Common faults & repairs
Visit the Skwiix Outlet to find repairers, tools and accessories that can help with your instrument repair requirements.
The Bridge may snap
The nicely-carved piece of wood that holds the strings up above the belly for acoustic reasons. Made of a soft, very grainy wood which is strong in one direction and weak in the others, this is a common breakage. Once again, very low priced to replace, although you'll probably need a repairer to do it for you as it has to be fitted to the curvature of the Cello belly. Again, you could learn to do it yourself for when you have the same problem at a future date.
The Finger-Board may come off
This black strip of wood under the strings is never glued-on; very firmly sometimes, the slightest knock will bring it off. A very low-priced and quick repair item
The stick of the bow snaps
Fortunately, they are very low priced. When this happens, it's not worth trying to have it repaired; it is best to get it replaced.
The horse-hair of the bow wears out
Eventually, the bow will need re-hairing at a meagre cost. If the bow is of poor quality, you might buy a new one instead - it won't cost much more.
Tail-Gut breaks
The Tail-Gut is what holds the tailpiece to the bottom of the instrument. It can look worrying as the tailpiece, all four strings, and the bridge will then fly in different directions! It is not, however, a serious problem and will be low-priced to repair
Serious damage to the wood of the Cello
More severe damage to the wood of the Cello, like knocks or cracks, may sometimes appear all by themselves - it is also easily repaired by an expert. Your Cello teacher should be able to recommend a suitable repairer because they have to have their instrument attended to sometimes. Skwiix strongly recommends always using a qualified repairer to maintain your instrument. Carrying out repairs yourself can seriously damage your instrument's sound and value. Unfortunately, the large size of the Cello makes it prone to accidental damage because most Cello cases are not rigid; they are made of cloth, canvas or plastic. You should try to get a padded case if possible, though this will not provide the same protection to the instrument as a rigid case. Rigid cases made of fibreglass are available but can be expensive and much too awkward and heavy for a child to carry.
Strings
Cellos are more expensive to buy than Violins. Cello strings are also costly - the thicker G and C strings are more expensive than the thin A string. Still, fortunately, they last much longer than Violin (up to a year on average). They often don't break but need replacing because the steel outer casing has worn and sharp edges have appeared.