#3 is DEFINITELY the bottom of the heap. For the price difference, I feel the sound and responsiveness of #1 was a solid rival to the $12,000 one. Nice playing!
Same. I was going for 3,1,2 cheapest to most expensive but hadn't thought 3 and 1 cost the nearly similar price, since the sound felt much more colorful (not as much as 2 but nearer to 2 than to 3 imo).
Same here! I think #1 sounded really full and powerful. I was shocked when I saw that it was almost the same price as #3 (which was clearly the worst). You could almost tell just by the look that #2 was the most expensive, and together with the sound it wasn't difficult to guess.
There was no comparison in the resonance between the most expensive cello and the other 2. Sharp and clean. The cheapest was so muddy and muffled. However I was surprised by the cost of the 2nd cheapest cello. I thought it sounded much better than the cheapest and expected a greater difference in price. As far as value if I was on a budget I would choose the $1500 cello over the $1000. This was a great exercise. Please post more. Thanks.
I preferred 1 the most. I liked the lower tones and felt they were smooth and partly because I loved the dark color of wood. I did feel the A string felt a bit harsh compared to the lower strings. I thought that #2 was very similar to one but had a warmer sound and had an even tone. I don't think it was worth the price increase between the two. Putting on different strings might even reduce the small sound difference. I was undecided which would be the more expensive one as I tend to get these quizzes wrong. I felt 3 sounded like you were playing with a practice mute. Muffled and buzzy. The color and varnish also made it look like a cheaper model. It was eye opening to see the small price difference between 1&3 and the big difference between 1&2 given the sound difference.
I preferred cello No 1 it had a clear and sweet tone. I estimate that it would be 10 times the price of No 3. In terms of appearance Cello No 2 looks the best.
This is a great video and thank you. Im considering learning to play the cello. Even to my untrained ear the 3rd one sounded muted dull, flat, and horrible. I wouldnt have wanted to play it at all. I want something thats going to sound good that will encourage me to keep playing and trying. If the sound is so flat like that I wouldnt enjoy it. It would be worth spending a bit more for a higher quality sounding cello.
Hi, Clay! I have owned about 10 different cellos since 1971. I have a fairly keen ear for cellos.The cellos were in exact line as one would hope-The 12,000.00 cello was easily the best. The 1595.00 the second best, and the thousand dollar cello the flattest sounding. What surprised me is I don’ think the 12,000.00 cello sounded 7-8 times better than the 1595.00. Cello.
That was a surprise. I preferred the 2nd and 3rd, but would never have guessed 12x the cost and I know so little about their intricacies. Haven't begun to play the cello, but listen intently. Thank you for your insights.
#3 sounds dull, buzzy, and nylon-y. #2 sounds clear, bright, and tin-y. #1 sounds deep, hallow, and copper-y. I though #3 was very cheap, #2 was very expensive, and #1 was a little less expensive. I did not expect #1 to be so much cheaper. I like the sound of #1 the most, although I acknowledge most would like #2 more.
Thanks from a Cello Student from Austria. I played with an 40 Euro Cello Bow from my Daughter wich is very simple and a little bit bent. It sounds better than my Bow that costs 500 Euro. Now I ordered a Bow which costs 2400 Euro. I hope the best. Maybe I giv the expensive Bow to my Doughter. Also very interesting is that her Bow is a short Bow, for me as an Adult to short. But sounds really better.
Thanks so much for this!! #1 is absolutely my favorite for its low-midrange response, brightness, and resonance. I was shocked by how expensive #2 was :o It sounds a little more balanced, but honestly I'd be EQing it every time and #1 just sounded perfect as-is to me. #3 is not worth the money imo, for how close it is in price to #1 (which just sounds so GOOD to me :D ) Are there any major differences between the action and string spacing after setup?
