The contemporary cello makers we rate most highly, based on instruments we have handled and sold.
This is our standing guide to the contemporary cello makers we rate most highly. It is based on the same things as our guide to contemporary violin makers: instruments we have actually handled and sold, consistency from one example to the next, what players tell us during trials, and the practical realities of price and availability.
Cellos add a few complications of their own. Model, dimensions and string length can have an enormous effect on how an instrument feels to play. A huge lower register means little if the A string cannot carry, just as brilliance is not much use if the C and G lack depth. We listen particularly for response, balance across the strings, how much the instrument has left when pushed, and whether it remains interesting at quieter dynamics.
We also put a lot of weight on consistency. One exceptional cello can happen. A succession of them tells us much more.
This is not a ranking, and it will continue to change as we handle more instruments.
Florence. Third-generation family workshop. Santo Serafin, Montagnana and Filius Andreae Guarneri models among his cellos.
Paolo Vettori has been one of our reference points for contemporary cellos for several years. Across quite different models, the same characteristics keep appearing: a very quick response, unusual ease under the bow, ample resonance and, particularly often, an outstanding A string.
The 2021 "Sleeping Beauty" Montagnana we handled had tremendous clarity even high on the lower strings, with enough resistance to give the player something to work against. The 2023 "Sir John Temple Leader" was broader and more complex, with a distinctly soloistic quality. Most recently, his 2025 Santo Serafin combined a generous, powerful lower register with an A string of exceptional clarity and projection.
That cello also showed another side of Paolo's work. Its one-piece flamed maple back and matching ribs were so striking that Paolo described the wood as looking "like Italian marble". His willingness to explore unusual materials, models and construction details never feels decorative for its own sake. The instruments remain fundamentally built for players.
At this level, Vettori is no longer a value alternative to the biggest names in contemporary making. His cellos have developed a reputation, demand and price level of their own. Our 2025 Santo Serafin was priced at £61,000.
Our next Paolo Vettori cello is expected in October 2026.
See the 2025 Santo Serafin cello
American, now based in London. Cremona-trained, co-founder of Curtin & Alf, multiple VSA Gold Medal winner and Hors Concours.
Gregg Alf needs little introduction in contemporary violin making. For more than forty years he has been one of the figures who helped establish modern American making at the very highest international level. His instruments are played by leading musicians and represented in major institutional collections.
Cellos from his bench, however, are much rarer.
We currently have a remarkable example from 2010, built on a Filius Andreae Guarneri model and made with a one-piece poplar back. Gregg himself regards it as one of his finest cellos, and it is not difficult to understand why.
The sound is warm, expansive and unusually deep. What stands out is not simply its size, but the way the whole instrument seems to participate in the note as soon as the bow engages the string. It has the breadth and complexity players often go looking for in an important old cello, without sacrificing the response and reliability one hopes for from a modern instrument.
This is less a representative example of a regular cello output than an exceptional instrument by one of the senior figures in contemporary making. For us, it belongs in this guide for precisely that reason.
A Gregg Alf cello from 2010 is currently available. Price on application.
Florence. Worked closely with the Vettori family. Montagnana models above all, alongside other Italian models. Personally selects his spruce from the Paneveggio forest.
Few makers on this list have given us as much evidence to work with as Stefano Marzi. We have handled a succession of his cellos over several years, and the consistency is a large part of why we rate him so highly.
The recurring qualities are a fast response, a focused and powerful sound, and an unusually successful balance between the two ends of the instrument. His Montagnana models in particular tend to combine a brilliant, carrying A string with a rich and resonant lower register. That combination is harder to achieve than it sounds. Large Montagnana-inspired cellos can produce a wonderful bass while becoming less convincing on top.
The best Marzi cellos avoid that. There is usually enough resistance under the bow to let a player push into the sound, but they remain responsive and sensitive when playing quietly. His 2025 Goffriller showed a slightly different character, deeper and rounder, but with the same quick response and evenness that we associate with his work.
This consistency is particularly impressive given the price. Our current 2026 Montagnana is £28,000, and at that level we find it difficult to name many makers whose cellos compete as convincingly.
Marzi cellos have gone from us to players across the UK, continental Europe, North America and Singapore, and they rarely remain in the showroom for very long.
A superb 2026 Montagnana model is available now.
See the 2026 Stefano Marzi cello
Montpellier. Trained with Frédéric Chaudière before establishing his own workshop. Works predominantly with hand tools, selects his wood personally and prepares his own oil and resin varnishes.
