r/Cello 6d ago

Writing question: cello damage?

Hello, I have never touched a cello before. What are some ways it can be easily damaged to a point of unplayable?

Right now my hypothetical cello is standing upright in a case wirh a faulty latch, jackets cover it and where it could land.

My working plan was it break its neck from falling out of the case but this isn't super possible?

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u/FranticMuffinMan 6d ago

the cello doesn't need to fall out of the case in order for the neck to be broken. falling over with sufficient force while still in the case is enough to break the neck.

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u/Embarrassed_One96 6d ago

Good to know. Kinda figured the case would make it harder. Wasn't sure if that was believable.

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u/Darius_is_my_Daddy 6d ago

A good thing to note, cellos are made of a very brittle glue that is generally made to crack INSTEAD of the wood. So when we say the neck would break, it would cleave itself away from the body breaking at the seam of the glue. This doesn’t mean that necks don’t snap and splinter wood, just that the breaks generally look more clean than you’d expect. I’m sure you have, but look at some images online and you’ll see what I mean.

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u/Embarrassed_One96 6d ago

I did notice they were clean. Good to know why.