This fine cello is played by Chris Gautier – who studied with Mr Cole at Curtis (knowing him all those years at Moennig’s …I could never call him “Landy”) and Aldo Parisot at Yale.
Ventapane no dobt studied with the members of the Gagliano family that were working at that time. You can see it clearly in the scroll with its “sea horse” shape, smallish head and the peg placement. Also the upright f-holes (which I don’t have a shot of) – the varnish, the wood selection- purfling etc all point to the Gagliano influence
When I first saw the cello it wasn’t sounding at its best and it had sunk a bit at the bass bar due to a skimpy bar and an old crack there that had weakened the area. It also needed a higher neck angle – one that would allow a Belgian bridge for more punch and power to the sound.
I removed the top – removed the old bar and fit some long studs with “spring” that pushed up the top to the correct arching ( this is a quicker and less costly way than making a cast – correcting the cast and then pressing the top into a corrected cast to restore the arching) These studs need to go under the bar – with the bar being fit over top of them. The photo shows the studs glued in and in the process of being shaped.
Notice the interior shot with the filled nail hole on the original top block – there was a nail going through the top block into the neck stock for strength when the cello was made – this cello has had a neck graft and has been reset into the top block – the nail has been removed and the hole filled.