My guesses would have been: #1: 20000 #2: 10000 #3: 5000 I'm very surprised that the first one is that cheap. With strings and everything? Where did you get it and how is it that you can buy it so cheap? I think I buy a similar one. Right now I'm renting one which is worth 2000€.
surprised as a non-musician how correct I was - maybe because the differences were SO obvious. #2 was definitely worth the difference in price--who knows what a Strad or Montagnana would sound like in this same video
This is a great video, I like the format here. So as far as my guess I went the typical newbie route, which was thinking 1 was the most expensive because it was the loudest, that said 3 was without a question the cheapest, however I was shocked to find out that 2 was the most expensive. Its funny I came to this conclusion because I have tested many headphones very high end to low end and I always say to my friends or others louder is often mistaken for better quality/ sounding. Its just something I think our brains come up with. Its funny because what I always say turned to bite me in the butt. I also listed to this with my eyes closed and had my wife tap me on the left shoulder for 1, neck for 2 and right shoulder for 3 before I ever looked at the cellos. Im not sure if you can tell the price by looking at a cello but 2 def looks the best IMO so I would have pegged it at the most expensive. All in all im a complete newbie when it comes to Cello, I want to learn but im also worried if I invest good money into a cello and it turns out I dont like playing it, then I have wasted money. So im currently looking for recommendations for 'cheap' but not cheaply made to a point it hinders someones will to learn. The fact that the 1500 dollar one sounded as good as it does to me I think my budget just went up slightly :D I would have thought cheap to expensive was 3 2 1
Love this! Usually you get what you pay for but not always which is why I made the video. Do you have a local string shop you can rent from? Many good luthiers have rent to own or at least some form. Meaning… you try it out by renting for a year and then those rental payments can go toward purchase. Every shop has a different policy about this so ask. If they don’t have a rental credit policy, RENT SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! Hope that helps, and let me know what other questions you have.
I got my current cello back when I was in middle school, so I was basically not involved in the buying process at all. I checked recently and it turns out my cello is only worth like 500 bucks... So learning that, I'd like to ask for your advice. I graduated high school a year ago so I've been practicing on this cheap cello for many years now. I remember the school cellos sounded better and were easier to play than my cheap personal cello. Anyways, is there a danger of developing bad habits from practicing on a crappy cello? and if it isn't and I keep practicing on it, how proficient at playing should I be before buying an actually decent cello?
This is a great question without a super great answer. There is no hard and fast rule about when you should upgrade. There is a solid answer to one of your questions, “Will I form bad habits playing a cheap cello?” Habits good or bad are not formed by the quality of the cello itself so the answer is no. If the cello is setup badly, like the strings are too high, or the bridge is too flat etc etc, then yes you might form some bad habits but those can be fixed easily. There is a cost involved of course but take it to a luthier you trust and make sure its setup correctly and that it can even be set up correctly with the fingerboard etc. If all that checks out, then you are good to go. If its going to cost $500 or more, more than the cello is worth, then its time to upgrade. As far as the proficiency question it depends on what your goals are and yes where you are in your journey. Do you want to play in a community orchestra that requires an audition? Are you just playing for yourself? A better cello can help you if you know what to do with it. If you are playing out of tune, and not understanding how to use the bow you could spend $1,000,000 and not get in. This is one of those situations where a teacher really helps. A lot of students just know when they are ready, they get tired of playing on the old one, or they are tired of renting and want to buy. If you are unsure you are probably not ready and probably haven’t heard enough live cello to know what you are missing. Once you have played a while longer, really understand the sound that cello players are after, you will know when its time to trade up and start trying to achieve that sound yourself. Let me know if this helps or not. Love answering questions like this.
@@thecelloonline wow thanks. Definitely a helpful reply. I actually got a bridge properly fitted at couple years ago so I think I’ll definitely be able to stick with this cello for a while longer
I guessed the prices all wrong because every time I do these "guess which instrument is more expensive or from thev1700s" I get it wrong but this time I should have trusted my instincts. NUMBER 1 sounded brash , number 2 sounded sonorous and number 3 sounded flat to me.
