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

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

1. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Mike Farwell – 22 May, 2024

   We haven’t had the cello for long, but based on previous amateur experience with sting instruments, this seems like it would be an overall decent beginner’s cello if it wasn’t missing the promised stand and if it wasn’t damaged during manufacturing or packaging.

   The good:
   It’s easy to produce a pretty pleasant tone and the initial setup wasn’t too difficult, though instructions included with the instrument, especially for how to set the bridge, would have been helpful for the inexperienced, beginning cellist that doesn’t have experience with how to do this. With that said, there are good instructions and videos on the internet that can walk you through it, if you don’t want to have a luthier perform this work.

   The internal sound post survived shipping, despite UPS’s best efforts to knock it loose.

   The hard case has some flex to it but is fairly sturdy, despite obviously not having a hard wooden or composite shell. Only time will tell how long it survives under my accident prone 8 y/o’s care but I really appreciate the additional peace of mind it provides over just a soft case like almost all other kits offer.

   The finish isn’t perfect, but it is good overall, with flaws only being noticeable if you’re specifically looking for them. I couldn’t locate any when further than a foot or two away.

   The meh:
   The strings are okay and are likely sufficient for the first couple weeks/months of lessons, but you’ll want to upgrade as soon as they wear out or sooner if you want a better sound.

   The included bow has multiple hairs significantly looser than the rest, even when it is properly tightened. The gap between the hairs and the shaft of the bow is far wider than it should be when tightened. I generally use a carbon fiber bow on my violin and so am more accustomed to a very light bow, but even taking that into account, this one seems particularly heavy. Being a beginner bow, I’m not sure getting it rehaired would be worth the cost, so between that and the weight we’ll probably just end up upgrading to a better bow, and probably sooner rather than later.

   The velcro straps to secure the neck of the cello and the bow in the hard case are sturdy but barely stay stuck together. Hopefully, that’ll get better with use as the hooks and loops loosen up a bit, but only time will tell.

   The housing for the end pin fell out of the cello as soon as I removed the instrument from the case but that was easily remedied by reseating it in the hole with some pushing and twisting. Given the state of the cardboard box the case came in, I’ll chalk this one up to rough handling during shipping combined the strings being loose for shipping and therefore not providing tension via the tailpiece and tailgut to help hold it in place. If rough shipping is the culprit, some additional packaging/padding to hold it in place during transit is needed.

   The tuning pegs did not turn smoothly at first, being either loose enough that they didn’t hold their tune well or were tight enough that turning them led to large “skips” that caused you to significantly overshoot/undershoot the intended note. This is less of an issue when your cello has fine tuners, as this one does (if they’re functional, see below about the fine tuners). However, removing the pegs and applying some peg dope made this issue significantly better. Including a tube of peg dope in the kit wouldn’t be a bad idea, but with or without that addition, I’d recommend the manufacturer apply some peg dope prior to shipping to make the experience far less frustrating for beginning cellists. Having to remove the pegs to apply peg dope just to be able to get started adds an unnecessary challenge for a cellist that may not yet know why they are having can’t keep their instrument in tune.

   The soft case has minimal padding. It’ll work to hold the cello, and would probably be fine for an adult who knows to be careful, but I’ll only be trusting my 8 y/o with the hard case for quite some time. Still, having the option for both is a nice touch and the inclusion of the hard case, unlike almost all other cello setups, was a significant factor in my choosing this cello for my accident prone daughter

   The bad:
   The included folding stand described in the listing was not included.

   Upon opening the case for the first time, I found that one of the fine tuners on the tailpiece was destroyed, with the thumb screw of the fine tuner having been snapped off. This resulted in the fine tuner being completely non-functional beyond just holding the end of the string. While the state of the shipping box the kit came in made it obvious that it not treated with the care a package labeled “fragile” should have been (thanks to UPS, definitely not the manufacturer’s fault), there was no damage to the hard case and nothing was loose in the case that could have caused such damage. The snapped off head of the thumb screw was also not present anywhere in the case, leading me to believe that it was destroyed during manufacturing or packaging rather than during shipping.

   Requiring this kind of repair before even playing a single note is completely unacceptable, for any new instrument, regardless of the price point. Because it’s something I am comfortable fixing myself I’ll be replacing the fine tuner myself or entire tailpiece rather than going through the return process to get a replacement cello. While the parts themselves aren’t a significant cost, many beginning cellists or their parents won’t have the experience to be comfortable handing this type of repair without incurring the additional ~$30-50 to have a luthier make the repairs for them on top of the cost of the parts. All of which should have been unnecessary on a new, unused instrument in the first place.

   Overall, would I purchase this kit again? Honestly, it’s a bit of a toss-up. The price is good, but being broken immediately out of the box and requiring repairs negates most of the difference between this set-up and others that may be of slightly higher quality that cost more. Ultimately, though, this is intended to be an inexpensive cello for a beginner and, aside from the damage, that’s exactly what it is. For an instrument that will be used for a few years until our daughter outgrows and upgrades to a full size, better quality instrument (assuming she continues playing), it fits our needs quite well.

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   R. Anderson – 7 June, 2024

   My only criticisms are: that the instrument shipped without the bridge and strings in place, and the fine tuners aren’t great. Since I lack access to a luthier I had to set up the strings and bridge by myself using the best instructions I could find on youtube, which is obviously not ideal. I am certain my placement of the bridge was close, but not precise enough. Not knowing which of the two included bridges I should use, I chose the taller of the two for more distance between the strings and fingerboard. Thankfully the soundpost was still in place after shipping, but I am still planning on having it, and the bridge, adjusted as soon as I can get to the luthier. I would like the A string a little less powerful and the C string a little more powerful, and maybe get a different tailpiece with better fine tuners. Get yourself a nice set of strings to replace the included ones. The instrument itself is very attractive, appears to have been made with love, and sounds beautiful (at least to me). Definitely glad I bought this. 😀

3. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Martha Goldsby – 12 June, 2024

   Overall not bad. Cello teacher suggested changing strings out to some a Dario preludes which drastically improved the sound. Bits and pieces fell off the hard case. Quality of hard case is mediocre. First cello showed up cracked which amazon expeditiously

4. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Mike Farwell – 29 June, 2024

   Bought this in the Spring for my grandson in his 3rd yr. of cello. Certainly did not come ready to play and had to be taken to a music shop to prepare it for playing at an additional cost. Still it has had one problem after another. Fine tuners do not work properly. Wood was not seasoned so it is way out of tune on a daily basis. I had better strings put on it as would be expected but trying to tune it still causes broken strings. Bridge is imperfect and must be replaced. I have had the cello in the shop about 4 or 5 times now and tomorrow I am having to travel to another city to get a professional cello repair person to work on it…….as the seller suggested! Since I purchased this cello my grandson has had to use a borrowed cello. Talking to Cecilio and KK Music was like talking to a brick wall. I would never buy this brand or from this seller again. In all fairness I must say the hard case is just fine.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Michael F. – 20 July, 2024

   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.