The electric cello is a type of cello that relies on electronic amplification (rather than acoustic resonance) to produce sound. An acoustic cello can be fitted with a bridge or body mounted contact pickup providing an electric signal, or a built-in pickup can be installed. A few pickups work by other principles like magnetic coil guitar type needing steel strings to work, or by an unusual pickup system ^[1] employing the string itself as a linear pickup element, thus avoiding any modification of tone-producing parts on an acoustic cello.

Many electric cellos have bodies modeled after acoustic cellos^[2], while others abandon the design completely, opting for a totally new body shape, or having little or no body at all.^[3] Most electric cellos feature a traditional endpin and knee supports, but some are supported in other ways, such as by an elongated pin for playing in the standing position, a tripod stand, strap,^[4] or strap system ^[5] that allows mobility while playing the instrument. The major differentiating factor between electric cellos and acoustic cellos is that while the latter rely on an acoustically resonant soundbox, the former are amplified electronically and often have no resonant chamber at all.^[6]