My new cello, for about an hour
Raven, my new black five-string carbon-fiber cello, arrived today via overnight Fedex from Massachusetts. Raven is sleek and black and iridescent and very beautiful. I've been waiting impatiently for his arrival for seven long weeks. Unfortunately, he only stayed and played for about an hour, and then I had to pack him back up and send him back.
You see, somewhere between Syracuse and Seattle, Raven developed a nasty buzz. Or so we surmise; he didn't have it when he left Massachusetts. He did develop a nasty buzz once before, though: last Thursday, on the very day he was originally supposed to be shipped to me. They replaced the tailpiece and the buzz went away -- or so they thought -- so they went ahead and shipped him to arrive today, when I knew I'd be home. However, the buzz (or another similar buzz) was back when he arrived at my door. Unfortunately, this time it wasn't just the tailpiece; this buzz resides in the front of the instrument itself, which actually makes a creaking noise when you press gently on it with a finger. Pressing and holding the right spot on the front (top) of the instrument makes the buzz disappear. I suspect the bass bar, which is attached lengthwise under the top, may be imperfectly attached and is what's creating the creak/buzz. In any case, I phoned the maker, and they were apologetic and very nice about it, and said to send him back immediately, collect.
Hmmm... perhaps I should not have named him Raven; it seems to have bestowed on him a penchant for mischief-making. In any case, I hope the mischief doesn't continue past this initial "glitch"; I don't relish the idea of having my cello commute between Seattle and Boston for maintenance & repairs!
You see, somewhere between Syracuse and Seattle, Raven developed a nasty buzz. Or so we surmise; he didn't have it when he left Massachusetts. He did develop a nasty buzz once before, though: last Thursday, on the very day he was originally supposed to be shipped to me. They replaced the tailpiece and the buzz went away -- or so they thought -- so they went ahead and shipped him to arrive today, when I knew I'd be home. However, the buzz (or another similar buzz) was back when he arrived at my door. Unfortunately, this time it wasn't just the tailpiece; this buzz resides in the front of the instrument itself, which actually makes a creaking noise when you press gently on it with a finger. Pressing and holding the right spot on the front (top) of the instrument makes the buzz disappear. I suspect the bass bar, which is attached lengthwise under the top, may be imperfectly attached and is what's creating the creak/buzz. In any case, I phoned the maker, and they were apologetic and very nice about it, and said to send him back immediately, collect.
Hmmm... perhaps I should not have named him Raven; it seems to have bestowed on him a penchant for mischief-making. In any case, I hope the mischief doesn't continue past this initial "glitch"; I don't relish the idea of having my cello commute between Seattle and Boston for maintenance & repairs!