How to Set the Neck on a Cello
Setting the neck of a cello allows you to adjust the playability of the instrument, as well as look after the overall health of your cello. Each cello has neck bolts that can be tightened or loosened with an instrument screwdriver in order to pull the neck into the body or push it back away from it. The neck receives pressure from your hands and fingers while you play, and is constantly pulled by the strings. Because of this, you must find the right neck setting to achieve balance for your instrument and avoid damaging it.
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Instructions
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Use your calipers to measure the distance between your cello neck and body. While these are attached to each other, there is a small gap in the back of the base of the neck where it meets the body that can be measured. A typical setting is between .2 and .6 inches. If your neck distance is above this, it may put undue strain on the instrument, and if it is lower, the neck may wobble or detach.
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Screw or unscrew the neck bolts to lower or heighten the distance of the neck from the bridge so it is between .2 and .6 inches. Make sure you turn each screw a small amount with each effort, and turn them alternately so that no one screw is much tighter than the others at any time.
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Remeasure the neck and body distance and play your cello. When playing, make note of how difficult it is to form notes and whether you want to lower or raise the action, which is how hard you must press to form a note. The action depends on the overall neck distance and is up to personal taste within this range.
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Readjust the screws to taste, stopping to play the cello between adjustments to find what works best for you. While there is no one right setting for cello necks, you should still stay within the guidelines of .2 and .6 inches.
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Tips & Warnings
Store your cello in a temperate place to avoid having to readjust the neck frequently due to shifts in the wood stability.
If your instrument is extremely old or under warranty, you may want to bring your cello to a professional for setting so you do not damage it or void the warranty.
References
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