Cello Endpin 52 cm (515/516 Series), 3S
3S-515E-C
Cello endpin with a ebony sleeve, length 52 cm.
- The endpin carries the instrument and passes vibration to the floor. Length and angle determine your playing posture and should be set properly once.
- Tighten the endpin screw only as far as it needs to hold. Overtightening widens the endpin socket.
- An endpin rubber protects the floor and the tip; as a wearing part it is renewed once it becomes hard or cracked.
Technical data
| Instrument | cello |
| Length | 52 cm |
Features
- For cello
- Sleeve in ebony
- Length 52 cm
In practice
- An endpin consists of the turned sleeve, here in wood, and the rod that passes through the sleeve into the body and down to the floor. A metal ring with a locking screw on the sleeve clamps the rod at the chosen length
- The rod influences the sound. In our workshop experience: the lighter and harder the material, titanium for instance, the brighter the instrument sounds. The standard is the steel rod
- The tip is sharp so that the instrument stands on the floor with as little contact area as possible. In the case an endpin rubber therefore always belongs on the tip, otherwise the case bottom suffers
- On smooth floors an endpin rest with a socket or an anchor gives additional grip.
Versions
- Ebony/Carbon, 3S-515E-C
- Ebony/Titan, 3S-515E-T
- Rosewood/Carbon, 3S-516R-C
- Rosewood/Titan, 3S-516R-T
- Rosewood/Stahl, 3S-516R
- Ebony/Stahl, 3S-515E
Sound and physics
A cello endpin consists of the turned barrel and the rod, which passes through the barrel into the body and stands on the floor below. Inside, the barrel is lined with cork so that the rod slides smoothly. The rod material shapes the sound measurably: in a series of measurements at AGH Kraków (2023) a rod of reinforcing steel gave the darkest sound in the low-frequency range, a hollow aluminium tube the brightest, with beech in between. Between the two extreme materials the spectral centroid differed by 102.6 hertz on the A string and by 30.1 hertz on the C string. Our titanium lies between steel and aluminium in density, closer to aluminium.
Our 3S-509 and 3S-515/516 cello endpins come with an ebony or rosewood barrel and a steel, carbon or titanium rod. The carbon models 509E-C and 515E-C are identical in construction and differ only in their fittings, nickel-plated on the 509 and gold-plated on the 515. With a replacement rod the diameter must suit the barrel: our cello barrels for steel take 8 millimetres, our carbon rods are 10 millimetres.
Our experience
Our experience: the lighter the rod material, titanium for instance, the brighter the instrument sounds; the standard is a wooden barrel with a steel rod. The Kraków study did not measure titanium or carbon; this part rests on our workshop practice. A carbon rod makes the endpin lighter and wears with time.
When another model suits you better
If you want barrel and rod together, you will find them in our 3S-509 and 3S-515/516 cello endpins; if you only want to change the sound through the rod, in our replacement rods in steel, carbon and titanium.
Frequently asked questions
Does the endpin material affect the cello's sound?
Yes. In the study by Gorazd and Pochel (2023), of three materials tested a reinforcing-steel rod sounded darkest in the low-frequency range and a hollow aluminium tube brightest.
Which rod diameter fits?
The rod must suit the barrel. Our cello barrels for steel rods take 8 millimetres, our carbon rods are 10 millimetres.
How do the 509 and 515 differ?
On the carbon model only in the fittings: nickel-plated on the 509E-C, gold-plated on the 515E-C.
These texts hold decades of experience and a great deal of heart. They are protected by copyright, C.A. Götz jr. GmbH. Please ask us before any use. Thank you for your appreciation.
