I bought a new cello. It was not the Rudoulf Doetsch that would be the big sister to my Doetsch violin and viola. I actually did not like the Doetsch cello. That was very odd.

What I found that I loved was the Jean Pierre Lupot. I loved it. I tried it one day, the day I tried the Doetsch and others. I went in to drop off, Ada, my $50 bargain cello. I had geared pegs installed on her. While there, I played cellos. 

I fell out of love with the Doetsch. I fell in love with Jean Pierre Lupot. I bought the Lupot Saturday and brought her home. Her name is, Evie. 

I was playing Evie Saturday and Sunday. It just feels so nice in my left hand. I couldn’t figure out why it felt different than my other cellos. I looked at Evie and then Ada, on the stand right next to her. It looked like the neck of Evie is narrower. Then I looked at Belle (the one I am giving my niece). Evie looked narrower than Belle, too. There was not as much wood on the edges beyond first and fourth strings. Hmm. I got out a measuring tape. Yep, Evie has a very slightly narrower neck.

I think that slightly narrower neck is why she feels better in my left hand. It is only a slight difference, but I noticed it the first time I played her, when we dropped Ada off. Then I noticed it when I played her Saturday, when I picked Ada up. I played cellos that were more money, and none of them felt as comfortable as the Lupot. The Jay Haide was about a grand more, so was not going to happen anyway, but as nice as that sounded, even with my playing, it was not as comfortable in my hand and not as easy for me to play. 

I know a classical guitar has a wider neck than a folk or electric guitar. I did not know cellos of the same size (4/4) had different widths of necks. Does a violin or viola come in different neck widths? I was very surprised. I figured a 3/4 cello would be narrower, but I figured all 4/4 cellos were a standard size. That got me curious about violins and violas. Are their necks a standard width, or can they vary slightly?