At the age of 20 now, I`m currently very seriously considering taking up electric cello, not just as a fun type thing but as a life devoution with hopes of doing profesional work of some sort (teaching, being in a band, orchestra, etc) in the future.

My main issues at the moment are:

- I`m trying to get some kind of estimate of how long it should take to get somewhat decent keeping in mind I`ve never played a cello before. I do have a bit of musical background (altosax and acoustic guitar primarily though I dabble with a keyboard and an ocarina at times). I have no problem spending a ton of time on the thing every day, but I think the best I could manage in lessons is about an hour of private instruction a week. I appreciate that true mastery may take years, but I`m speaking in terms of achieving "good" level.

- What kind of market is there? I know the professional music can get pretty competitive, but I`ve also been told a good cellist can usually find a band due to the unique sound and depth they can offer. Is being a professional cellist a realistic option?

- The equipment I`m considering at the moment is:
>Yamaha SVC-200 (and of course the AC adapter PA-3B)
>Yamaha Band Silent Strings Amp AS60 112T
>Coda Conservatory bow
Any thoughts on this? I`ve seen a few people complain about one of the SVC-200`s strings sounding for too long, but the reviews seem to be quite good on the whole.


I would appreciate any input on any of these, or any other comments/suggestions you might have. Thanks for the help!

Dear friend.... I am Fernando... I am from Mexico (sorry about my english... hehehe). So, I got exactly the same equipment that you want to buy (everything)... I do not know what do you want to do with them, I studied Violoncello 7 or 8 years ago... but now I can not do anymore, I do not have enough time... only as a hobby... in a rock band... something like a "A perfect Circle", "Apocalyptica", "Radiohead"... etc. and I can not complain about my equipment, only about the amplifier... because I need more power (but the amplifier is good, if you want to playing alone... maybe)... and 60 watts are not enough... I needed to buy another amplifier (a Ampeg for a Bass... I love it)... now I am selling my Yamaha AS60-112T.
I read a interview with Apocalyptica about e-cellos... and they answer that they thried with Yamaha instruments... and it did not like them... something like a... when you are playing a normal cello, you can feel de resonance... and with a e-cello you can not... (like a dead body)... of course that I do not have this level of playing... but I do not feel that... about one of the SVC-200`s strings sounding for too long... the cello has a switch with 3 level of reverb... it is similar to play in a hall, but you can turn off this option....
I can recommend a lot that you buy them...

Fernando Ortega.