Crystalcello MC150 Full Size 4/4 Cello with Lightweight Case + Carrying Bag + Bow + Accessories

When I was quoted $1,000 locally at two stores for a cello just to begin lessons, I thought I could do better online. I found a cello through Crystal Cello. With any cello you buy, you're going to pay $80-$125 extra for set-up charges (tuning and setting the sound peg inside; installing the bridge), but I had to spend more like $480: $80 - Set-up; $400 - Within a month, I started having trouble, and the cello was in the shop repeatedly as we made adjustments and repairs. Here's all that went wrong: the fingerboard (just black-painted wood, not ebony) warped up into the strings and made the cello unplayable and had to be replaced along with the nut; the post at the bottom had to be loosened so it would slide out of the cello. No complaints about their service or shipping, but the reality is I got the cello and its case for about $225, but now I'm into it for $700. I've still saved money over the locally quoted price, but it has been frustrating having the cello in and out of the shop and missing lessons repeatedly just when I'm starting. If you're not prepared for the frustration of repair and interrupted learning, it might be better to pay a little extra and buy from a local music store.2/13/2014 Update: It's been almost four years since I wrote that review. In hindsight, I think I would be more gentle. Yes, it probably would have been better if I had paid the $1,000-$3,000 for a quality cello. At the same time, if I had seen that price tag, I wouldn't have been playing cello at all. I've now had four wonderful years learning and playing. Yes, my cello is pretty limited, but I love it, and it is a great student cello; probably in the next year, I'm going to spring for a more profession cello in the $3,000-$5,000 range. Being able to play has so enriched my life, that I am now far less critical of how I began. Upgrading it one star!

I bought this cello and I couldn’t keep it tuned for a single second. As soon as I found the right tune, I grabbed the bow and when I started playing the sound was already untuned.