational. Unless of course you are a technical elitist.
No, the tone of the modern one is very thin.
Not with my first student cello. It was horrible, the fingerboard was kind of curved inwards so if you look at one side of it you will notice that curvation. It looks nearly like a kayak lol. And functionally, it doesn't serve the convenience for the players, having the fingerboard curved away from the strings which are above it. This condition would want your fingers to tap extra hard just to put your left hand fingers to make a decent sound of the cello, let alone to play with vibrato (extra hard😂). So back in the time, I always borrowed my teacher's instrument for moments like recitals, exams etc.
You can definitely hear a difference. Thanks for sharing.
This video is SO helpful in considering the purchase of my first cello! I can't wait to start learning, thank you!
@erinleaman So how did it go? Still playing? :)
wood does not need to sit for 30 years before use. With the appropriate sized cut it takes at most 3 years for spruce and about 5 or 6 years for maple. It is also not one piece of wood. The front plate was probably made from one or two pieces of spruce, the back plate from one or two pieces of maple and the sides made from multiple pieces of maple. Many Seraphin back plates are two pieces of wood. There are currently around 300 Seraphins still in circulation. Its nice to think he spent a year working on it but based on approximations on how many of his instruments were in circulation during the time he was alive, he may have cranked that sucker out in less than a week. And a final note, the biggest issue with sound quality with "cheap" cellos has nothing to do with the body of the cello or the wood used. The problem with cheap cellos is almost always the bridge placement, tailpiece quality, and most importantly, string and bow quality. A cheap cello can be retrofitted with better parts and easily match the quality of a master luthier. Unfortunately, many people have trouble getting over the fact that its still a "cheap" cello.
You sound like an angry person. Any novice knows what you have said. It's common knowledge.
And no. A cheap cello does not turn into a good or great cello merely by its set up. And yes, luthiers wait years before they work on work on wood. Whether its logs floating down the river to Venice or a few decades in a cabin in northern Wisconsin.
Apologies if I sounded angry? I assure you I was coolheaded when I wrote that. I'm not just shooting from the hip either. I'm a luthier(20+yrs), so when I see videos like this I do everything I can to stop the spread of misinformation. And no, most luthiers do not wait decades. The majority wait the aforementioned period of time. Sure, there are rare exceptions depending on the wood cut but typically its only 5 or 6 years for maple and 3 years for spruce.
And yes, a cheap cello can be retrofitted with different parts to produce a high quality sound. It's easier just to buy a good cello set up to begin with but that doesn't change the fact that a new tailpiece, strings, and proper bridge placement--can go a long way. Also, no experienced luthier would use a random log floating in a river. Yes, a chemical analysis of Stradivari violins showed they had been soaked in water. That does not mean they were found in a river. A waterlogged hunk of wood from a river would not have any structural stability. Many luthiers suspect Stradivari soaked them briefly after cutting the wood to size, before carving the plates. BIG difference. A handful of biochemists have spread an incredible amount of misinformation about water soaked wood. They've even attempted to make instruments from logs at the bottom of Lake Superior. This practice has already been debunked.
Again, I am not angry. My intent is to act as a benevolent voice of reason, speaking from experience in the industry. Cheers
I was having a moment, and I wish I had been more polite.
Your comments are much appreciated. I have a feeling I would have some questions for you. Thank you for sharing your experience!!
Thanks for the demonstration! (For other viewers, below are the time stamps of his demonstrations. I have intentionally labeled the cellos simply as C1 and C2 without identifying which one is the "bad" one and which is the "good" one. It might be even fun to listen to his demonstrations first, then watch the complete video and compare your impressions with his.
Lower register scale:
Cello 1 (C1) 3:46
Cello 2 (C2) 4:07
Full scale:
C1: 7:59
C2: 7:18
Higher register example
C1: 5:02
C2: 5:44
The "bad" one is out of tune, that makes it easy to discern which is which.
I agree the antique sounds better but thousands of dollars better? I am not so sure.
