Carbon Fibre over wood at your end of the market + at the very least 2 lessons from an experienced teacher. Bowing is THE most difficult thing about playing DB. Drawing a good sound needs lots of things to be in the right place.
Something I fancy is there but pickup only. 19" rack unit. Would anyone be willing to pickup and put it on a courier I organise? Obv I will front up the money. Ta.
I am deeply grateful for you all piling in on this. The vol/vol option is one which would enable me to go for my 3 knobs + jack socket ideal. If all else fails. All the pots will need to be replaced. The tone ones have extra long shafts because of how the knobs are recessed into the Bongo body. Putting knobs on those through a Stingray plate would make them look like mushrooms.
I suspect the control cavity will need to be enlarged and a rear plate put on it. I am too far into the project to back off now!
All the pots will be on wires and supporting the boards will be for my (!) luthier to work out. I cannot even put shelves up.
Again, thanks all for your contributions.
I have been informed that it was unlikely, but you gave me hope! It was exciting for a bit. It looks like a 4 pot solution instead of a 3 one which is not ideal, but them's the breaks I really do like a front mounted jack socket in a piece of metal.
You could tune the 'cello in 4ths using these https://www.daddario.com/products/orchestral/cello/helicore-fourths-cello/helicore-fourths-tuning-cello-44-scale-medium-tension-set/
I am fully aware that there are elements of the repertoire which would be tricky, but if you were picking up the 'cello for a side project and wanted that tone without the "Eh? why would you tune in 5ths" moments, they are there.
I can see the use. What would be really useful would be slower versions as well. I could see people using the full speed one for repertoire practice, but they could do that with any recording. However a slower one would enable less experienced players to busk along and get the satisfaction of "playing with an orchestra". To make it really accessible a PDF of the bass part would complete things. I would point out that this is being discussed in the most niche forum on what is already a pretty niche website. I cannot imagine there would be a huge market for it. But I am old and what do I know about the ways of the internet?!?