We started selling Baptiste Juguera's cellos several years before taking one of his violins. What has impressed us most is not simply the quality of an individual instrument, but the progression from one cello to the next.
The first example we handled, from 2021, already had an enormous lower register combined with unusual presence at the top. The 2023 cello was bolder and richer in harmonics. By the third, made in 2024, the sound had become more complex and refined without losing that fundamental depth and projection. The response had improved too.
That progression is why we think Baptiste is becoming one of the most interesting cello makers of his generation. There is a strong personal element to the making as well. He works extensively with traditional hand tools, buys wood personally in Italy, makes some of his own tools and prepares varnishes from oils and resins in his Montpellier workshop.
His cellos tend towards a rich, substantial voice rather than an immediately bright one, but the better examples have enough upper-register presence to carry well. They are instruments with depth, projection and plenty for a player to explore over time.
The 2024 cello we handled was priced at £31,000, placing his work in a particularly interesting part of the market for a professional player looking beyond the more established names.
Contact us for current cello availability and forthcoming instruments.
See the 2024 Baptiste Juguera cello
Cellos reward patient comparison more than almost any other instrument. The room matters enormously, as do the bow, endpin, strings and setup. An instrument that makes the biggest impression in the first five minutes is not necessarily the one a player chooses after living with it.
At our London showroom we can arrange side-by-side trials between contemporary cellos at similar price points, rather than asking players to judge instruments in isolation. Where appropriate, we can also make setup adjustments during the process and help distinguish between something inherent to the cello and something that can be changed.
We can advise on which of these makers currently has an instrument available, what we have arriving next, and where a commission may make more sense than waiting for an existing instrument.
Ask us what we think. We will tell you.
Last meaningfully updated: August 2026.
From the first time I played a Paolo Vettori cello, I knew there was something special about his instruments. The quick response, ease of playing, and vibrant sound immediately gave the feeling of a truly great cello. We’ve been working with the Vettori family for many years and have always admired their craftsmanship. Their instruments are now played by musicians all over the world, but this Santo Serafin model by Paolo Vettori stands out as something quite extraordinary. It features a one-piece back and ribs made from beautifully flamed maple that Paolo described as “like Italian marble.” The sound is generous and powerful, with a particularly impressive A string that sings with clarity and projection. An ideal choice for a player looking for a cello with both depth and character.
Paolo Vettori is an Italian violin maker in Florence and the head of a workshop now in its third generation. He works alongside his sons Dario and Lapo and his daughter Sofia, all fine makers in their own right.
The workshop has a recognisable style and an unusual willingness to experiment, and the craftsmanship is exceptional. Paolo returns often to Guarneri del Gesu for violins, including the "Ole Bull", and to Santo Serafin for cellos. He chooses wood with real care, once describing a one-piece flamed maple back and ribs as looking like Italian marble.
Vettori instruments are played by soloists and by orchestral principals across the world, valued for a sound that is powerful and refined at once.
We have worked with the Vettori family for many years and their recent violins have repeatedly stopped us in our tracks. The Ole Bull models in particular combine qualities we almost never find together: dark in colour but with a lightning-fast response, powerful and ample with real projection. You feel the presence of one of these violins from the moment the bow touches an open string, and the resonance is second to none. The last two sold within a week each. The cellos share the same quick response and ease of playing, with an A string that sings with unusual clarity.
Gregg Alf is internationally recognised for his concert violins, so a cello from his bench is very special for us. This Filius Andreae model from 2010 is one Gregg himself counts among his finest. The sound is warm and expansive, with a depth often associated with the very best old Italian instruments. So much of that comes from the striking one-piece poplar back. It gives the cello a resonance makers often seek but seldom achieve, and you feel it the moment the bow touches the string. We believe this instrument will be considered a benchmark for years to come, and we have no doubt it will be remembered as one of the very fine examples of contemporary making. This is one of the best cellos to pass through our hands this year. Cellos like this do not come around often, and this becomes apparent the moment you play it!
Gregg Alf is an American violin maker working in London, and one of the most respected luthiers of his generation. He has been making at the highest level for over forty years, and that experience is visible in every detail of the work.
