"The final chapter of the "Getting Here" saga:

I rang FedEx at 8.05 am for an ETA and they promised to call back.  At 9.20 I rang again and they promised to call back.  At 10.35 I rang again and they told me it was on the van and would be delivered by 12.00 noon.

I cleaned the house (can't have her arriving to a dirty house) and hung up washing in the backyard.  Every time I heard truck noises I went running out the front.  Lucky I did, because on a foray at 11.35 am there was a white van pulled up a little down the street with the driver looking at his street directory.  "Are you FedEx? I called.  He nodded.  "It's for me" I called.  He looked perplexed.  I walked over.  "For 1B (protected street name) Avenue?"    "Oh" said he, "I've been waiting for 10 minutes down at number 18 and was just about to drive off! Lucky you came out when you did."......

My anxiety level skyrocketed as he "tossed" the box out onto the nature strip.  "Hey BE Careful! It's a cello!  It's fragile!"  "Oh " said he.  We carried it inside between the two of us, I signed and got rid of him.

Then quietly, slowly, methodically, CAREFULLY I slit the tape, put the knife in the other room and opened the box.  First thing out was the T-shirt - so I put it on (fits perfectly and I love the colour!).  Then there was your lovely presentation card - thank you!  Then the bow - which was out of the case, not in it.  It is gorgeous - in perfect condition, though with a small slit to the plastic bag.  Carefully I lay the bow out on a small low table with all the documentation.  I have a large plastic rubbish bag into which I begin to neatly scoop the starch peanuts.  Then I can't stand it any longer - I gently lift out the case.

WOW!  What a beautiful case! I lie the case down - take 5 minutes to figure out all the zippers, flaps and clasps.  I take a deep breath, murmur a short prayer and open up!  I was prepared to be disappointed with the colour of the cello because I thought I preferred a lighter golden colour.  But here is this glorious, burnished chocolate cello glowing up at me.  I choke.  Gently, tenderly I check the neck - still in one piece!  Another prayer of thanksgiving! 

I take her out. I sit on the couch and just hold her for about 10 minutes smelling her beautiful smell.  I wipe her down with my specially prepared silk cloth (she's dusty from the packing).  Her top two strings have come unstrung but the bottom two are fine; the bridge is up; the soundpost is in place.  I look in the F holes and read her label...  Finally I tenderly put her down on the couch and go and find some tweezers so that I can get a hold of the strings and feed them back through the holes in the pegs.

I just manage this, when my piano teacher (who is also a dear friend) arrives to see her.  We tune her up (I'm going to have to get used to tuning the G and C strings without fine tuners!).  I try to rosin my new Joh Krausch Select bow but I can see it's going to take too long so I grab my old bow and start playing.  I fall instantly and irrevocably in love with her VOICE!

You know I had no doubts that you were a reputable company, but the big risk was to buy sound unheard.  I felt nervous because I wasn't even sure I knew what you meant when you described "bright", "dark" "open" "clean".  I thought if worse came to the worst, and I really couldn't get on with her voice then I could sell her to someone who she suited and use the money to get something else that I could listen to first.  The most astonishing thing is how you managed to get me a perfect match.  I feel like we fit each other like a glove. Apart from your absolutely wonderful customer service - I've never experienced anything like it in all my life -your ability to match a client with a cello is uncanny. She's so much better than anything I tried out here.  I MUCH prefer her to the Gligas that I tried - even the Gliga 1 that I liked and that was more expensive.  I love her feel too- her neck is just right.  I feel very comfortable.  I had thought I'd prefer the more slender Gliga type neck but I'm very happy as is.

Well, this is my "first impressions" account.  There's still teacher and luthier assessments to come.  But you have one EXTREMELY HAPPY customer.  I would go through the whole thing again - including mail delays, shipping costs, GST, quarantine inspections and lost courier trucks ! And of course I feel like I've made two new friends! Our next order will be a Kalo Bartok violin in 2 to three years (unless you have someone even more splendiferous to offer by then!). 

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!"