(from the Discussion Board)

"My 10 year old son has been playing cello for a year and received his 3/4 Crescendo cello with the Krausch bow just shy of 2 weeks ago. I have been waiting to write to you until we had been with his cello teacher a couple of times. When it arrived it was obvious just based on looks that this was a superior instrument. The color was rich and full and the wood grains were just gorgeous. Even my son's 10 year old ear could tell the difference when we compared the Crescendo with his rental. The real test would come when we went to his lesson. We had discussed StringWorks with his teacher but she was less than enthusiastic based on the price. She felt that since my son was only going to be in a 3/4 size for 2 years that spending over $1000 on a 3/4 cello wasn't worth it. We live in a small town and if we went to resell we would never get that kind of money for it. People here just don't spend over $500 for a 3/4 instrument let alone a $230 bow! So I really was in a quandary over what to do. However, after comparing several companies I had to go with my "gut feeling" and went with StringWorks knowing I could return it. The reason for going with the more expensive bow was that his teacher had said the bow is everything in cello and I wanted to give my son as much encouragement as possible by going with the best in his experience level. We immediately noticed the difference in weight and craftsmanship between the Krausch and what he had previously. When we walked in the room her first comment was "that's the most beautiful cello I've ever seen." She was very impressed with the sound of the cello. At first she didn't like the bow (she admitted she was use to hers) but as she played more she stated that this bow would be perfect for my son. She then mentioned that someone had paid $800 for a cello and in her words it was more or less a piece of junk. She is very excited about this cello and continues to comment on its beauty and its sound. She said it's wonderful to see a cello that has real wood and grain. The most important aspect of this is that my son loves his cello. Washes his hands before he plays and cleans it afterwards. He had his heart set on a hard case and with his own money (we found an exceptional case for only $99 for a 3/4 size) went and bought it -- even though he admitted the bag that StringWorks provided was of a superior grade than what he had had previously. I must add that my son had never been enthusiastic about the cello and at times had actually hated it. That's all changed now. He even asks me to buy Yo Yo Ma CDs for him. Also, since his cello is 1000xxx better than his last one, his teacher is spending more time on bow technique with him because with the Crescendo we can hear the difference. My son is encouraged playing now because he doesn't sound like a sick moose and it is enjoyable to listen to him. His teacher is delighted because she can listen to a wonderful sounding instrument. (Can you imagine how many terrible sounding instruments a teacher listens to in a day!) His teacher also mentioned that one of her students has just purchased a $2500 cello out of NY (from a fellow that she highly!!!! recommends) and I'm very curious to ask her next week how the sound of that instrument compares to my son's Crescendo. I'll keep you posted.  Thanks again for your service and expertise.

In my last post, I mentioned that my son's teacher was anxiously waiting to hear the $2500 cello one of her students was getting from NY. It was being done by a person whom she considers to be one of the best in the cello world. Well, last lesson I asked her what she thought. She smiled and said that there wasn't much difference between the $2500 cello and my son's Crescendo.

Good job Stringworks!" - L.S.