Jean Baptiste Martinelli 1957, West Germany (GE055) - $9,995 Canadian

Jean Baptiste Martinelli 1957, West Germany (GE055) - $9,995 Canadian

This cello was made in West Germany and imported into the United States by Scherl and Roth through the Roth workshop. Two labels inside the instrument tell its story. The first reads "Jean Baptiste Martinelli, hand made reproduction of Antonius Stradivari," while the second is a dated Scherl & Roth certification label indicating that the instrument was "constructed and shop adjusted to MENC specifications."

MENC, the Music Educators National Conference, established standards in the early 1950s that specified materials and measurements for string instruments. These standards emerged in response to music educators' concerns about the inconsistent quality of imported instruments—variations in string height, neck angle, and materials, for example, significantly affected playability and were causing frustration among students. Instruments meeting these requirements earned the MENC designation, ensuring a baseline of quality and consistency.

The cello is nicely made, featuring a beautifully flamed maple back with flames ascending from the center seam. It's in very good condition, having recently returned from a luthier who corrected the neck angle by installing a shim beneath a new fingerboard. Currently fitted with Permanent strings, a Wittner tailpiece, and a carbon fiber endpin, the instrument produces a highly resonant sound with impressive volume and projection.

The length of back is 754mm, high resolution photos available on request.