That was very easy to put them in price order - is that typical? 1 sounded a bit raspy, but clear and not unpleasant. 2 sounded lovely, although not very warm. 3 sounded like it was underwater inside a sock.
That is a great question, I think everyone here has put them in the correct order of Cheapest to most expensive. Its the difference in price between #1 and #2 that is the shocker.
Thank you for this comparison video, Clay. Great playing and editing! I was not able to sense a significant qualitative difference between the 3 cellos due to several variables such as... Perhaps my hearing is not that great, the tiny speakers of an older iPad don’t transmit the fine richness of tones, and finally, and most importantly, that the performance quality of the artist playing the cello is what counts the most: If I played a multimillion $ cello, I bet I would sound as terrible as I might sound on a $500 cello (strings, bow and other gear being equal). I guessed the expensive cello by the style of its pegs. Surprised that there was only a $500 difference between the low end cellos. I am curious about the possible impact of a cello’s color on one’s perception of its tone quality: Does a darker varnish (#1) make you feel the tone is deeper, richer, more nuanced compared to lighter varnished cellos (#3) ? The expensive one is somewhere in between. I realize it is superficial, but our emotional response is also to the physical objects that cello are.
I love this comment! Yes visuals always affect our listening. I don’t think anyone has ever done an experiment though comparing color to like-ability or perception. I would love to see such a thing!
No, it’s all very subjective and all a matter of personal taste. Are you a cellist? How long have you been listening to classical music or other cello music? It all plays into it. How many times have you heard cello live in person? No there is nothing wrong with you, we all just like what we like. 😍
I have a very moody old cello worth $10k that can sound like a million bucks one day and trash the next (I call my cello a grumpy old man). I’ve also played cheaper student cellos that don’t have a great tone but are extremely responsive and easy to play
@@thecelloonline I'm thinking about getting a cello, this gives me hope on my price point lol I'm sure the 12k cello has a really nice fit and finish when you get up close to it. Thanks for making this content you do, it's valuable information to have pre-purchase
It could just boil down to my preferences and ear, but I do not think that cello sounds anywhere close to being valued at $12000. That could just be the player, the room acoustics, the microphone, etc. To my ear, from this video, it sounds like a $3000 instrument.
listening to other videos you have posted, there must have been a difference in recording setup with this video; it sounds much better in your other videos (assuming it is the same cello I am hearing)
I actually liked the sound of the 3rd one which was the cheapest. I thought it had warmer highs. 2 sounded the best on the faster stuff but was kinda tinny on the high end.
#3 is DEFINITELY the bottom of the heap. For the price difference, I feel the sound and responsiveness of #1 was a solid rival to the $12,000 one. Nice playing!
Shocker isn’t it?! Thanks for the compliment!
Same. I was going for 3,1,2 cheapest to most expensive but hadn't thought 3 and 1 cost the nearly similar price, since the sound felt much more colorful (not as much as 2 but nearer to 2 than to 3 imo).
Same here! I think #1 sounded really full and powerful. I was shocked when I saw that it was almost the same price as #3 (which was clearly the worst). You could almost tell just by the look that #2 was the most expensive, and together with the sound it wasn't difficult to guess.
There was no comparison in the resonance between the most expensive cello and the other 2. Sharp and clean. The cheapest was so muddy and muffled. However I was surprised by the cost of the 2nd cheapest cello. I thought it sounded much better than the cheapest and expected a greater difference in price. As far as value if I was on a budget I would choose the $1500 cello over the $1000. This was a great exercise. Please post more. Thanks.
I preferred 1 the most. I liked the lower tones and felt they were smooth and partly because I loved the dark color of wood. I did feel the A string felt a bit harsh compared to the lower strings. I thought that #2 was very similar to one but had a warmer sound and had an even tone. I don't think it was worth the price increase between the two. Putting on different strings might even reduce the small sound difference. I was undecided which would be the more expensive one as I tend to get these quizzes wrong. I felt 3 sounded like you were playing with a practice mute. Muffled and buzzy. The color and varnish also made it look like a cheaper model. It was eye opening to see the small price difference between 1&3 and the big difference between 1&2 given the sound difference.
