Fun project converting an older German cello that belongs to Derek Barnes of the Philadelphia Orchestra into a 5 string cello …. with a high E. I removed the old fingerboard and replaced it with a wider one that flared subtly outward from the neck to allow as much playing surface to space the strings…. along with a new top nut. Here is a shot of the Baroque bridge being roughed out… and me tentatively working out the overall and individual spacing for playability. Derek had a clever idea of drilling an extra hole in the A peg to accept the E string. By adjusting the amount of tail of the E string pulling through the peg you could tune both strings quite close to pitch and then use fine tuners from there…. much easier than bushing all 4 peg holes and reaming out 5 new ones!
Fascinating to hear the whole other world a cello can produce when the sound leaves the A string and soars into the unknown reaches of the E string!