I have a very cheap chinesse cello. To make things worse the original varnish is black, a thick black paint. So it's volume is very low. The good thing about that cello is it's been autographed by Apocallyptica, so looks awesome and everybody envies my cello. The bad thing is that is very hard to play, i'm always struggling with it. when i play in a sightly better cello, everything seems so easy and sounds a lot better. I love my cello, but i would progress faster and sound better in a better made one. I bet a couple of thosands dollar would be worthy. And i'm not a professional cellist, not pretending to be one. But i'm serious about cello.
It's not about sound, it's about how it feels when you play
watch the video here on youtube by Peter Vel, I think it can play better if you make some adjustments
Thank you! I wanted to hear the difference like this. I hear the cheap one makes a bit "dull" sound than the other one.
I did the same thing June. I bought a 1000 or so dollar cello at first an got a 3/4 size. I found out as I went along with my lessons an started getting more serious about playing the cello I needed a 4/4's cello. Make sure when you get your first cello that it is the right size because that will have a lot of impact on how you play an progress in your learning. So, now I have a 4/4s size cello the right size an it cost me around $2400.00. Also, don't go by the way the cello looks! Go by the way the cello sounds. If you dont play well at first have your cello teacher go along with you an play the cello for you an you can see the different tones that the cellos have. Love your video an keep them coming!!!
I see he has no respect for the , cheap MDF Chinese, student cello .that's as it should be.
nothing can beat' a hand built luthier crafted instrument. but you have to start somewhere and not every one can afford such fine instruments . he is fortunate to have found one
the very finest are priceless,
old bladder Horn Do I at least have a better chance at having made a good choice by making sure it was actual Spruce and Maple and not 'Basswood' like most cheaper ones I could find? Thanks!
They sound pretty darn close to me, if one costs $100 and the other $3,000! He is also, not playing with the same feeling on the student one. Unfair test at best.
Most of the finest instruments have prices on them, as some elite players play on strads and Guarneris. Your argument is wrong
They are also tuned differently, can't you hear it? thing is usually the cheap cellos also need some adjustments like shaving the bridge more and these things do affect tone. Also the cheap one has cheap strings
The world of classical music requires money. That's how it is and that is how it will always be. You can't really change that.
I actually started playing cello in the 6th grade, my cello was worth well over 1,000USD, and it was hand crafted, I remembered my teacher was admiring my instrument, while all the students played the their factory cellos that got donated to the school. It landed me first chair, and an Audition for chamber, which at that time was a huge deal for my school because I was in grade 6, and I was good enough to play in a symphony, Later that same year, I had to give up this angelic instrument because it was either my cello or my house. I had to play the manufacture cello, still had my first chair and audition, but couldn't audition without my instrument, that I had a bond with. all cellos sound differently, but if it is cheaply made, and you work hard to improve yourself, the cello with be beautiful sounding no matter what the price is.
very true! my son has a factory made knilling cello. he made all State as well as first chair chamber orchestra on his factory made cello. yes we are going to upgrade but in my opinion, it's the Musician who makes the instrument sound
*affordable cello vs expensive cello. I played for 15 years and my most expensive cello was $1200
Thank you for demonstrating. I am about to exchange my rental for a new one, so this gives me something to look out for when selecting the new one :-)
only a professional like him can make a student cello sound that great. But, like he said, it is harder to get a higher volume. On a good cello you don't have to worry to make it sound "good"
Yo your hair has a mind on its own
Someone had to mention it
im watching and trying to make my entire hair move like that...I failed.
It’s just because of his forehead muscles, moving up and down haha
lol dude.. you make both of them sound good. I had no idea crappy cellos could sound this good too. I guess it's mostly in the person's skill
This is so wrong and I wish people would stop making this mistake (not personally directed, just in general). A poor quality string instrument will still sound horrible regardless of how accurately a piece of music is played. It's just too hard to tell over digital recording--it really requires you to be in the same room. A crappy cello vs a quality cello will blow you away in person, no matter who or what is being played. A bad cello will always sound like a bad cello.
