First Look

My CdA is informed by my cello-making experience and seasoned with my HdA making. The body is adapted from my traditional cello. The shape came from my HdA but in mirror image so the cellist has the normal anchor point of the lower bass corner. Structurally, the body is strengthened to counter the stresses from 6 additional strings. I use a modified French hybrid bridge to handle the extra bowed string and the 5 additional sympathetic strings. The bridge arc is flattened to facilitate double-stop string crossings and ease bow-arm ergonomics. The sympathetic strings anchor to the tailpiece with a custom-made titanium “fork” with three curved tines. It plugs into the bottom of the tailpiece. As with the HdA, the bowed strings are wound gut, with the possible exception of the E-string.  This suits the resonances of the instrument and keeps the total tension of the string load lower.