For sale

HLC Chapel Choir recordings and videos

21 January 1900

Revised :

Instruments and bows for sale

Second hand cellos

I usually have some student cellos in 4/4 and 3/4 sizes, priced around £500-600.

At present (October 2023) I have a

Reghin (Romanian) 3/4 in excellent condition, Jargar strings, good bow and recent new soft case. £500.
East German GDR 3/4 with new strings, bridge, bow and case. Repaired damage to lower bout. £450.

Violins and violas

A selection of German and French violins and violas c.1880-1920 for sale from £300-2000. I often have cellos and bows of interest also.

All instruments are carefully set up for response and ease of playing, with Jargar, Dominant, Tonica or Larsen Tzigane strings. All are fitted with four adjusters.

Primavera (Chinese) violins also available with carefully-fitted pegs and Pirastro Tonica strings. Together with a case and upgraded bow, these instruments sell for £175 and represent excellent value. In addition, all Primavera instruments sold from April 2010 will have been treated with the Violin Acoustic Enhancer (see above). The results are quite spectacular!

New bows

I have violin bows from £50-£800 and cello £70-£440. The best bows are made from Pernambuco wood but that is in very short supply after years of over-harvesting. As far as I know, the export of Pernambuco was banned by Brazil in 2010. The only modern Pernambuco bows now come from Brazilian makers. A few other international makers are using old stock which is even more expensive. Chinese makers claim to be using Pernambuco but this is more likely to be the inferior outer part of the same tree called Brazilwood. One Chinese maker told me his Pernambuco was "Chinese Pernambuco".

I have some genuine Pernambuco bows from Sousa Bows (https://www.sousabows.com) in Brazil. These are available also in violin shops in Edinburgh, Bristol and London. They are beautifully made as you would expect and play very well indeed.

Composite and carbon fibre bows have become very popular, perhaps as Pernambuco has become scarcer. The bows are strong, true, retain their spring and are almost indestructible. However, they can be tricky to re-hair.

Excellent new cellos, set up with Larsen and Spirocore strings

I have some excellent cello bodies from Romania. The receipt shows they came from the workshop of Claudiu Ciurba but when I showed pictures to Claudiu, he said they were not made by him..

Nevertheless, they are of excellent quality.

I have added tailpin, tailpiece, sound post and French bridge. They are strung with Larsen A and D strings and Thomastik Spirocore G and C.

Length of back 78 cm. Stop length 69 cm.

The workmanship on these cellos is first rate and I do recommend them strongly.