The cheap cello should have been tuned!!! It being out of tune could be very misleading to some people who don’t have more extensive knowledge because of the brains natural negative response towards dissonance!
You are trying to describe chinese cello worst than it is, I own one and it is still made of bookmatched flamed maple in the back, sides and the top is solid spruce, I own many instruments I wanted to have a cello but I cant afford a costly one.. I am also an instrumenty builder, so I tcheck every part by using a strong light source so I could see through the wood from every angle and the consistency of it by translucidity, the only part I did not like was the fingering board, it was a white wood painted black I removed it and changed it for a ebony one.
The difference I have seen between chinese violins or cellos and vintage ones is mostly the ageing process, the chinese are quick dried using an oven. they may sound a bit harsh at first try but I found out that the more you play them, they open up and the sound gets better and better, so if in fact you used the chinese cello daily for a while, the sound would have got even much closer to the old one, and the difference is not that big already... I changed my bridge for a belgian style too, sounds way louder and less dark than the usual french bridge... so I can tell that your demonstration is not conclusive, as the other factors like the setup, hours of playing and what bridge have a big influence on the sound too, and also the fact that if you feel better playing the old one this changes the ring of it too!
You play very good, and you deserve a fine instrument, but you dont have to diss the chinese copy, because many people can just afford these and I think they can become really good with them, better than if they would keep dreaming about a vintage stradivarius! I played violin for 25 years and now the cello for 4 years, so I am very happy about my first one, it may be just a chinese bought 300$ on Ebay, but it is mine and now people are beggining to hire me to play it in studio and onstage! Hope someday I can get a better one, but I know I will keep the first one, it looks great too because it is all white, and I dont worry taking it outside when the warm season begins... If I had a 10 000$ cello I am not sure I would feel comfortable taking it outside of the house!
I would say you show the difference between a good, and an excellent cello, there is no bad one!
Very useful comment. What is "bookmatched flamed maple" off course i understand the flamed maple but not familiar with the bookmatched term.
Means two piece cut out in the same piece of wood, then opened and facing each other like mirror, like pages off a book, hence the "bookmatched" expression.
Oh i see. Thank you for the explanation.
I can relate when you said "It's my cello". I also own a chinese made 250$ cello. I have been playing on it and disassembling it and putting it back together all by myself. My teacher is impressed with how good it sounds and I've grown to like it, and im no longer thinking of it as a cheap copy of something better. It is my cello and i've put my time, effort and wear in to it.
Chinesse instruments are superb when you go up to 3000dollars, I got one and when I brought it to my luthier and asked what price he thinks it was he said within 10000-15000 range. He was quite shocked when I told him it was 3k. Well I chose it from about 50 or more instruments of same pricerange, the chinesse ones were better than the german or european in general but this particular one was very exceptional among those( vibrant deep growling yet not agressive sound, right proportions, just felt so right). It has perfect measurements, has european spruce on top and the varnish and details are awesome. They even make it look very old somehow even though it's just just over 3 years old.
If you try a lot you have better chance of getting the best for the price, I would reccomend 20 cellos atleast.
Chinesse instruments are great unless you buy 250d one. It's a crap, I got one at home, laminated and it sucks so hard, the measurements are so far off, doesn't resonate, the fingerboard is badly curved , the cello overall gets worse with time(unlike proper cello which gets better). I had to invest a lot of money to make it acceptable - bridge, tailpiece, few sets of strings luthier works etc(probably twice the price of the actual cello)...
If I could go back in time I would go work more for a month and buy something wooden at around 1k
I love this - he plays the concerto so well. It’s an intelligent video 👍
Did you use a Chineese microphone on the recording ?
