MONGOLIAN CELLO

Very interesting instrument - see the headstock in the extra!

It had two horrendous cracks in the top + the one brace (bass bar if you know violin-speak) had become detached. Big puzzle until, peering inside with lights & mirrors, I realised that the neck pierced the shoulders, going right through the body (like in most banjos) to go out the backside & form a hook to anchor the tail-piece.

Cunning folk, those Mongolians - absolutely brilliant design - I remove the neck & there's a hole just big enough to get the long-jawed clamp through to glue some small supports under the cracks which bring the two surfaces into perfect alignment...

...sorry - beginning to bore myself to death here - it's a fun instrument!