| Quite right-don't let a name be the deciding factor. Play as many basses in your price range as you can-and some out of range to get an idea of what you get for more $$$.
I have a Christopher 303 hybrid, and I get compliments on the tone. In general they seem to be well regarded as a manufacturer, and I've yet to see a "crappy" one. That being said-individual instruments are going to have their own voice. I have heard two plys that sounded like night and day different, and both were christophers. Neither was "bad", just different from one another. I'm sure the differences can be even more distinct on a fully carved model, like the 400 series.
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"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between dog and man." Mark Twain.
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