DisciplesOfLove DOL 😂🤣😃😃😅
Fuck you
I have a cheap Chinese brand cello and I must say, I am struggling. I am a beginner cellist and my tone quality sucks. One day, however, my teacher happened upon an antique German cello. She told me to try it out. It felt like I was gliding. It sounded beautiful and rich instead of the tinny scratching sounds I got on my cello. I think a lot of the sound quality is because of the overtones and that results from the wood reverb and the strings. Anyhow, enough sciencey stuff hahaha. I love my cello and I'm sure I can make it soud unique. It won't be a classic sound but it will definetly become a good sound.
Great video by the way. You've gotten a new sub!
i think the bad cello still sounds pretty good. No wonder my teacher keep saying my student cello is fine, which I think I need a better cello. My teacher is a professional player at Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with a Ph.D.
the best comparison I can make with the chinese cello is that it sounds "constipated"
Are you sure the "cheap" cello isn't out of tune? xD
I measured the sound of cheap Chinese brand cello and it IS out of tune. Not a fair comparison.
Were you guys watching? He said he couldn't tune it any higher, because the measuring won't allow it. He said the string would snap if he tried to. You guys need to *pay attention* before you go around wrongly criticizing people.
Nyan Lin honestly ive only played for 3 years but they both sound a little out of tune
No, it wasn't.
He is being biased
To be fair. The price can be 100 times different, but the sound effect is not 100 times different.
Loved when you played Dvorak cello concerto number 2 since that's my very favorite!
Which woods are the best to create a cello with for the best sound possible?
well difference is very little for ordinary people like me. this just convinced me chinese are not too bad.
Ogrgels Lair no.. these cheap cellos are absolutely horrible to play on compared to really nice ones
I know I am bumping a very old comment. However, the problem here isn't highlighted all that well because the musician is very skilled. In the hands of a student or mediocre cellist, the shortcomings of a bad instrument get amplified, more than the virtues of a good instrument become compromised. A student cello that costs less than $1000 USD is likely a rip off. Furthermore, he highlighted something that is totally inexcusable for an instrument, and that is the inability of it to be tuned to concert pitch. For a beginning student, ensembles are a key part of development. If the student cannot properly tune their strings to match their group, it not only compromises them but the entire ensemble. This would never be tolerated. Parents out there looking to find the cheap way out, you're better off renting if you don't want to fork out the cash for ever increasingly sophisticated instruments. A good starter, as I said is around $1000.00. After around 5-6 years of dedicated practice and improvement, the $5000 price tag will be necessary. After one becomes accomplished, master crafted and antique instruments are a must. Hopefully by then, your kid is earning their own money and can do it themselves.
If you're an adult who just wants to mess around on a cello a bit, go ahead and buy one of those cheap Chinese cello outfits and have fun. Just don't do it to budding young musicians.
I have a pretty bad cello, and I know that I'm some what decent, but the cello is holding me back a lot, cello matters a lot
Very nice! I just bought a "cheap" cello (total beginner). What is the purpose of the cloth between the tail piece and the body of the cello?
Whatever one can afford is - GOOD. On sax, a pro said 90% your sound comes from YOU. Great players can make nice music on cheap instruments for THE PEOPLE listening to music, and not the instrument, notes, type of wood, strings, etc. China makes cheap instruments for its billion, which is good. Quality stuff just costs too much, we love quality SOUND like a great cello, a GIbson J45, a Steinway, etc, but billions cannot afford.
I think there are three main things that affect the quality of the cello;
1. The bows quality
2. The size of the cello, (a greater sized cello will produce a nicer sound)
3. The quality of the cello. read John Campbell's comment down below for a good explanation
PS: and the bridge but that in my opinion is a must
Cheap or expensive cello, it's depend on how the user play.
You can buy a cheap cello but buy really good strings and bow makes all the difference. But great playing though
I think it is easy to pick out which one is the better cello. The question is whether it is worth it to buy a cheap cello from ebay or amazing to learn to play on first, or if it is better to buy something a bit more expensive from the start. Is it harder to learn on a cheap cello?
