Missing parts

I learned to play the cello in school orchestra at 10 yrs old, played through senior year, and then casually ever since...I’ve been playing 28 years total. My original cello was lost to unfortunate circumstances, and I wasn’t financially able to replace it with anything remotely close to what it was worth, so I bought this as something to practice on in the meantime. I expected low quality based on the price and reviews I saw. This cello far exceeded my expectations.I purchased a separate bow because the reviews said the bow it comes with is not good, and that part was correct. The bow it comes with is pretty bad, but will play ok if you pull out loose hairs and can get enough rosin to stick to it. It doesn’t produce very good sound, in my opinion.I expected not to be able to play it right out of the box. I expected to have to install the sound post, but that was intact. I expected to have to install the bridge (because it would actually be ridiculous to try to ship a cello with the bridge in place.) So I did, and it was very easy to do, but I’m also experienced with that. Someone inexperienced should probably take it to a shop or have someone who knows what they’re doing put it in place. (Although I do think it’s one of the first things a cello player should learn to do on any cello. There WILL be an occasion or two when your bridge will pop out!) It tuned easily. The pegs were much stiffer than reviews led me to believe they would be. I didn’t expect to be able to tune or play it without buying compound first, but that was not the case. I will probably still do so, because they do slip a little, but I would say it’s very slight. I can get through a song without needing to retune, and after that it’s only a case of very minor adjustment.The strings...a lot of people seem to dislike the strings it comes with, but the strings I got are actually very nice sounding. Mine have a very warm, pretty sound, which is what I prefer. I won’t know how sturdy they are until I do more playing.The body of the cello itself is beautiful. I got the black one and I love it. There are no scratches or imperfections. It’s very well assembled. I’m sure it’s not the best quality wood, or shaped by any renowned instrument maker, but I feel like it’s very nice for the price.Maybe I was just one of the lucky ones purchasing this cello, but I’m extremely happy with it.

This version of the student cello is poor craftmanship. The varnish is very high, very indicative of poor quality. You don't want a cello that shiny, it is a tell tale sign of poor wood. The pegs are supposed to fully fill the peg slots, this poor craftmanship shows that it does not. Its VERY difficult to tune and the fine tuners on the bottom are very difficult to tune as well. I suggest buying an electric tuner seeing as you will be tuning often since the instrument doesn't maintain a good tune for long. The sound severely lacks full rich notes. The notes sound twangy and squeaky almost.....the beginner cellist will sound even worse than they should. The pegs are also painted black....so yes, the pegs are of the poorest quality. Bright side, it is sturdy enough for a child to learn on thus far. It comes with a decent enough bow. The stand is nice. You have back up strings which you will need because of the terrible tuning experience. You have decent enough rosin included. It's not a bargain as it seems. Save your money, rent to own if you can. Plus, this version is sold for 150 USD cheaper elsewhere. I highly recommend you go elsewhere. I went to Fletcher Hinton to have the cello proficiently tuned seeing as I was having such a difficult time tuning it myself. The employed musician there helped show me the difference between a mid quality used cello and this one. The used mid quality cello soared in sound, sturdiness, and craftsmanship. The used cello made this new poor quality cello look like a toy. Save your money.

Both my instructor and I were surprised with the quality. Great cello for a beginner, very affordable.Sound post is not installed but that's how they transport cellos and you can install it for $20.

What a great deal! Excited to get started!

El instrumento es bonito y parece bueno, pero el arco es de segunda mano y con señales de un mal uso, y las cuerdas de ínfima calidad con sonido a metálico.La Atención al cliente fue excelente y bastante buena la logística pero, al final, me conpensaron con un 15% de descuento muy lejos del importe de sustitución o reparación del arco y compra de un solo juego de cuerdas aceptables.NO ME RECATO DE HABLAR DE DEFECTOS Y COMPENSACIONES

It comes prepped for shipping, so the strings are attached, but loose. Having already owned a violin, I had a better idea how to set it up, but still needed to look up which direction the bridge sits online. It's a $240 cello.. I assume it doesn't sound perfect, but I think it sounds really good for the price. The case is soft, but the stand makes up for it.

Let me start off by saying that I have absolutely no experience playing cello, so I don't have a lot of knowledge of the instrument to compare it to.PROS:That being said, I think this is an amazing cello for the price. Considering that most "beginner" cellos in a music store start out around $1,000, finding a cello that sounds good at all for $200 is great. It did make a weird squeaky sound when I played the G string while holding down on the fret, but I started making sure I kept the rosin residue wiped off the string, switched to rather than the rosin that came with it, and started using the bow like I was taught in , and it disappeared.I believe a good set of strings would also make a huge difference in the sound (I know they do on my bass guitar; the difference between cheap strings and a good set is almost incomparable), but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I did over tune the A string (thinnest) when I was first getting it in tune, and it broke, so it's a good thing they've included an extra set (in case you missed it like I did, the cello comes with a set of strings on it, and they give you an EXTRA set).I was a bit worried about the shipping when I ordered, since musical instruments are so delicate. When the box arrived, it had numerous gouges in it, so I was even more nervous (the gouges weren't the seller's fault, of course). However, it was packaged well enough that the cello itself was completely fine.CONS:They give you absolutely no instructions of any kind how to set this thing up. If I didn't already have a basic knowledge due to owning a violin, it would have been even harder; as it was, I simply googled "how to set up a new cello" and found numerous helpful pages. The cello comes with the bridge uninstalled, the strings completely loose, and no rosin whatsoever on the bow. It's really not too hard to set up, there are just a couple things you have to be aware of, which I'll mention at the end.Keep in mind that this is, after all, only a $200 cello, so don't expect miracles. Yes, it's a fantastic instrument for the price, but they can only do so much with a $200 price. If you think you're (or your child) are going to seriously get into playing the cello, I would recommend renting one from a music store, or buying a more expensive one. It can be frustrating to learn on a cheap instrument, since if it doesn't sound good you can't be sure if it's just you or your instrument. I personally only bought this to mess around on and because I want to have a lot of musical instruments around as my kids are growing up so they can pick one.HOW TO SET YOUR INSTRUMENT UP:When you first get it, take EVERYTHING out of the box and lay it in front of you. Put the box somewhere else so you have plenty of room to work without banging your cello into the box. Take the styrofoam out from under the neck and untie the strings.Step one is to put rosin on the bow. Tighten the nut at the end of the bow (righty tighty) so that the hair of the bow is tight, but not too tight. The hairs shouldn't be able to touch the back of the bow when you apply light pressure, but the bow should still have a bend in the wood part. Rough up the rosin with some sandpaper so it will stick to the bow, then rub it along the bow a LOT. It will take quite a while to get enough rosin on it, but this is a key step. You'll know you have enough when you flick your thumbnail along the underside of the hair and a small cloud of rosin puffs out. It took about 20 minutes for me to get enough on.Your second step will be to set up the bridge. Notice that one side of the bridge is higher than the other; this side will go under the thicker string, while the lower will go under the thinner. The bridge should be placed between the notches in the middle of the "f holes" (the holes in either side that look like an italic "f." Slide it under the strings while it's laid down, then slowly stand it up while making sure the strings are in the correct notches on the bridge.Step three is to tune your cello. I used an app I bought on my iPhone, you can use whatever tuner you want. Slowly tighten all the strings; don't try to completely tune one, then the next one, etc. Tighten the first one a bit, then move to the next one, then when you reach the last one go back to the first and tighten that one some more; rinse and repeat until they are in tune.That's about it!! That's a very quick set-up guide, I recommend googling a more exhaustive guide.