The corona lockdown and the associated staying at home caused problems for the two cellists Ondřej Kratochvíl and Jan Tobolík, because cellos are relatively loud instruments. The necessary daily exercises at home are not well received by everyone. While there are electronic variants for many other instruments, which means the volume can be adjusted, this has not been the case with the cello so far.
MyCello, the 3D printed cello from the Czech Republic
The two musicians therefore bought a 3D printer and built an electric cello in 100 hours. Since the instrument does not have a voluminous sound body, it is quite light at just over 2 kilograms and significantly cheaper than traditional fully acoustic cellos. The sound is reproduced via loudspeakers or headphones. The electronics are located in the greatly reduced body of the instrument. Founded by the musicians Start-up Sensio now offers the string instruments under the name MyCello from 1086 euros, while good used cellos cost many times that.
Dimensions according to customer requirements
The name MyCello alludes to the fact that the instrument can also be made to customer specifications with individual dimensions. This is particularly relevant for musicians who already own a cello, because their posture and movement sequences when playing are usually closely matched to the exact dimensions of their instrument. After measuring just six parameters of the original, Sensio says it can create an electronic copy that plays just like the customer’s acoustic instrument, but is a lot easier to transport.
There are also off-the-shelf cellos in the usual sizes from 1/8 (for children) to full 4/4 size. The color is not fixed either.
MyCello is also available off the shelf in six sizes.
sound samples provides Sensio as videos. In addition to the cello itself, spare parts and accessories, for example Sheetsoffered.
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