It actually is harder to play on a cheaper cello. There are many reason but some which include poor setup (bad placement of bridge, sound post, tailpiece, etc), poor materials (as he mentions), poor carving (fingerboard not properly shaped), and the action. Because cheaper cellos are hastily made, that affects the sound, as heard here. Even to me who has been playing for 17+ years can see that he is almost trying harder on the cheap cello to try to achieve the same dynamic and intensity. You just have to work much harder to get that sound that makes the cello come alive. Could you learn on a cheap cello? Yes you can, just will take more work. Maybe that isn't a bad thing though...
According to me you should hire a better cello in the beginning, because chances are, especially if it's a kid learning, that they won't be playing for that long and then you can just leave it back if you don't need it.
If you can't hire though, buy a cheap one, don't invest in something there's a big chance you won't get money out of, unless you're incredibly sure of it. But since part of learning to play an instrument is to make it sound good, and the cheap ones don't sound good at all you should really hire.
Got to be honest with you. I can tell a difference but it's not significant. I'm not blown away by the difference. Any instrument sounds good in the hands of someone who knows how to play it. I'm a violin person so maybe my opinion doesn't mean much.
AstronomyGuru84 no that is actually true
I agree with I Love Trees. I do think there is a richer tone on the older cello, but its only slightly noticeable because this player plays very well and he is producing the tone just as much as the instruments.
AstronomyGuru84 dude why tf is the flag upsidedown
It's not that true I play cello and it's about the sound and technique the sound of the cello help the player play it for a better sound
Of course your opinion doesnt matter if you're a violinist
I can tell a huge difference, the old cello is much more crisp and louder
FIrst for many it might sound nearly the same. Thats because of the Microphone itself for example. But you can clearly hear a much more characteristic in the expensive one. That being said: the cheap one is a good starter one for learning the basics, but as your skill advance you should consider buying a used one. The character of the sound they produce is so much better in person. As chellist i had a medium quality one for beginning which i rent for a year, then bought myself a high quality one as i play on concerts.
Short version: Go with a cheap chello first. But when you want to go more and more with emotions putting into your art the more you will find out that it has a cap where u cant put any emotions into it anymore. Thats where the highquality Cello becomes important.
Why don't you suggest to your student to get lower gauge heilocore strings? Then it won't have so much tension to "snap" the string and thus allowing him or her to actually learn the instrument properly to get as good as you?
The most important value in my view is to experience the joy of making music.
6:26 how do I tune it then? If it snaps when you tune it will it just always be out of tune?
I think you have proven it really doesn't matter the quality of cello if you're a skilled player. The price and age of the cello only matters to a cellist. We don't play cello for cellist where I come from. We play for the people, and the people can't tell the difference so its a moot point. Of course if trained, one sounds way better but the only issue omen can hear is the different tuning.
Beautiful Tones on Cello vs. Violin: My Knilling Cello has a beautiful tone. As a child I played the violin. I was gifted the Cello and am finally learning to play music on it. I am noticing the beautiful tones on the Cello - even the open strings sound beautiful. When I was a kid I almost never played open strings on the Violin. I do not remember the Violin having beautiful tones on the open strings. Vibrato greatly improved the sound quality on the Violin.
The difference is in sound is like day and night. What is the price of both?
He has convinced me to buy a less expensive cello. The sound is much better than I expected on the cheap one. Of course the more expensive one is bigger in sound and easier to play, but this shows, the instrument is nothing but a piece of wood until played by a dedicated, talented musician.
I'm actually leaning towards the sound of the cheaper
The more expensive one does sound more "open", but then again you'd have to use the same make of strings on both instruments. I know what an improvement higher-quality strings can bring. If the strings would snap on the cheap cello if raised to 440, then the strings are bad or else there's some problem with the tailpiece, bridge or nut.
I agree with some of the other comments. I couldn't hear much of a difference, but I'm not a string player, so my opinion is pretty superficial. I did notice that the lower notes were taking a bit longer to speak, which would make sense if he was having to use more pressure to "dig in" to the string. Which brings me to one of the things I think is missing from videos like this. Concentrating on sound quality is one thing, but for many instruments (such as piano, which I do play), an important consideration is how good the mechanics of the instrument are, the "touch" as it's called for a piano. And demonstrating a good touch from a bad touch is impossible to show through a video. You have to be there and play each instrument.
