Cello Run!

We just got back from Pocatello, on a trip to bring my Dungey cello back to cellomaker Christopher Dungey to get its last coat of varnish and a general checkup and tuning. I've had it for 6 months. My Dungey cello will be with Chris for at least a few weeks and will change from a yellow/brown color to more of a reddish brown. Chris said that over the summer he had 10 of his cellos back and that it was amazing to have so many at the same time. He still had 3 of his older cellos in the shop and I had fun seeing how his cellos have evolved over time. The model cello I have is his latest and greatest and will continue to sound better as it ages.

As an extra treat, he had some David Russell Young bows that I tried out. I'm ready for a new bow, and Chris just happened to see David Young not too long ago and had some of his new bows. It was unreal to hear the difference in sound between my current bow (unchanged since my last cello because I wanted to get used to my Dungey cello before buying a new bow) and the David Young bow. Chris kept saying, wait until I adjust the cello and you will be totally blown away by the sound! Even though the cello still sounds pretty great!

He has had the student cello that I had previously for the last 6 months; he took it home with him when he delivered my Dungey cello in February. We had agreed that he'd return it when I brought back the Dungey cello so that I'd have a cello to play. Chris replaned the fingerboard, changed the strings to a different set to get a better sound, replaced the soundpost, and repaired some varnish nicks and scratches. My student cello now sounds really good but I sure miss my Dungey cello.

Our other treat for the weekend was hanging out with Chris and his family, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. My husband's brother is married to Chris's sister, so Chris is family. How great is that, being related to such a talented cello maker? I have learned so much about cellos from Chris. Plus he gives me a lesson each time I see him :-)