Unlike modern cellos, which have their necks morticed into the top block, baroque cello necks are simply glued and nailed. I say ‘simply’ but it’s a slightly nerve racking business partly because there’s little opportunity for later adjustment if the neck position isn’t absolutely right but also because, if the neck splits as the nails are driven in, a good deal of work is wasted. You drill pilot holes first, of course, but even so…
The first step is to prepare the neck and carve the scroll and pegbox.
Then the partially completed neck is glued and nailed onto the top of the rib assembly. As the photograph shows, this is done upside down.
Finely Strung 