Oh, and finally, the thing that REALLY makes me crazy in videos like these is the use of ambiguous terms like "aura." Several times he said the cheap instrument did not have the aura or the syntax that the more expensive instrument had. What do those terms even mean in this context. Maybe it was a language issue, maybe he had picked up these words from past teachers. I don't know.
And I certainly don't mean to imply anything negative about Mr. Wu. He is obviously a wonderful cellist.
my suggestions for poor people, once you've played a few years, get expensive strings,
starting with high quality cello/strings, makes you work less to get a rich tone
I started out with cheap hoffman cello. I only have to get by with expensive strings, bridge, rosin, and bow. I have to save uo a lot of money for that sans the one my parents gave me, but it is still workable for several years until I can save up for more higher quality cello. Or take it to luthier if the problem lays in the wood. It can be expensive, but will worth about 5-7 years until you can save up for more better cello.
Yours has a bit more vibration/rumble over tones, bit more life, but with some eq in software the cheap one could be made to sound pretty damn good with some tweaks. For live obviously that wouldnt work, but I think overall more people would be more capable of buying a cheap one compared to one that is as expensive as a car. The sound just isnt different enough to justify that kind of money, seems more like status and class that would push for the higher pricing as a priority.
You can hear tin sound in the cheap cello.
Still love my 13 year old chinese made cello. My first love that has only seen upgrades in the strings and bow department and sound incredible. I have had people ask who is the maker and when I say its just a run of the mill chinese cello they are mind blown. But then again, different from the cello in this video, my dearest is made out of a real piece of wood.
I have a chinese cello and I love it too! - And I doubt what is said that this cello would be made of wood chips conglomerate, this would not be able to hold string tension, 4 cello strings tuned properly have a very strong pull, maybe around 200 pounds, wood chips glued together would explode!
He didn't found the appropiate word for the material. Is not conglomerate, is triplay, and they're made of cheaper woods. So they stand the tension and so on, but not vibrate quite as well as the real wood, specially those made with the finest wood selection.
i like it when your hair wiggles
What do you guys think? Did he play both cellos with equal effort? I felt sort of felt he was bias towards the less expensive cello.
You know, a good cello that fits his requirements can still be a milled cello. Even Chinese. I'd be happy to agree with Fan Wu on nearly anything based on this video. I AM a professional cellist with 40 years experience performing and 25 years teaching experience. For all of you that think you have to spend 10,000+ you're wrong.
It's quite simple: Try it before you buy it. If you immediately fall in love with the sound of a "cheap" Cello, what's holding you back?
Thank you!
Would you recommend a $7k cello from Luis and Clark? I'm thinking about it since I travel a lot and would love to bring my cello without worry of severe weather damage.
GOD BLESS YOU SIR
Dear Fan Wu, thank you for this informative video. I have found a german cello made from maple wood and spruce with a nice sound and lots of harmonics coming to life when I'm not off tune. It was 200 euro's because it hase some amateuristic repairs. I have been playing cello for three weeks now, I have been playing the violin at intermediate amateur level.
That's actually insane how bad that cheaper one sounds. After playing for a while, this really stands out now. Starting to notice a lot of poor tendencies that my own $1,500 cello has. Someday I'll be able to afford an actual cello. T_T
My first cello was a factory cello and I didn't like it at all. It had a huge hand position (for me at least). Now I have a Scott Cao 1739 Montagnana copy, made in 2011. It was the only cello that I liked and I love it
Question. Do both cellos have the same quality of strings? That makes a big difference. I have celico Cello and I can tune it to concert pitch. IF they both do not have high quality strings the comparison is not fair.
Is it in Singapore?
Your cello definitely sounds better and is much prettier. 💖
But the Chinese cello is still good for learning. I'm guessing the price difference is a few hundred dollars versus thousands of dollars.