#2 is truly an extension of you. It has a wonderful response and tone. #1 is nice, and I despite the lack of color #3 surprised me.
I preferred cello No 1 it had a clear and sweet tone. I estimate that it would be 10 times the price of No 3. In terms of appearance Cello No 2 looks the best.
Isn't it amazing how close they are in price?! Thanks for watching!
This is a great video and thank you. Im considering learning to play the cello. Even to my untrained ear the 3rd one sounded muted dull, flat, and horrible. I wouldnt have wanted to play it at all. I want something thats going to sound good that will encourage me to keep playing and trying. If the sound is so flat like that I wouldnt enjoy it. It would be worth spending a bit more for a higher quality sounding cello.
Before the prices came out, I also tried to price the cellos. # 1: $ 1000, # 2: $ 3000, # 3: $ 300. Reality surprised me.
I like #1 the most
Hi, Clay! I have owned about 10 different cellos since 1971. I have a fairly keen ear for cellos.The cellos were in exact line as one would hope-The 12,000.00 cello was easily the best. The 1595.00 the second best, and the thousand dollar cello the flattest sounding. What surprised me is I don’ think the 12,000.00 cello sounded 7-8 times better than the 1595.00. Cello.
#1 was def my favorite. I thought it would be the most expensive one. 😍
Isn’t it interesting how that works out?! Thanks for watching!
Im quite surprised just a small $599 price difference between #3 and #1 makes the two cellos miles apart. Thanks for the video.
Love the comment, it’s precisely why I made it. You are most welcome!
thanks for the video. same strings? the cheap definitely has an unpleasant low resonance almost like something is muted
That was a surprise. I preferred the 2nd and 3rd, but would never have guessed 12x the cost and I know so little about their intricacies. Haven't begun to play the cello, but listen intently.
Thank you for your insights.
You are most welcome. Thanks for watching and listening!
1 favorite, 2 sounded like a cheaper version of it, but not much cheaper, 3 sounded dull and real cheap
#3 sounds dull, buzzy, and nylon-y. #2 sounds clear, bright, and tin-y. #1 sounds deep, hallow, and copper-y. I though #3 was very cheap, #2 was very expensive, and #1 was a little less expensive. I did not expect #1 to be so much cheaper. I like the sound of #1 the most, although I acknowledge most would like #2 more.
I liked the first one the most because of the open tone. The last one sounded like it was being played in a padded room.
I prefer #3. I’m sure we can get it better with better strings, soundpost placement…
Thanks from a Cello Student from Austria. I played with an 40 Euro Cello Bow from my Daughter wich is very simple and a little bit bent. It sounds better than my Bow that costs 500 Euro. Now I ordered a Bow which costs 2400 Euro. I hope the best. Maybe I giv the expensive Bow to my Doughter. Also very interesting is that her Bow is a short Bow, for me as an Adult to short. But sounds really better.
Thanks so much for this!! #1 is absolutely my favorite for its low-midrange response, brightness, and resonance. I was shocked by how expensive #2 was :o It sounds a little more balanced, but honestly I'd be EQing it every time and #1 just sounded perfect as-is to me. #3 is not worth the money imo, for how close it is in price to #1 (which just sounds so GOOD to me :D )
Are there any major differences between the action and string spacing after setup?
1 sounded really good, warm, dark, and rich. 2 was warm but with more clarity and depth. 3 sounded like it has a pillow in it.
