Cecilio CECO-4BK Ebony Electric Silent Cello

It’s almost a year later and I kept meaning to come back and post a review but life kept getting in the way. I have to tell you all, I put this cello through its paces. First I restrung it, removing the C string. I added a high E and worked my way down. The string sequence became E, A, D, G. I bought the instrument because I had joined a Gaelic rock band that needed a fiddler, I was previously using my classical instrument and the volume output and range weren’t cutting it. Also, lugging my symphony cello all over the place was becoming a real pain – this new electric is lighter then even I anticipated. Cecilio makes an instrument that sounds fine enough for me. I would say in the 2,500 dollar cello range, give or take a grand, keeping in mind that this is electric and will have a slightly different finish on the sound. It is sensitive enough to register vibrato, though you have to be aggressive with it. It does have better sound quality with different strings (as others have commented) and I should add that the lower ranged strings sound better than the higher ranged strings. However, for my purposes it was great, especially since I was playing mostly on the new E string that I had bought and was jamming with electric basses, drums, and guitars and such that blended well with the mix. I’ve played this instrument at paying out door venues for hours in freezing temperatures as well as in seedy cigarette smelling bars. The temperatures didn’t seem to effect it much. It additionally held up under the typical 4 to 5 hours of practice sessions a week and it never once broke a string – even the “cheap” ones that came with it. You will get blackened fingers from playing because the paint will come off on your hands when you play it. This lessens with time and after 6 months of steady playing it won’t be an issue. I did wear through two bows trying to keep up the fiddlers pace, though. Regarding the bow it comes with, I can’t comment too much on its quality as I bought a black bow to match the instrument and to give a better stage look. I would assume that the provided bow could use a re-hair to keep the hairs glued and depressed down by the frog area. This is a common problem with cheaper bows – the hair pops out of the frog and loss of bow hair tension results. But as a back up bonus bow? Hell yes! And a most excellent freebie! Did I mention the other freebies? Free rosin (call it 3 bucks), cables and plugs (lets say 15 bucks) and a cheap but functional headset (five bucks)? That’s around 25 dollars of free accessories before you even get to the cello, case and bow. The freebies alone sweeten this deal and make the gamble worth it. Additionally, if you are a parent out there, this lets your child practice without the whole household hearing their screw ups or “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” 5,000 times. Are you a professional musician and sometimes wake up at odd hours and want to practice? Live in a college dorm? No problem here. You can affix a harness and play standing or lengthen the in-pin and do the same. I’ve tried it and it works well. The freedom to play whenever and wherever I want is liberating for a cellist, who is normally shackled to their chair. I have to say, this ‘little guy that could’ really took the abuse and kept on marching. We both learned many things along our musical journeys together – mostly he teaching me about the world of playing an electronic instrument (feedback and popping sounds from switching things on/off out of sequence) and what it is to be a musician that plays a more portable instrument. I would highly recommend it. I haven’t been disappointed. PS: I bought the A’addario E string and paid in the 325.00 range (total plus shipping) for the instrument.

I read some of the old reviews and apparently Cecelio listened. Mine arrived in great condition. The paint was perfect, the bridge was the right height, the fingerboard is ebony and the neck maple. The dimensions are true to a 4/4 cello and it plays well. The braces for legs and chest aren’t comfortable but they work. The fit of the tuning pegs could be improved as the ends don’t fully seat in the scroll. A luthier with the proper taper bit can fix this easily. The electronics, sadly, SUCK. The tone control is actually very good but the digital electronics won’t handle FORTE. If you are playing aggressively the sine wave is more than it can handle and distorts big time and the volume cuts in and out. I tore out the electronics and wired the pickup to a 1/4″ Speakman power jack. No volume control or tone control on the cello but that can be handled through a DI box. Cost of cello and improvements about $600. Not bad.