7/8 Grimley/Foster Bench Made English Cello 1987 (EN017) SOLD

7/8 Grimley/Foster Bench Made English Cello 1987 (EN017)

Wonderful bench-made 1987 English cello, a collaboration by two excellent English luthiers; Ken Grimley of Southport and Randall Foster of Chorley, Lancashire. It is made slightly smaller in the highly sought after 7/8ths size- ideal for players that struggle with the larger models.

I jumped at the opportunity to acquire this cello as I highly regard Randall Foster and indeed play an instrument of his myself (when not playing antique ones). Mine is a terrific cello, meticulously made and with a complex range of sound. I frequently get positive comments on its beauty & tone (unlike my playing)!  I see a lot of similarities in this one.

Randall Foster only made a few instruments, he didn’t need to as he was independently wealthy. He was a polymath and absolute perfectionist and his works shows this. My personal feeling is that had he been more prolific, his instruments would have found their way into the hands of some top players and his work would be extremely sort after now.  My advice – if you have the opportunity to buy an instrument of his, do so.

Ken Grimley was a tremendous luthier and accomplished cellist playing in many prestigious venues across the UK. He trained with Randall Foster and seeing his fine work inspired Ken to become a maker. He became extremely proficient in his craft and was employed by some of the country's top string shops during his career. 

This particular instrument is in excellent condition, it has a front made from ‘Bear Claw’ (Haselfichte in German) spruce. This term refers to the irregular markings in the wood. ‘Bear Claw’ is a rare form of spruce tonal wood; one estimate is that only one in forty trees displays the pattern. It was highly prized by some of the great makers through history - Stradivari, Montagnana & Del Gesù all made instruments featuring it. The wood is thought to have superior tonal qualities and makers today expect to pay more for it.

The cello has a beautiful honey colored varnish which accentuates the ‘Bear Claw’ markings. The fingerboard has been dressed and a new tailpiece and Kaplan D’Addario strings have been fitted.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a quality handmade 7/8 English cello in excellent condition.

Length of back is 737mm

High resolution photos can be sent on request.