1990s Leon Aubert K650 4/4 Fretted Cello
Overview: Some time back Ancel and I did a fretted cello conversion for our friend Steve. Our other friend Reese got in on the act with this cello after seeing Steve's -- this one being a Leon Aubert-branded K650 model made in Romania -- and had Ancel convert it as well. It's a sturdy, simple, practical instrument with an all-ply body and a good, even, full sound with decent volume. The frets make it a lot easier for an average player to get good sound (and even chordal use) out of a cello and makes it a very useful toy for studio work as well. I've played this both tuned to standard CGDA and for use as a piccolo bass in EADG tuning and it's great for both, though of course you know what bassists will prefer...
Anyhow, it's been stable since work was done back in February of 2024. Reese has moved-on to playing double bass, now, and so this cello is surplus to his needs.
Repairs included: This got a bunch of work! The first bit was repairing and reinforcing a damaged heel (it had been broken-off about an inch and a half below the fingerboard) and it's epoxied-up and fit internally with reinforcement as well. The next bit was the challenge -- fretting jumbo stainless steel wire over a a Romberg bevel on the fingerboard -- what a pain! Ancel did a great job (including fitting a zero fret) and then, as I recall, I just needed to fit the bridge for it afterwards and we replaced the friction peg tuners with Hipshot lightweight bass tuners. It's playing nicely and has been stable in service.
- Weight: 7 lbs 15 oz
- Scale length: 26 1/4"
- Nut width: 1 5/16"
- Neck shape: medium C
- Neck depth near nut: 1 3/8"
- Neck depth before heel: 1 19/32"
- Body length: 29 5/8"
- Body width: 15 1/4"
- Body depth: 5"
- Top wood: ply spruce
- Back & sides wood: ply maple
- Bridge: maple
- Fingerboard: ebony
- Neck wood: maple
- Strings: Thomastik Alphayue
- Action height: ~3/32" at the 12th fret
Condition notes: The heel is repaired and there's light wear and tear to the finish here and there throughout, but it's mostly respectable.
It comes with: It has a good, heavy-duty, plastic-shelled hard case and a decent bow and rosin.
Consignment tag: REHS
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