Alf trained at the Cremona Violinmaking School and went on to co-found Curtin & Alf, the partnership that did much to establish American making on the international stage. He has won multiple Violin Society of America Gold Medals and been honoured Hors Concours. He works most often from Guarneri del Gesu, though never as a rigid copy: scrolls and f-holes are carved freehand, following the character of the wood, and the varnish carries a layered warmth that reads as played-in rather than antiqued. Beyond the bench he teaches, judges competitions, and has curated exhibitions including the Messiah Stradivari showcase in Cremona and the Tokyo Stradivarius Festival.
His instruments are played by leading soloists and held in the loan collections of the Royal Academy of Music, Dextra Musica and the Amati Foundation.
Partnering with makers of this standing is the reason MyLuthier exists, and Alf sits at the top of that list. What strikes us most is the sound: a clear, projecting core that cuts through any hall, wrapped in warm, honeyed overtones that never turn harsh. The evenness across all four strings is exceptional, so there is no adjustment of technique moving from G to E, and the smallest change in bow pressure or contact point opens a new colour. He builds with real acoustic precision, which makes the instruments reliable without ever feeling clinical. If you want the depth of a historic Italian violin with the dependability of modern making, this is as good as it gets.
Stefano Marzi has become one of our most impressive makers at this price point, and when you try this cello it's easy to understand why. It's a Montagnana model with a powerful, brilliant A string and a lower register that is rich and resonant, giving it real depth and presence. Under the bow it feels alive. It also offers great sensitivity for softer playing. We've sold Marzi cellos to players across the UK and Europe, as well as the USA, Canada, and Singapore. His instruments rarely stay with us for long. The quality is consistently high, demand is strong, and cellos like this one tend to find their player quickly!
Stefano Marzi is an Italian maker based in Florence, working principally on cellos alongside violins and violas. He came to the craft from cabinetmaking and restoration, then through music, studying the violin before turning to making.
His route was unusual. Rather than a conservatoire training, Marzi learned through his encounter with the Vettori family in Florence, three generations of makers who gave him a constant point of comparison and access to their models and to the Bisiach family varnish formulas. He works today from Montagnana, Stradivari, Guarneri, Guadagnini and Storioni models, using Balkan and local maple and spruce he selects himself from the Paneveggio forest in the Val di Fiemme.
His cellos are played by musicians across the United Kingdom and Europe, and in the United States, Canada and Singapore.
Marzi is one of our most popular makers and, at his price point, one of the most impressive we have found. His Montagnana cellos pair a powerful, brilliant A string with a rich, resonant lower register, which is a rare combination in Montagnana-inspired instruments. The sound is focused and balanced, the setup offers a pleasing resistance that lets a player explore the full range, and under the bow the instrument feels alive while staying sensitive in quiet playing. His work rarely stays with us for long.
This is the third cello we’ve received from Baptiste Juguera, and we believe it’s his finest work yet. With each new instrument, it’s clear that Baptiste is growing into one of the most exciting cello makers of his generation. His craftsmanship has reached a new level, as has his sound. It has a rich and complex voice with incredible depth and projection, paired with a responsiveness that makes it a joy to play.
Baptiste Juguera is a French luthier based in Montpellier, making violins, violas and cellos. His designs draw on the great Italian masters who set the standards of the craft, and his working method is deliberately traditional.
All of his work is done with sharp hand tools: planes, gouges, and knives and flat gouges he makes himself so they sit correctly in his hands. He prepares his own varnishes from oil and different resins in order to control colour, transparency, flexibility and hardness. He buys wood personally in Italy. Alongside Guarneri models he designs instruments of his own, translating what he has learned from studying old instruments into something new. He trained with several distinguished makers, among them Frederic Chaudiere, and has worked in his own workshop since 2012.
His instruments are on display and in use in Montpellier, Paris, Washington DC, Seattle, New York, London, South Korea and Japan.
Baptiste is consistently one of France's top young talents and we have never been anything but impressed. We sold his cellos for several years before taking a violin, and by the third cello it was clear he is growing into one of the most exciting cello makers of his generation, with a rich and complex voice, real depth and projection, and a responsiveness that makes the instrument a pleasure to play. The violins are finely crafted and balanced, with a warm sound, a G string of exceptional resonance, a stunning D, and a register that grows more soloistic the higher you go. At this price point they are hard to beat.
Pedro Silva is a cellist and one of the co-founders of Myluthier.co. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2018 with a Master of Arts in cello performance, studying with Guy Johnston. He enjoys an varied freelance career as an orchestral, chamber musician and frequently collaborates with Early Music ensembles and West End productions.
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