This instrument intrigued me ever since I saw it at the ASTA convention. Finally ordered one and was I surprised at the tone and feel. This instrument will work in a pinch and I'm thrilled with becoming a member of the Chincello Society. Keep up the good work.

Remarkably nice sound for such a small resonating chamber. Fun to play, nice narrow neck and good dimensions for the violist. I believe that I will find this useful on those Christmas Eve Midnight Mass gigs that had no cellos available or those weddings with string trio that have to move around a lot. I am currently learning to play cello (on the real instrument) but have to break myself of the habit of reading bass clef on the viola (always on the lower two strings). Already, the chin cello (which I prefer to refer to as an "octave" viola) is helping me with this (minor) problem. My students are intrigued with it and are understanding the concepts behind pitch/string length and string thickness/density. Thank you guys for bringing this instrument to our attention.

I am 63 years old. My 60 year goal was to teach myself to read music. My daughter and 3 small grandsons all took up fiddle. I bought my violin 4 years ago and by age 60 I achieved not only the goal of reading the treble clef notes to about 200 fiddle tunes, but l also earned to play the fiddle pretty well on my own without a teacher. My next goal is to learn the f clef. I considered the cello but realized I would have to learn to use a completely new set of muscle memory etc. Then I discovered the chincello which was the perfect instrument for my purposes. After dealing with the common 'c' string problem, I also had a problem with the tailpiece tailgut failing. I am so happy to report that with the help and support of WWBW, I have a beautifully sounding instrument. In fact, I can play all my fiddle tunes from memory on the instrument, although they are in a different key. I will need to learn the notes to this low octave instrument. I would rate this a 5 if it were not for the couple problems mentioned here. WWBW solved my problems, worked with me and replaced the needed pieces immediately at no cost. I am grateful to have such a reputable company helping to make what might have been a terribly frustrating situation into a very good experience. I love the instrument so that I simply had to find a way to make it work! The sound is incredible. When I visit my children next time, we will have a complete combo with this chincello addition. I'm thrilled. Thank you!

My new chin cello arrived this afternoon and I immediately began putting happy "miles" on it. The sound is quite warm, much more so than I thought it would produce. It has a rather nice feel, very comfortable to hold and certainly is an interesting, very unusual instrument to have. I took it immediately to my local music store where it drew a small crowd of technicians and string players. The only complaint I have is that the C string immediately failed, but WWBW offered replacements immediately without any quibble at all.

I found that this instrument surprised me with its depth of sound. On the lower strings you do have to put a lot of power into your bowing, but the instrument responds with loads of sound. On the D and A strings the instrument is sweet and mellow and most enjoyable. It is quite different from a violin to play, but great fun and just right for dragging round from one place to another with a group of fiddlers. I too had an issue with the "C" string failing. I replaced the failed "C" string with an octave violin "C" from supersensitive. I also rewound the "G" string on the "C" string peg. The new "C" string went on the "G" string peg. The string is a little too short for the instrument, but this is not critical for the sound. [Some of the end winding projects over onto the fingerboard]. New purchasers, enjoy your instrument!!! Like I do. Cheers Chris Bacchus