1970s Engelhardt (Ex-Kay) 3/4-Size Cello

Our guy Tim found this old cello languishing somewhere or other. He brought it in and Manny got it sorted with some bridge, soundpost, seam, and setup work. It's now playing spot-on and fit for service -- ready for the next owner.

It's got a shorter scale and smaller body size than a full, 4/4 but it sure does sound pretty excellent for what it is -- an all-ply, student-model affair with cheesy finish and a ton of finish weather-checking and bumps and scuffs all over.

There's not much to write home about it, otherwise, though. These earlier Engelhardts were made in the US of A and built out of the old Kay factory, as I recall. I think we fit a fresh set of Alphayue (Thomastik) strings on it which, of course, helps the sound compared to the Super Sensitives you usually find on these old guys.

A big advantage of these instruments is that they are ply and still sound good, so if you're the type who doesn't want to be adjusting setups or spending a lot of time caring and feeding for your cello, this is not a bad choice.