Updated: Jul 15, 2022
There are many persuasive arguments for choosing a carbon fibre cello, read on to learn why cellists are turning to these remarkable instruments...
When I searched for information on Carbon Fibre Cellos online, I found it very difficult to get some good reviews or any reviews at all. If you are considering purchasing a Carbon Fibre Cello - or even if you are not - I hope I can provide some insights on my journey to acquiring my Lois & Clark cello (Image courtesy of Lois and Clark Carbon Fiber Instruments https://luisandclark.com/)
Benefits of a Carbon Fibre Cello
To begin, all my comments and observations are specifically to my experiences and I am not sponsored, supported or in any way connected with providers of Carbon Fibre Cellos.
The main two providers that I looked at that appear to have a reasonable presence in the market are Lois & Clark Carbon Fibre Instruments from the US and Mezzoforte Carbon Fibre instruments from Germany. There are others that are a lot cheaper, or hybrid or a lot more expensive.
It was loud (I first played it outdoors) and I felt the sound was consistent and well balanced across all strings. Mostly, it was so easy to play. I was using a student cello (Cecilio CCO-500) which had a pretty good sound but there were notes on the A string that just didn't sound good in the upper region. Problem solved with the L&C. But what really struck me was the smoothness on the carbon fibre fingerboard. I loved it.#loisclarkcello
Serendipity
Although I was leaning towards the Lois & Clark, it was possibly because there was simply more out there online to see and hear. It was actually serendipity that made the decision for me. Where I currently reside, there were few options to try out a CF cello (I couldn't find a store that stocked CF Cellos) and the idea of purchasing an instrument costing several thousand dollars unseen was a scary prospect.
I had the opportunity to buy a 2nd hand Cello in my locale and jumped at the chance to actually play a Lois & Clark (L&C). I felt this was á sign'! The seller was no longer able to play and that saddened me but she had a good heart and I purchased at a very reasonable price. I will always be grateful to her.
If you go to the websites:
And you will find lots of good points about why you should choose a Carbon Fibre (CF) cello.
''.....pry this thing out of my cold, dead hands.''
I came across Miranda Wilson, cellist and writer. while scouring the web for information that was both accurate and neutral (Miranda Wilson – Cellist and Writer (mirandawilsoncellist.com) where she presents some very strong arguments for a carbon fiber cello.
Having said that, Miranda's neutral position may have changed judging by the end of her article.
''I don’t intend to sell it at any point in the foreseeable future. Why? Because you’d have to pry this thing out of my cold, dead hands.''
Sounds
Here is another fan of the Carbon Fibre Cello (This video offers the added bonus of improving your Italian!)