I own a Chinese cello and love mine. It's a hobby and I don't expect to ever make money from playing, but it's fun and having a cheaper option allowed me to afford it. 😎
It's like that everywhere you go; you pay peanuts you get lousy stuffs.
You don’t need a good cello when you’re learning the instrument you can buy a better one once you’re actually performing
i have no doubt hand made can not be beaten manufractured... but please give it a chance at least. If you don't even tune it the same way :') the manufractured one did not have a big enough box to let resonate its strings
Nice video. You make either sound well. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about purchasing a cello. I used to have a Becker and a Peccatte and am looking to play again although I can't afford what I had. If we can communicate privately that would be great. Thanks.
We’re did you buy the nice one
the second cello is out of tune
I thought that too
Chinese manufactured cellos aren't all bad. In fact, I once considered buying one from my local violin shop that was made with maple, spruce, and ebony. It was actually a pretty decent cello, but, I fell in love with a workshop cello from Bubenruth, Germany, which I still play 14 years later, and I plan to keep playing it until the day I die.
On the other hand, a good friend of mine plays a Chinese manufactured cello, and it works just fine for her. She loves it as much as I love mine.
So, bottom line, the "bad" cello is the one that doesn't work for you. Although its quality is certainly lacking, the Chinese cello pictured in this video most certainly could help a beginner get started.
can you compare 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 4/4 cello?
Its easy to make a great cello sound great... but someone who can make a cheap cello sound great is indeed a greater cellist. Finding the difference between these two cellos would be the same as finding the difference between apples and oranges. Where they are both a fruit but taste very different in part by the way they are formed.
The only Difference I've heard is, that the old cello is more clear.
Hi Fan, Is a cheap cello worth buying for a beginner student? Or is leasing a better quality instrument worth the investment? I'd appreciate your honest opinion. Thank you.
I would say if they are unsure of whether or not they would continue in the future, then perhaps not buy the expensive one. However if you are invested into learning, then you may as well get a decent instrument! In the end it all depends on how much you are willing to spend on it!
Thank you for the info, Alex. As an adult beginner, perhaps I should try to find a music shop where I can rent a cello while I decide whether or not it's for me. Buying a cheap instrument that sounds bad is a waste of money, as is investing in a decent instrument but then losing interest in it. If I can stick with it, then it will make sense to get a quality cello at some point in the future. I guess I just needed to hear an informed opinion. :)
No worries! I've been playing for 15 years, but by no means would I call myself an expert, but any other questions are welcome!
Yeah, a quality cello makes quite a bit of difference to how much time I want to spend on the instrument.
I played piano years and years ago - I could play well but I didn't exactly find it enjoyable. What would you say are the "easiest" or "least frustrating" instruments for an adult beginner to learn to play? I love the sound of the cello, but is it difficult to learn? (especially the reading) Thanks so much!
I play guitar and cello, and a bit of bass as well. I find that it will honestly depend on the person more than anything else.
Guitar might be somewhere you might want to look, the frets make it much easier to hit the ground running and get a great sound and in tune a lot easier. It also tends to be a bit cheaper, good quality mass produced guitars are commonplace these days.
But that's just my experience, go with your heart and that's where you'll find the most enjoyment out of it :) what instruments do you like the sound of the most?
nice vid fan wu, thanks
Did the celloes have similar strings?
To anyone saying it's out of tune... Watch the whole damn video... smh. I'll give you a timestamp though. 6:15
Cool t-shirt! Greetings from Praha, haha.
Praha :) greetings from Czech!
I always feel like Italian cellos have nicer lower registers than higher registers (not including Strads, he borrowed from the French models)
I covet that cheaper cello. I can't afford it.
But I do have several violins that I picked up broken or neglected for very little $$$. With trial and error I learned how to improve them with proper sound post and bridge construction and placement (thanks UA-cam!) and then with a set of beginner-decent strings (Series 50, $13 a set when you find them on sale), these violins have plenty of volume and a healthy mellow tone for a beginner or intermediate player like me. The other violinists who attend the jams can't believe it's a Chinese Strad, some of them don't even have real purfling!
