Crusader Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 Landlord broke the daughter's cello, wants me to fix it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 Ouch! What did he do, sit on it? The bass side cracks don't look too bad but the soundpost poking through the treble side isn't that easy to fix! The soundpost makes it easier to get glue into the crack but fixing that bruised endgrain isn't going to be easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGTay Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 First job is probably getting the tension out of those strings before it gets any worse... Proper ouchy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 Yepp. Loose strings, less stress on the top. This is going to be an interesting journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted April 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2022 On 4/19/2022 at 10:58 PM, Bizman62 said: Ouch! What did he do, sit on it? Yeah I don't know the full details but he fell on it, and he ain't a small guy I'm not sure that I will even touch it but they think replacing the whole top is the way to go. Your suggestions are giving me ideas though. I don't know why the sound post has to be on the treble side but what if I repaired it and made it a lefty? so the sound post is on the other side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted April 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2022 By the way this isn't on my side of the house, if it was, the wine rack would be empty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 22, 2022 Report Share Posted April 22, 2022 12 minutes ago, Crusader said: Your suggestions are giving me ideas though. I don't know why the sound post has to be on the treble side I've looked to a few hundred Rosa String Works videos where Jerry fixes cracks like that on all kind of stringed instruments. And the sound post should be on the treble side, that's another tidbit I've learned there. Based on those vids and common sense I'd say try to get the longitudinal cracks simply glued as they don't seem to be under stress i.e. they stay closed and level. That glue joint should then be stronger than the surrounding wood. For the soundpost area I'd first try to use the post to my advantage, trying to get glue to every tiny crack with a brush and maybe compressed air. And as I said, getting the bruised ends meet is the hardest task. Then when that has been stabilized level I'd put a large cleat made of some good hardwood like padauk underneath. Or maybe rather three veneers so that one is along the grain and the other two slightly angled - like an elongated star or snowflake. And then finally shorten the sound post to the new length. If you make it a lefty the sound post should then go to the other side. But will the landlord's daughter learn to play a lefty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader Posted April 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2022 5 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: If you make it a lefty the sound post should then go to the other side. But will the landlord's daughter learn to play a lefty? Wouldn't be for her, she's got a replacement from insurance. I'm thinking more along the lines of selling it. However it would be good for her to have a back-up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 22, 2022 Report Share Posted April 22, 2022 6 minutes ago, Crusader said: However it would be good for her to have a back-up A campfire cello... We talk about "campfire guitars" meaning an instrument of less value that can be abused - you know, spilling your beer into it, roasting it too close to the fire and forgetting it in the rain... Don't know if my word to word translation is correct or not but you get the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted April 24, 2022 Report Share Posted April 24, 2022 Yet another idea for the soundpost area in case the less destructive methods don't work: Replace the broken area! Cut from the f-hole to the bottom and carve a new slice of spruce. The hardest part may be to carve the inside as you most likely don't want to have a stiff bar instead a uniform thin top, but you should get that close enough by matching it with the top and then glue it to the right depth for being able to match the thickness. Another thing is that you can't make a cello lefthanded by just putting the soundpost on the other side. There's a longitudinal bracing called a bass bar on the bass side. More info about lefty cellos in https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/3034/what-are-the-differences-for-left-handed-person-when-playing-electric-cello 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 13, 2022 Report Share Posted May 13, 2022 @Crusader I suggest you watch this series, some three hours or so. It covers all the issues including the sound post poking through: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted May 13, 2022 Report Share Posted May 13, 2022 holy sheep shit... that does look ambitious. wil be interesting to see how this plays out. would seem you'd need to disconnect the top to fix that... but I know nothing. best of luck! will be rooting for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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