Stagg ECL 4/4 WH Cello - Electric

I was hopeful that the Stagg would fill my need to have a compact, portable, and durable pratice cello. The first few days things were working out fine. Then one tuner/peg feel apart. I exchanged it for a new one. The second one was problematic from the beginning. The G string broke on the first tuning attempt. OK, easy to replace. This one had a buzz/rattle noise when playing D,E, and F on the C string. I could not isolate the problem. In addition, it was eating battery's every couple of hours. I sent it back.I could not find any reviews on the cello so I relied on the reviews of the I Stagg electronic bass, which were mostly positive. I don't know if these were early production models with bugs that will be worked out, but for now I give it one star. If quality is improved it should be a good cello.

(Full disclosure I am a beginning cellist learning on an acoustic). My intent was to use it to play some simple legato accompaniment in a band as it's definitely more convenient to gig with than an acoustic. However, the strings and sound are dramatically worse than even a cheap acoustic. Even significantly EQ'ed the low end (c2 up to about b2) is muddy and the high end (a3 and beyond) is very thin, "tinny". Maybe an experienced cellist can get a better tone, but in a novice's hands the amplified sound is barely recognizable as a cello.Furthermore, it takes a bit of adjustment in position to get comfortable with the " wire frame" extensions, especially on your chest and left leg. Another ancillary issue is that the extensions "wobble" in their sockets even when screwed-in tightly, making the instrument feel unstable as it lays against you. It will still rotate slightly as you play. While I don't think I had enough time to break-in the strings, I had a hard time keeping it in tune with just the guitar (really cheap bass) tuners. The end pin and adjustment have a very solid feel to them.It's pickup and electronics are quiet and I liked the convenience of the blue light, switched 1/4" and headphone jacks so the battery doesn't drain by mistake. It's a solid, heavy instrument (expect to feel like it's 3x the weight of a 4/4 acoustic.)

This is an innovative breakthrough for an electric cello. Especially in this price range. First, there are tuners rather than pegs. Why would someone prefer pegs over tuners? An electric cello with 350 year old tuning technology makes no sense to me at least. The expensive Yamaha uses pegs or mechanical tuners-be careful!The angle of neck/fingerboard looks like it was designed by a serious luthier. The cello has some weight and spaces correctly to your body so that your position adapts similarly to my wooden acoustic. Other electric cellos gave me problems in this area. My bow angle always was never optimal with a Celio for example. I always seemed to be fighting my bow grip.I would never invest in the Yamaha because of the expense. Because to me, electrics are about pickup technology and being able to move from acoustic to the electric without the need for a chiropractor. No wolf notes here, an elimination verified on play back.The bridge can be adjusted to always make the correct string height. Although no adjustments were needed out of the box. This is a well thought out design feature. I replaced the strings with Aricores and the sound quality improved immensely. The pickup is not your standard piezo, it's a step up with both volume and tone control.I use the cello for studio work through a Boss guitar ME50 effects processor outputted to two separate channels for stereo. This gives me many options for wonderful sounds. If you work the mixing board/processor combination correctly with this instrument, you can get a very authentic traditional sound. Obviating microphones always makes for a much quicker production which is why I prefer an electronics anyway for recording.With just standard studio monitor headphones (7506) plugged directly into the cello, it also sounds fine. Or, there is plenty of resonance to practice silently.There IS an occasional buzz with the G string. This is especially true if you overbow, which is something to avoid anyway with an electrics because of active electronics.I find the battery life to be fine. The battery is only activated when the phones or external jack (to an amp) are plugged in. The blue pilot light will let you know, and reminds you to unplug both headphone and amp jacks when your finished using the cello.Lastly, I was lucky enough to find a white one, since they are in very short supply. This is a very attractive color that contrasts well with the otherwise black components of the cello. The included bow was surprisingly OK, although I prefer my professional bow. The case or bag is also very well made.This is a German-engineered cello, manufactured in China designed for a player at any level. Considering the cost, you really get an incredible value for the money.

Item arrived well-packaged and looked great. It went together well but, when I plugged it in, there was no sound. I tried different amps and patch cords but there was no sound at all from the pickup. Not even hiss, hum, scratching or static. I first emailed the Stagg customer service address provided, which for some reason was in the UK. I have not received any reply and it's been a couple of weeks.Amazon chat immediately offered me a complete refund so this service was good. But they also suggested I could order a replacement. However, when I looked at ordering another, the price had gone up almost $200!!! What's that about???For the increase in cost, I was able to find a 3/4 size electric upright bass on another website.

El producto es bueno, sin embargo faltaron piezas y, aunque contacté al vendedor, nunca solucionó nada

it doesn't bow very well; it's the problem with ALL piezo bowed instruments. it sounds ok, nothing good or great. PIZZICATO on the other hand, is LOTS of fun. you get a better response from the pickup and it sounds good.