You get what you pay for, but I mean if someone is just starting to pick it up as an absolute beginner, they aren't going to invest in a handmade antique cello. I feel like for $100, it's not that bad of a deal, and you would only invest in a more expensive one if you start to get serious.
You're completely right. If you're a professional, you shouldn't even think about these cheap cello's. but for beginners this is really good.
How much good cello?
You have T-shirt with Praha! It's the capital of my country! I am from the Czech Republic 😄
I love your Dvorak 1st Mvt.
The synwyn cello is made up of simple plywood (as are all cheap instruments), and not MDF as you have suggested. Your cello also probably took 2-4 weeks to make. Makers in the 1700's typically make 1 a month to pay the bills. Taking 6 months is ridiculous. More accurately, it takes about 150-200 hrs to make a cello. Lastly, it is debatable how old wood is when they made it. Researched shows that some strads used very young wood or only dried for 5 years. And being in a high humidity place like venice does not dry wood very well either.
You can learn to produce a really beautiful tone on a cheap cello. Then someday, if you are fortunate enough to get a good cello, you are in heaven, because it is so much easier to play! But you have to have a good bow. A good bow might cost you more than your cheap cello.
there is a massive difference, not sure what you guys are talking about
if you're going to compare two instruments you should at tune them the same way because now it was hard to hear the supposed difference in sound quality between the two. I know you gave an explanation for this, and I understand, but still. All I could heard now was that they were tuned differently and not much more.
Now really? Come on. Very disappointing comparison your attitude with the cheap cello shows that you have an attitude with it. you played it like a beginner would play it yet you choose to play the better cello more professionally. On the cheaper cello you used no vibrato. But you did use it on the more expensive one. Two completely compare something you need to have a an exact comparison and style of playing to be able to compare sounds.
cheap instruments are extremely difficult to play, i feel like you guys aren't considering this.
Not necessarily true. You can find a lot of videos on YT where people are reviewing inexpensive instruments and they are playing them beautifully and in tune. The Online Violin and Piano tutor is one. Fiddlershop is another.
DJ its hard to play an instrument with soul when the instrument has no soul.
@Brendan Mather yes it does but if u give it soul doesn’t mean that it will come out great
Wtf are u talking about, he literally uses vibrato on both, cheap instruments are very difficult to play just because of the amount of effort u have to put in them to sound even half way decent
The way he pronounces the word "wood" Idk why i'm laughing 😂
actually I don't see the big difference between the two
Wich song does he plays ? 5:36 'devoshark first movement???'
Jens 4Dude Dvorak cello concerto first movement
I like your T-shirt
What about the strings,are they both same strings?! Strings effects on sound too
samet polat şaşırtın beni reis, Türk beklemiyordum burada
@@tunc.violin neden beklemiyordun
The two instruments are tuned differently. A cello itself sounds different if it is not well tuned. Why doesn't it bother you? So this test is not worth much.
This was cool, thank you! My cello is very similar to the Chinese one (except correctly made and from Germany) so I wanted to see what made it harder to play and what the sound does
If you are good, you're good and will sound good. The cello, unlike violins (much smaller bodies with less resonance) it's a bigger deal.
So you have a student who owns a cello that breaks when tuned up to pitch? Boy, that's like having a car whose engine will blow up at city speeds...
Exactly. I was stunned by this and only this. It's the intonation on that cheap one that's terrible; not a huge difference in tone. Though I understand how having to exert more effort to get the same amount of sound would be annoying.
1750 cello from Italy probably worth about $200k or more ..vs $100 cello from China...
got to admit.. the 100$ cello delivers a massive bang for the buck. ( unless the differences are totally muted in this recording)
JuSt PlAy It AlReAdY
perhaps the soundpost is too tight or in the wrong place on the new instrument.