Erlangen Cello, Probably Roman Teller c.1960, Germany (GE052) - SOLD

Erlangen Cello, Probably Roman Teller c.1960, Germany (GE052) - SOLD

This cello hails from the Erlangen/Bubenreuth area of Germany and was made around 1960 probably by the Roman Teller workshop. The varnish on the instrument is quite distinctive; red with heavy antiquing – a finish favored by their workshop at the time.

There is a hand written note inside the cello; ‘Regraduated by E.H. Sangster, Dallas, Texas 1962’ but no label (likely removed during the re-graduating process). Re-graduating involves removing the top plate & carefully sanding down the inside plates to reach desired thicknesses in certain areas. Much research has gone into the effect on tone of graduating an instrument’s plates and the best violin-makers today have a deep understanding in this area.

A well graduated instrument will resonate freely and produce more sound and that is exactly what this cello does; it has a big, resonant open tone with plenty of projection, I really enjoy playing this cello.

E. H. Sangster (b.1889, d.1970) was a Dallas based violin-maker, repairer and instructor. He made around 85 instruments and his work is highly regarded, I would very much enjoy playing a cello by him should I come across one.

There is a repaired crack on the lower bass side of the table and two small repaired rib cracks. The varnish is a lovely deep red color with heavy antiquing; it reminds me of the violin in the Red Violin movie with Samuel L. Jackson. There is a fair amount of varnish touch-up. The cello has been fitted with new Kaplan strings, bridge, carbon fiber endpin and Wittner tailpiece and is in top playing condition.

The length of back is 756mm. High resolution photos available on request.