Since about 2005, I have been making ‘cellos jointly with my friend and colleague Chris White. Like violas there is great variety in the choice of materials, models and size with ‘cellos making. We have a variety of models and have used diverse materials in our ‘cello making together.
Our primary model has been a cello based on the work of the Rugeri family, one of the most prolific producers of ‘cellos in the 17th century. The Rugeri’s were the first of the Cremonese makers to begin using a smaller pattern, with a back length around 75 cm.
Their ‘cellos often had willow and poplar backs rather than maple. The majority of the ‘cellos we have made on this pattern have followed their lead and featured these woods as well. The taller sculptural archings used with these lighter woods result in a very responsive instrument, with a darker tone color than the more traditional maple, in a slightly smaller sized instrument.
We also build a cello based on the B form pattern of Antonio Stradivari, which is probably the most popular cello pattern of the past several hundred years. This model has lower, broader archings and taller ribs than the Rugeri model cello, and is slightly larger. For our Stradivari model, we typically use figured maple.
More recently, we have begun making a cello model based on the work of the Venetian maker Matteo Gofriller, revisiting a pattern that I had used in the 1990’s.
‘Cello Photos