My guesses would have been:
#1: 20000
#2: 10000
#3: 5000
I'm very surprised that the first one is that cheap. With strings and everything? Where did you get it and how is it that you can buy it so cheap? I think I buy a similar one. Right now I'm renting one which is worth 2000€.
surprised as a non-musician how correct I was - maybe because the differences were SO obvious. #2 was definitely worth the difference in price--who knows what a Strad or Montagnana would sound like in this same video
My favourite was actually the first one, lol
Are you able to share the maker of the surprisingly priced one for 1600?
Nice play! Would you please let me know where to purchase the #1, I really need to purchase one. Thank you.
I guessed #1 = $500 (harsh and tinny). #2 = $5k (smoothe / deep). #3 = $1k (warm but muted).
Did not expect 2 to be so expensive.
Does anyone know the name and brand of #1? I'd be really thankful if someone could tell me🙏🏼
This is a great video, I like the format here. So as far as my guess I went the typical newbie route, which was thinking 1 was the most expensive because it was the loudest, that said 3 was without a question the cheapest, however I was shocked to find out that 2 was the most expensive. Its funny I came to this conclusion because I have tested many headphones very high end to low end and I always say to my friends or others louder is often mistaken for better quality/ sounding. Its just something I think our brains come up with. Its funny because what I always say turned to bite me in the butt.
I also listed to this with my eyes closed and had my wife tap me on the left shoulder for 1, neck for 2 and right shoulder for 3 before I ever looked at the cellos. Im not sure if you can tell the price by looking at a cello but 2 def looks the best IMO so I would have pegged it at the most expensive.
All in all im a complete newbie when it comes to Cello, I want to learn but im also worried if I invest good money into a cello and it turns out I dont like playing it, then I have wasted money. So im currently looking for recommendations for 'cheap' but not cheaply made to a point it hinders someones will to learn. The fact that the 1500 dollar one sounded as good as it does to me I think my budget just went up slightly :D
I would have thought cheap to expensive was
3
2
1
Love this! Usually you get what you pay for but not always which is why I made the video. Do you have a local string shop you can rent from? Many good luthiers have rent to own or at least some form. Meaning… you try it out by renting for a year and then those rental payments can go toward purchase. Every shop has a different policy about this so ask. If they don’t have a rental credit policy, RENT SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! Hope that helps, and let me know what other questions you have.
Do you state which brand these are? I would love to learn more about number 1, as it seems like alot of the views would also reading other comments.
What model and make is the #3? I love it’s sound!
I got my current cello back when I was in middle school, so I was basically not involved in the buying process at all. I checked recently and it turns out my cello is only worth like 500 bucks... So learning that, I'd like to ask for your advice.
I graduated high school a year ago so I've been practicing on this cheap cello for many years now. I remember the school cellos sounded better and were easier to play than my cheap personal cello. Anyways, is there a danger of developing bad habits from practicing on a crappy cello? and if it isn't and I keep practicing on it, how proficient at playing should I be before buying an actually decent cello?
This is a great question without a super great answer. There is no hard and fast rule about when you should upgrade. There is a solid answer to one of your questions, “Will I form bad habits playing a cheap cello?” Habits good or bad are not formed by the quality of the cello itself so the answer is no. If the cello is setup badly, like the strings are too high, or the bridge is too flat etc etc, then yes you might form some bad habits but those can be fixed easily. There is a cost involved of course but take it to a luthier you trust and make sure its setup correctly and that it can even be set up correctly with the fingerboard etc. If all that checks out, then you are good to go. If its going to cost $500 or more, more than the cello is worth, then its time to upgrade. As far as the proficiency question it depends on what your goals are and yes where you are in your journey. Do you want to play in a community orchestra that requires an audition? Are you just playing for yourself? A better cello can help you if you know what to do with it. If you are playing out of tune, and not understanding how to use the bow you could spend $1,000,000 and not get in. This is one of those situations where a teacher really helps. A lot of students just know when they are ready, they get tired of playing on the old one, or they are tired of renting and want to buy. If you are unsure you are probably not ready and probably haven’t heard enough live cello to know what you are missing. Once you have played a while longer, really understand the sound that cello players are after, you will know when its time to trade up and start trying to achieve that sound yourself. Let me know if this helps or not. Love answering questions like this.
