The cello situation in South Africa at this time remains less than ideal with very few instruments coming into the market. There is however effective trade in advanced student quality instruments, but a few fine professional quality instruments would be really welcome to fill the current dirth.

In the inventory to the left, the following applies:

• Instruments are listed with the best on offer appearing first, followed downwards by a systematic gradation of quality.
  
  
• All child cellos and other undersized instruments are presented at the bottom end of the listing, irrespective of their quality or price.
  
  
• This inventory is not exhaustive and does not necessarily contain all the instruments I have available. It is a considerable task to keep this website up to date. It is always a good idea to contact me directly to find out what other instruments I might have on hand.
  
  
• Wherever indicated, pictures of the instruments can be viewed. Where thumbnail photos are presented, these can be enlarged by clicking on the photo you want to see.

Ref. 0573 A Good Cello of Unknown Origin Circa 1880 Click here to view

This cello has an interesting history in that it belonged to a French cellist, a certain Lamont, who was a pupil of Pablo Casals. Casals reputedly selected this cello for Lamont and he used it till his death in a car crash in 1938. His widow sold the cello to a cellist in Sofia, Bulgaria from whom the present owner obtained it. It is unlabelled and its origin is unknown. Consensus is that it was made around 1880. It follows the Stradivari pattern and has very low arching on the top. This instrument is notably a solo cello and was used as such. The last two owners were both principal cellists and soloists and this cello was used extensively for recitals and concertos. It has beautiful tone with carrying power, yet plays very easily. It is a very good instrument by all standards. An attractive feature of this cello is its one-piece back with a narrow and distinct curl. The top is of fairly broadly grained tone spruce. The scroll is nicely made with deep fluting. The varnish is dark brown and a Fleur-de-lys emblem has been added to the centre of the back, probably later. The cello has been subject to some repairs, all professionally done, and is structurally sound and stable. Price: R110 000 back to top