Cecilio CCO-500 Ebony Fitted Flamed Solid Wood Cello with Hard & Soft Case, Stand, Bow, Rosin, Bridge and Extra Set of Strings (3/4-Size, Varnish)

Ok, our orchestra teacher was telling me that I should spend $2500 on a high-end cello for my 9 year old son. Well, no. As responsible as he is, he is around other boys who are not so responsible, and then my $2500 could end up becoming firewood. Enter Cecilio. For a fraction of the cost, this cello is amazing. The first one they sent me, the bridge was broken ($#!] happens in shipping). I sent them a picture and they sent me a replacement which was perfect. I still have the broken one and not sure what to do with it, but one thing I noticed. I think the cases are made specific to the actual cello. I found this out when I tried swapping the cases and the cellos were slightly different sizes and would not fit. But I highly recommend!

So I finally found time to take the cello to a music store, paid almost $500 to find out it’s a piece of junk and cannot be fixed. My 13 year old loves playing cello, she tried to tune this one, it cannot be tuned. The holes are not drilled properly according to our local music store.

I was skeptical about ordering because of the not too complimentary reviews on the other Cecilio cellos. My guess is that some people expect too much for the price and also there are probably some lemons amongst the good ones, which is to be expected when buying anything made in China. With the return policy I thought I'd give it a try. I paid $309 and am 100% happy with this cello. I haven't had the bridge and soundpost professionally set yet, but I did replace the strings with D'Addario Pro-Arte (also bought on Amazon) With better quality strings the sound is breathtaking. The bridge does seem a bit too low, so I just set it a bit off center to keep the C-string from vibrating on the fingerboard and that works perfectly. No big deal, I might replace it or might not. The nut is just right, not too high as others have mentioned in reviews. There are no visible issues with the cello or the cases, even though the box it came in was torn open on one corner. There were a few wood chips on it which I quickly remedied with a cloth. The stand is great quality, but the rosin wasn't to my liking, so I bought got a better one. Again, no big deal. Yes, the hard case is not great quality, but you basically get it for free. The soft case is good qulity and will certainly protect it for most conscientious students. I'm a Gramma who played cello back in the 1970's and want to play again for my own pleasure. This cello is perfect for me and with the better quality strings I sound really good ;) If you get a lemon, don't let a luthier talk you into pouring hundreds of $$ into it; send it back and ask for another one. For the price, it's totally worth the hassle if you do return it. Remember; it's a student cello, not a Strad. I am very happy with mine and can most certainly recommend it.

My daughter is on her third year playing cello and as some other users have mentioned, the hardware for a beginner may fine while someone with experience will notice rattling, metallic sound, trouble with tunning knobs, re-tunning everything every 24 hours as the strings and components adapt.I spent an additional $300+- to upgrade the strings Re-glue the neck, recut the bridge as strings were sliding off and technician added some kind of lubricant to help remove the tension in the tunning knobs.I purchased going in that most likely I would need to invest on new hardware or adjustments. Each use case may be unique. A month and a half in and the sound and richness of the instrument is quite pleasing. The three vendors I worked with also commented that not all Amazon instruments are as good as this one. They were impressed which gave me some confidence in the purchase.A few years ago we bought a violin as well and it’s still being used. That’s what drove us to move forward with the Cello. Do your homework and read the reviews. It’s not perfect but once you put in some work like you would with the craft it can be an amazing instrument to bridge the gap from a professional piece. Happy playing!

My daughter decided to take up the cello this year in school. She is in beginner strings in 4th grade. We began the year by finding and renting a cello. I did some research and found that $50-$60 a month is pretty standard rate for renting. We took a chance on this model (given some of the reviews) with the idea that, by the end of the year, the rental fees would have equaled the cost of it. Just got it and set it up. No issues. It looks beautiful and everything is as it should be, and it sounds great for what it is. That is the key - for what it is. This is not a professional-ready instrument (nor would I expect it to be at this price) out of the box. There are several reviews that speak well of some of the upgrades that can be made to it to get some amazing results (and I won’t repeat them). But, for a 10 year old who wants to learn and have fun playing along with her sister on violin, I don’t think there is a better value. Also, if she loves it and continues, we can do some of those upgrades to make this into a solid performance piece for her.My advice: save your money paying every month for beat-up student rentals and take a chance on this one. Even if they decide to stop playing after one year, you aren’t out much more money than you would be renting. And, you could sell it and get some of that money back, if that happens.Also, lastly, Amazon (at least with Prime) has a fantastic return policy that I have never had any issues with. If you happen to get a damaged unit, you can send it back and get a replacement at no charge. So, no worries there. :-)