@@thecelloonline wow thanks. Definitely a helpful reply. I actually got a bridge properly fitted at couple years ago so I think I’ll definitely be able to stick with this cello for a while longer
I guessed the prices all wrong because every time I do these "guess which instrument is more expensive or from thev1700s" I get it wrong but this time I should have trusted my instincts. NUMBER 1 sounded brash , number 2 sounded sonorous and number 3 sounded flat to me.
That was very easy to put them in price order - is that typical? 1 sounded a bit raspy, but clear and not unpleasant. 2 sounded lovely, although not very warm. 3 sounded like it was underwater inside a sock.
That is a great question, I think everyone here has put them in the correct order of Cheapest to most expensive. Its the difference in price between #1 and #2 that is the shocker.
For some reason I prefer number 1 cello sound.
I like 1 and 3
I thought I had a good ear but I was so wrong. 1>3>2 was my order of preference, and I thought the third one was way expensive
Thank you for this comparison video, Clay. Great playing and editing! I was not able to sense a significant qualitative difference between the 3 cellos due to several variables such as... Perhaps my hearing is not that great, the tiny speakers of an older iPad don’t transmit the fine richness of tones, and finally, and most importantly, that the performance quality of the artist playing the cello is what counts the most: If I played a multimillion $ cello, I bet I would sound as terrible as I might sound on a $500 cello (strings, bow and other gear being equal). I guessed the expensive cello by the style of its pegs. Surprised that there was only a $500 difference between the low end cellos. I am curious about the possible impact of a cello’s color on one’s perception of its tone quality: Does a darker varnish (#1) make you feel the tone is deeper, richer, more nuanced compared to lighter varnished cellos (#3) ? The expensive one is somewhere in between. I realize it is superficial, but our emotional response is also to the physical objects that cello are.
I love this comment! Yes visuals always affect our listening. I don’t think anyone has ever done an experiment though comparing color to like-ability or perception. I would love to see such a thing!
The Visuals sounded alarm bells for me too.
Wooot I thought #2 was the best. More “opened” sound. #3 just no good. #1 is not bad
mmmmm... even with the reveal of the prices. I still like the sound of the third one better. is there something wrong with me?
No, it’s all very subjective and all a matter of personal taste. Are you a cellist? How long have you been listening to classical music or other cello music? It all plays into it. How many times have you heard cello live in person? No there is nothing wrong with you, we all just like what we like. 😍
I have a very moody old cello worth $10k that can sound like a million bucks one day and trash the next (I call my cello a grumpy old man). I’ve also played cheaper student cellos that don’t have a great tone but are extremely responsive and easy to play
Love #3, #1 is nice, #2 is wayyyyt to overpriced for being THAT tinny
1, 3, 2 is how i liked them..... why do i like cheap cellos here? i dont get it lol
I think you just hit the nail on the head. Its all so subjective.
@@thecelloonline I'm thinking about getting a cello, this gives me hope on my price point lol I'm sure the 12k cello has a really nice fit and finish when you get up close to it.
Thanks for making this content you do, it's valuable information to have pre-purchase
3 sounded muted
I like the #1 better because the #2 was sounding a little annoying.
It could just boil down to my preferences and ear, but I do not think that cello sounds anywhere close to being valued at $12000. That could just be the player, the room acoustics, the microphone, etc.
To my ear, from this video, it sounds like a $3000 instrument.
listening to other videos you have posted, there must have been a difference in recording setup with this video; it sounds much better in your other videos (assuming it is the same cello I am hearing)
I actually liked the sound of the 3rd one which was the cheapest. I thought it had warmer highs. 2 sounded the best on the faster stuff but was kinda tinny on the high end.
Same. Number 2 isn't worth 12k. Very thin sound. And you deliberately made it sound worse by playing out of tune (1:47 for example).