Englehardt cello

Dear Ask - A - Luthier,

      My wife is a orchestra director for a high school in Frankfort, IN and has been now for 38 years. She brought home a 4/4 Englehardt cello she said was in the school inventory when she started in the 70's. I first noticed that there is a small "bump" on the top and bottom plate where the sound-post has exerted pressure over the years. I then noticed that on the top plate where the bridge rests, the top plate is depressed and even "wavy" and has lost its original curve from when it was new. It even has made the bridge warp and not set even on the top plate. I suppose this is from years of the strings putting pressure on the bridge an thus the bridge pushing down on the top plate just in front of the sound post. Is there anything to I could do to resurrect that shape?
Regards, Greg

Greg,
      It might be possible to take the top off, make a mould, the original shape of the outside of the  top and then put bags of hot sand on the inside of the top to bend it into the mould. I have done that to an old Kay bass.  It was very time consuming and it didn't do the plies of the plywood top any good. 
      This was not an expensive cello when it was new, and plywood does not improve with age. The main interesting thing about your cello is that it might have a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and tailpiece. Brazilian Rosewood was embargoed in 1968. Brazilian is the greatest wood for carrying vibrations. It could be worth $50 recycled into other types of instruments.
      I would strongly recommend making a new bridge that would fit the warp of the top. The top is warped, but it is probably not the least bit weak. Chances are very good that the fingerboard is warped and needs to be planed. There is nothing that you can do to make this cello pretty or make it sound good. But, new strings, a new bridge and a planed fingerboard would make it play comfortably, and make it into a fine camping cello.
 
Steve Mason

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