| I can't tell where you live without any profile info. Here are some initial thoughts...
The eyes, ears, experience, and considered opinion of a good orchestral bassist (ideally, a pro) could be much more helpful than anything else. Having a trusted, knowledgeable bassist play the instrument is a good starting point. Could you pay your son's teacher to check out the bass? Any other pro orchestral bassists, or advanced orchestral bass students he/you might know?
Another idea might be to take the bass to a luthier for inspection, or pay the luthier to visit the bass. Even better if the luthier is a bassist him/herself.
Folks here may seek to have a barrage of questions answered before anyone can comment meaningfully on the bass (Carved/ply/hybrid? String length? Setup? Repairs needed? etc...). Even if you jump around and answer all these, AND provide lots of pictures, the ultimate rejoinder could be something like, "I don't know, how does it sound?"
First hand data, analyzed by someone who has played lots of basses may be one's best bet.
Many of us live our lives within budgets (allegedly). Evaluating an instrument solely on price, though, is probably not the whole picture. If the bass needs repair, for example, the final cost could double or triple. New strings alone could easily be $150 - 200. Its sort of like buying a used car, only there are a lot fewer mechanics around...
Last edited by Eric Swanson : 03-04-2008 at 04:52 AM.
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