| I have one. It's a fully carved "panormo" model flatback, and it's on consignment at Hammond Ashley in Seattle. When I bought it, I compared it to a Shen hybrid, another Romanian instrument (I forget the name), and a pair of modern carved German instruments (Wilfers, I think).
Of those instruments, I thought all sounded pretty good. I'm not a big fan of Chinese instruments (old prejudice - friends of mine have had bad experiences, though I understand that Shens are well-respected). The Wilfers were more expensive and didn't sound that much better. The other Romanian instrument sounded a bit dead.
In the end, I purchased the Wultur to replace the Kay I'd started on thirteen years earlier. At the time, I was coming back to the double bass from several years off. After a year of playing, I decided I was dedicated enough that I wanted a nicer instrument and along came the Kai Arvi that I play now.
Anyway, long story short - as you've already been told, every bass is different, and you should play any potential purchase for your teacher, especially before you drop $5K on it. We can't tell you over the internet what that bass is worth. That said, the Calin Wulturs I've played (2 or 3 by now) have been reasonable, and the one I owned held up well while I used it.
Last edited by mjt0229 : 02-20-2009 at 05:41 PM.
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