1990s Leon Aubert K650 Romanian-made 4/4 Cello
This is a customer's cello that was in for repair and whatnot. It's a school instrument that got a broken heel (in the usual place -- just above where it meets the top) perhaps decades ago and sat in storage ever since.
I'm guesstimating that it's a 1990s instrument but it could be as early as the '80s. It's made in Romania and clearly intended for the education market as it has a solid, carved-spruce top over ply maple back and sides. Make no mistake -- now that it's done-up it sounds quite good, though, and handles well. It also feels quite sturdy and devil-may-care.
It's a full 27" 4/4 instrument.
Repairs included: fixing the bad heel crack -- with an internal bolt and epoxy. Yes, it gets some more mileage out of it. That's good enough. I've fixed other cheaper cellos and basses in this manner and they're still going strong. I also added 4:1 geared Perfection Pegs at the headstock and set it up with D'Addario Pro-Arte (Dominant-style) strings. Because of ease of the Perfection Pegs, the fine tuners on the Wittner tailpiece are essentially pointless, now...
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