Best Cecilio Cellos Guide [2022]

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Lacey began her musical career playing the piano and writing original songs to sing with her friends at a 4th-grade “graduation” ceremony. She's actively participated in school, community, and church choirs throughout her life. Music is her passion and she loves sharing that passion with you!

Needs of Beginners versus Other Musicians

There are many different Cecilio cellos. The company is highly regarded for producing top-quality whether you need something for a beginner or an advanced musician. That said, you still need to understand the different needs of beginners versus other musicians to get the most out of this Best Cecilio Cellos Guide.

Beginners	Need kits with good instruments and accessories
Intermediates	Need acoustic or electric components that influence the sound
Professionals	Need handcrafted instruments from fine hardwoods

Beginners

Beginners don’t need cellos that are very fancy. The level of construction and craftsmanship doesn’t matter as much for a beginner as it will later for intermediate and professional musicians.

The quality of the wood and the hardware influences the sound but in subtle ways that beginners are not likely to notice. Beginners only need to focus on how to hold their cello and how to move the bow across the strings while also reading music. For this reason, student models are the best option.

Intermediates

Intermediate musicians might have a few years of regular practice and performance that help them notice tonal differences in characteristics afforded by changes in cello construction material. Things like the wood used for the body, the type of strings on the cello, and the height of the neck start to influence the sound at this level.

Professionals

Once you reach the level of a professional musician, you are likely performing regularly. You know which type of playing style and technique is best for you, and you might even switch back and forth between an acoustic and an electric cello, depending on the venue. At this level, differences in maple versus spruce versus mahogany become significant.

Sizes

This Best Cecilio Cellos Guide wouldn’t be complete without a quick explanation of cello sizes; many of the best Cecilio cellos have a few sizes from which to choose. This table shows a quick breakdown, but you might need to adjust based on height and arm span.

4-5 years old	1/10 cello
5-6 years old	⅛ cello
6-7 years old	¼ cello
8-10 years old	½ cello
11-14 years old	¾ cello
14+	4/4 cello

Best Cecilio Cellos Guide

Now that you understand what you should look for when picking a cello, it’s time to compare some of the best Cecilio models. This Best Cecilio Cellos Guide will help you choose based on beginner models through professional models, acoustic and electric too.

Beginners	Cecilio CCO-100 Student Cello	$300
Beginners/Intermediate	Cecilio CCO-300	$450
Intermediate	Cecilio CCO-500	$500
Advanced	Cecilio CCO-600	$800
Beginner/Intermediate	Cecilio 4/4 CECO-3DW Electric Cello	$350
Intermediate/Advanced	Cecilio CECO-2BK Electric Cello	$400

My selection criteria for these best options included durability, the quality of the materials, and whether the design was skill-appropriate.

Cecilio CCO-100 Student Cello

The first and most popular Cecilio cello is their basic student model, the CCO-100. It’s constructed from two main types of wood: spruce and maple. Maple is used for the entire construction except for the top, made from a crack-proof piece of spruce. This crack-proof design makes it ideal for beginners, especially small children, because this is the place that is most likely to break.

I love this instrument as a beginner model because I’m a huge fan of any well-designed beginner instrument, and it comes with a variety of accessories. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to start a new hobby only to realize that in addition to the main piece, you have to invest in half a dozen accessories, but you don’t know which ones are the right fit.

You don’t have this problem with the Cecilio cello. This model comes with everything you need, including a brazilwood bow crafted with Mongolian horsehair, a cello stand so you can rest your instrument when you’re done playing, an extra set of strings and rosin, as well as a soft bag in which to carry everything.

Pros

Comes with Brazilwood bow made of horsehair, padded case, stand, strings, bridge, and rosin
½ size cello
Comes in black, purple, or blue if you prefer a colored finish
Made with crack-proof spruce on the top
Maple for the fingerboard, pegs, neck, sides, and back.

Cons

Meant only for beginners, lacking the high quality of a professional instrument

Cecilio CCO-300 Cello

The 4/4 full-sized Cecilio CCO-300 cello is the perfect choice for someone transitioning from a beginner who doesn’t know how to play to an intermediate performer playing or practicing regularly. If, for example, you have a child who is now part of a band or music group at school, this is an excellent next investment.

The quality and tone produced by this instrument are very fitting for a student, especially one who performs at school. It is loud enough to project over other instruments in an orchestra or an ensemble with a warmer tone suitable to most school music.

Pros

Beautiful finish
Solid wood with a spruce top and maple for everything else
Comes with a hard case, strings, Brazilwood bow with horsehair, rosin, a bridge, and stand.

Cons

The pegs are boxwood
It doesn’t have notches for the strings

Cecilio CCO-500 Cello

Next in our Best Cecilio Cellos Guide is a more intermediate design. The Cecilio CCO-500 is made of ebony. It has a flamed ebony back with hand-carved spruce for the top. I really like the hand-carved design and the flamed back, a beautiful and crack-resistant feature.

Again, I love any beginner kit because it takes away the stress of finding the right-sized bow, the right type of strings in case one break, or the right case for protection. One of the things I like most about this intermediate model is that you can choose to invest in a soft case or a hard case.

