I’m torn. Wood or carbon fiber?

Wood is more romantic. The wood has history. Centuries of growing and aging before it’s even made into an instrument. And the unique sound every instrument has. And the development of that sound as the instrument ages. And it retains its value, with proper care.

OTOH, sit on a wooden cello and it’s history. And I have heard the carbon fiber instruments, by that maker I linked there, sound as good as much more expensive wooden ones. And when I mailed them, on a Sunday, they mailed right back with an answer to my questions.

OTOH, I woke up at four this morning, from a nightmare: the doorbell had rung, I opened it, and there a cello was, they had fedexed it to me the same day! And it had no strings, so the only way I could try to tell whether or not it sounded any good was to rap on it with my knuckles. And it sounded dull and flat, but I didn’t know if that was because of the instrument or because I was rapping on it wrong.

My heart was beating a wicked tattoo.

I told my wife about it at breakfast. “At least you’re having cello nightmares now,” she said, “and not dreaming about murdering people anymore.”