Creating and Craftsmanship
Complete collaboration
The creation of a cello is an elaborate art that requires time and devotion, on both the part of the maker as well as the cellist. All Dungey cellos are custom-made to fit a specific person – your cello should not and will not fit anyone else. As every cellist has a unique voice, so does every cello. Christopher Dungey works with cellists at every part of the process to ensure a seamless fit between person and instrument.
"Everything I do is with a specific person in mind."
—Christopher Dungey
1. Deciding to work together
By virtue of Christopher Dungey’s collaborative process, the first step in ordering a Dungey cello is making sure player and maker are a good fit. Christopher consults with clients throughout the entirety of the making process, sending photos and checking in to confirm that each part of the cello is well-suited to the future player. This highly communicative process means there has to be mutual respect. As Christopher puts it: “If you don’t like who I am, you shouldn’t buy one of my cellos.”
Before submitting a request to be placed on Christopher’s waiting list, he will find a former client in your area. Voice, style, model, wood, and varnish can all be assessed before meeting with Christopher to guarantee your choice of cello.
2. Beginning work
Christopher meets with all clients before beginning work on a custom cello. This meeting allows him to gather both practical information, such as what size model will fit the player ergonomically, as well as important creative knowledge. Christopher strives to build a perfect match between ergonomics and voice in every cello he creates. Some questions to expect are:
What is your current voice?
What voice are you looking for?
What model are you interested in?
What combination of wood do you prefer? Why?
The meeting serves as an open discussion in which craftsman and musician collaborate to form a picture of the future cello and the expectations for the instrument.
“I find that this process is really important to ensure that we’re on the same page.”
According to Christopher, “Part of creating a custom cello is ensuring it’s actually the right size for the player. It’s so important for players to have a cello that fits them ergonomically. Once that decision is made, I look at what wood combination I should use with that model to achieve the voice that they came here asking for in the first place.”
3. Committing to the process
After meeting and deciding to work together, your name will be added to Christopher’s waiting list. Build times vary, depending on the length of the list at any given moment, but clients are notified when work begins on their custom cello. Your contract begins once your name is on the list and a deposit has been received.
“The best job in the world.”
According to Christopher, making cellos is the best job in the world – and it all begins with a block of wood. The first steps entail Christopher turning the block of wood into what he calls “a vague outline of an instrument.” After joining the top and back, he selects ribs and scroll block. Next, Christopher bends the ribs and cuts out the scroll. When the ribs are completed, he lays the rib structure on the top and back and traces around it to determine the outline.
After delineating the structure, Christopher begins arching the top and back, shaping the outside of the instrument. Next, the process moves to the interior of the instrument, where Christopher hollows the top and back. Before finalizing the inside of the top and back, he cuts a channel around the edges to inlay the purfling on the arching side of the top and back that adorns all his cellos.
Once the top and back are complete, Christopher plots where the f-holes will be. After cutting the f-holes, he installs the bass bar and continues work on the scroll.
The form of the cello truly begins to take shape as Christopher completes a rough fit of the neck to the ribs before gluing the top and back on. As he assembles the body of the cello, he meticulously scrapes, edges, and completes the detail work. After reconciling these elements, Christopher finishes installing the neck and glues it to the body. The final portion of body work is completed once the neck has been glued.
At this point in the process, Christopher is usually about two months into the work on a single cello.
This is when he begins preparing the wood for the varnishing process, where beauty and practicality collide. Christopher’s varnish process is painstaking and fastidious to make certain that the wood is protected and the varnish is highly transparent.
Next, Christopher glues the fingerboard, and installs the nut, saddle, and pegs. He finalizes the neck coloring and shaping, as well as the shaping of the fingerboard. If necessary, he touches up the varnish after fitting the sound post and wedging in place between the top and back. Christopher cuts a bridge, then installs the endpin and strings before completing the final step of cello creation: playing it.
4. Cello completion
Upon completion of a cello, Christopher will arrange to meet with the client. Specific arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis, but Christopher has a strong preference to exchange the cello from hand to hand rather than through shipping. Clients can arrange to meet Christopher at his workshop or set up an agreed upon location somewhere between the client’s location and Christopher’s workshop in Grand Junction, Colorado. After receiving a cello, clients have seven days to return it. However, after 40 years and 122 cellos, Christopher has never had anyone return a cello.
5. Continuing collaboration
The relationship between player and builder does not end once the instrument is made. Christopher enjoys catching up with former clients and learning how their playing experience is going. “My clients come back to me year after year for adjustments or even new instruments,” says Christopher. He hopes to follow up and ensure the instrument stays in exceptional shape. As cellos are used and played, they require fine-tuning and adjustments. Christopher hopes to not only be able to help with adjustments, but also to teach his clients how to care for their cello long-term.
