A firm called Kay manufactured both 'cellos and string basses of laminated construction. The basses were well-regarded, the 'cellos were not. I believe that the difference was due to the energy generated by the strings: that of the bass is higher than the 'cello. You really had to dig into the strings to get a good sound out of a Kay 'cello, but the bass sounded okay. The prices of the instruments were fairly low and they were very sturdy, which is an important consideration for student instruments. The tops and backs were very stiff. The instruments were very heavy and their finish was, well, utilitarian. Many of the carved string instruments used in schools in the 1950's and '60's were made in Saxony in Germany by 'cottage industy' piecework laborers who worked under truly wretched conditions. The prices were low. I believe that the Kay 'cello and bass were designed to compete with these Saxony instruments. Mark Kinsler 512 E Mulberry St. Lancaster, Ohio USA 43130 740-687-6368 http://home.earthlink.net/~mkinsler1 _________________________________________________________________ Check out the new MSN 9 Dial-up — fast & reliable Internet access with prime features! http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=dialup/home&ST=1
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