I love my cello, I realy do. But, it is getting to the stage where I've outgrown it (playing ability, not size I'm meaning) and sso I am now on the hunt for a better one.

My price range is anywhere between about $2-4,000 yet I'm struggling to understand the differnce between ones and which one I should be looking at buying. I've seen quite a few from Franz Sandner and other various companies, but when it comes down to it, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I'd like a cello that's got that deep rich tonal 'true cello' sound that makes it so popular and beautiful. Kind of haunting sound if you know what I mean.

Any advice on what I should be looking at would be greatly appreciated, thanks a lot.

Surely, in a popular music forum, in the cello section there most be someone who has any suggestions. Any at all. Even if you just say that your cello is good and that you reccomend that brand. Anyone? Please?

Thanks

I can't be of much help, but since nobody else is standing up, I will. My teacher has told me to look for any visible cracks or open bouts(where the front of the cello has become unglued from the sides) that might be on a used cello. I would recommend buying used also. Used cellos usually come at a discount and are usually in good condition, and, what's more, they are broken in. Also check if the front panel of the cello is one piece or two. Just check for any sudden grain changes in the middle of the cello to see if it's made of two pieces of wood. You can figure it out. One piece provides a better tone resonance because the tone doesn't have to work through the glue. Also check if the pegs are stable and if it stays in tune well. I would try to take a cello home for a few days to make sure of this, if it's all right with the owner/store you're dealing with. Check how easy the cello is to play. That is, to say, check how accurate your left hand has to be when fingering notes and see how much effort it takes to get a good sound out of the cello. Most importantly of all, though, make sure you like the cello's sound, feel, and look. Looks aren't a must, but they're a nice bonus. Also, check out the bow. Make sure the included bow(if there is one) is made of wood, not fiberglass. You could also ask what brand of strings are on the cello if you're really particular, but strings always can be changed.
Best of luck to you, and I hope I helped.

heckno_techno is on the money!!

Who cares what brand it is - buy the one you most like the sound of & you will actually want to play the thing!

There's an old saying around that you sould buy Europen & not Chinese instruments... ignore it!! I have a Chinese cello which got me through university and I still love to play it.

Pick one or two pieces to test-play & use the same pieces when you try out different instruments. Try every single note in 1st position & 4th position to check if there are any 'wolf notes' (when one note squeaks or doesn't speak clearly).

Try a smooth silky song and a fast bouncy one to see if the strings respond to different types of pressure.

If you can, try each instrument with your current bow - this way you are hearing the sound of the cello itself, not affected by different quality bows that might come with each instrument.

Un-tune and re-tune the pegs... it can be a long-term pain in the bum if your cello is hard to tune.

Another thing that I am pedantic with is how the cello feels to play - is the neck thickness comfortable? Can you find 4th position easily by sliding your thumb down the neck, and are the strings a comfortable height from the fingerboard (this at least can be fixed with a new bridge, but that's an extra $100 or so).

Be aware of the acoustic of the room you are in - I bought my first cello second-hand and was very impressed when I tried it out in the seller's high ceilinged lounge room. Sadly I got it home and realised it's sound didn't really project at all :-(

Good Luck!