Japanese Bell Cello Endpin Rod

Introduction:  My boss at House of Note recently asked me to audition a cello endpin we had had in stock for a while.  This endpin is made in Japan from metal typically used for casting bells, and while for a time it received some hype, the attendant attention has since died down.

  I tend to be somewhat sceptical of the latest, greatest inventions and my expectation for the endpin rod was thus pretty low.

Fit and Finish: The endpin comes without the shaft (the wooden piece that sits in the endblock of the cello) which, if you are lucky enough to already have a shaft with the correctly sized hole in it, makes installation a piece of cake -- the rods can just be switched out.  At 20 3/4" (53 cm) in length and 5/8" (8.5mm) in diameter, it is pretty typical in size.  The rod is hollow and the finish an unremarkable chrome.

About my experience with the endpin: To establish a base line for the sound,  I first played my cello with its usual endpin, which was made in England by Mark Jackson.  I then switched out the endpins and played the same piece of music, not expecting any change.  I was therefore surprised to find a definite improvement -- not so much in the color or quality of the sound, but in its dimension.  The projection and range seemed considerably bigger than with the English endpin rod.

  I followed my private experiment with a "blind test" involving the members of my quartet -- I didn't tell them what to listen for, or which part of "gear" I was changing.  They immediately picked up on the improvement, which led to my eventually purchasing a bell rod for my own use.

  We also experimented with the bell endpin rod on some instruments at House of Note and noticed a similar enhancement of the sound projection.

Price:  At House of Note, the endpin retails for three hundred dollars, which seems like a lot to spend on a piece of equipment the player never even looks at.  However, this is roughly the amount a good set of strings would set you back, and whereas for a serious and frequent player the string purchase comes around once or twice every year, the Japanese endpin is a once-in-a-lifetime buy. 

Conclusion:  For a professional or serious amateur player, it might be well worth investigating the pruchase of a Japanese Bell endpin rod -- the increase in overtones makes up for the sticker shock!