Hello,

I'm looking into playing the cello, and I've decided to rent one before buying. However, because I'm new to the cello, I don't know any good brands... I know Stentor makes cellos, violins, etc. but is it a good brand? My sister has a Stentor violin and she seems happy with it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi,

Sitting in the back of my closet, I actually have a Sentor II Student Cello - it is the instrument I started on. I'd say, although it is not going to get you hand selected to play for the Queen of England (the quality of sound is really not super good) it is the perfect instrument to learn on. It is made from quality materials - ebony pegs and fingerboard, spruce face and maple sides and back, and a maple bridge.

The strings it comes with are horrible, however, so there is that to consider - to get any kind of half-decent sound, the strings on mine needed to be changed right away (which is not a cheap thing to do - cello strings can be very pricy).

Personally, I would recommend renting for a while before you buy. The price of even the lowest quality cello will still exceed the rental fees for a couple months. If you decide you don't like the instrument, you can just return it, whereas if you buy you will have it until you sell it. If you fall in love with it, you will likely want something with a better sound than the Sentor (at least the model I have). So I say save your money, and buy something of a higher quality later on if you decide you want to pursue it.

Just my two cents.