If you are at the beginner end of an intermediate player, you’ve already had lessons, and you know how to hold your cello and player cello, but you still only need something to protect your instrument at home, the soft case is perfect.

On the other hand, if you are on the higher end of an intermediate musician and are starting to travel for performances, even if it’s only 30 minutes up the road, the hard case gives you extra protection, especially when transporting your instrument.

Pros

You can pick hard or soft care with your order
There are three sizes available: 1/2, ¾, and 4/4
You get accessories like the Brazilwood bow, rosin, cello stand, bridge, and extra strings

Cons

Construction is more advanced than is suitable for beginners

Cecilio CCO-600

For intermediates through professionals, Cecilio makes the Cecilio CCO-600 model. This is by far one of their most beautiful and high-quality cellos. It has a hand rub oil finish with beautiful mother of pearl inlays for the tailpiece.

Once you reach the level of a professional musician, the type of wood used for the construction of the cello body becomes very important but so does the aging process. The longer the wood is aged, the better the tone and playability for the instrument. With this particular model the wood has been aged a minimum of seven years to ensure better functionality.

Much like all the other high-quality Cecilio cellos, this model has accessories to get you started, like a brazilwood bow made with Mongolian horsehair, an extra set of strings, a cello stand, and a case. As a professional, you will likely invest in a higher-quality case, particularly a hardshell case for your cello.

Pros

Comes with a Mongolian horsehair brazilwood bow, a cello stand, and extra strings.
Hand-rubbed oil finish
Mother of pearl inlays
Body wood aged seven years
Full size only
Weighs only 33 pounds

Cons

Hand-carved aged woods meant for advanced players only

Cecilio 4/4 CECO-3DW Electric Cello

For players who are intermediate or advanced and want to switch to an electric cello, the Cecilio 4/4 CECO-3DW Electric Cello is a good option.

This particular design is perfect for beginners or intermediate players. Still, I cannot stress enough that most beginners who want a quiet instrument mistakenly invest in an electric cello because it is silent without amplification or headphones.

However, this is not the instrument you should use to learn how to play the cello. Instead, it is the instrument you should use when you already know how to play the cello but just want to transition into the electric cello.

This is one of Cecilio’s cheaper models, so it is meant for beginners, but you will have to invest in the amplification accessories. Even though this does come with a kit, so it has everything you need to start playing, you’re going to need a nap or, at the very least better headphones so that you can hear yourself practice.

Pros

Beautiful design with a sleek black finish
Lightweight, only 12.4 pounds
Comes with all the accessories you need as a beginner, including a Brazilwood bow, soft case

Cons

Basic student bow
Only a soft gig bag to protect it

Cecilio CECO-4BK Electric

The Cecilio 4/4 CECO-4BK is a great option for those who want an electric celloCecilio 4/4 CECO-4BK is an excellent option. As someone whose family all play different instruments, the thing I love most is that it comes with a set of headphones and an auxiliary cable so I don’t have to hear each child practicing and competing with one another down the hall.

The headphones are very basic, and they look like what you might have plugged into a walkman twenty years ago, but they do the job well, and you can always replace them with other headphones if you so choose.

The exterior design of the metallic cello is beautiful. I love just looking at it because it’s so much thinner than the acoustic models with elegant curvature and more translucence which adds to the mystery and appeal. The sound produced is wonderful, perfect for the chamber orchestra music and unique Christmas music that my family plays.

The pegs might loosen with time, but this is something you can fix yourself, and the rosin they provide is very basic, so it’s suitable for beginners. Still, if you are an intermediate player, you might consider investing in different cello rosin to get better friction.

Pros

Elegant design
Black metallic varnish
Ebony for the tailpiece, pegs, and fingerboard
Mother of pearl inlay
Comes with a soft case, rosin, bow, and headphones

Cons

It needs batteries which are not provided
The headphones are very basic and will fall apart after regular use
Sound from the pickup is weak

FAQ

Question: How Much are Cecilio Cellos?

Answer: Cecilio’s instruments are very high quality and affordable. The cost is based on the type of model in which you invest. The beginner student model CCO-100 only costs a few hundred dollars, while the more intermediate and advanced models like the CCO-600 cello cost over $500.

Question: Are Cecilio Cellos Any Good?

Answer: Yes, Cecilio’s cellos are good. They are one of the most recommended brands for high-quality cellos. All their instruments, even the student models, are made with the same durable, high-quality materials.
Most of their beginner sets, all the way through intermediate designs, come with a kit, so you get all the accessories you need in addition to the instrument.

Question: Who Makes the Best Cello for Beginners?

Answer: Cecilio is one of many companies known for great cellos. Still, if you need the best cello for beginners, they offer a reliable, durable set of beginner and student models like the Cecilio CCO-100 student cello.

Bottomline

This best Cecilio cellos guide gives you some insight into the best options from the wide range of Cecilio cellos. I recommend the Cecilio CCO-100 Student Cello for beginners, while for intermediates, I recommend the Cecilio CCO-500, and for professionals, the Cecilio CCO-600.

The company makes over a dozen cellos, but these top models are the best cellos for beginners, intermediates, and professionals. Knowing your musical skill will help you assess which of these instruments is best for your needs.

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