Does this Sturnal look sketchy?

btrag · #1 10-23-2007, 12:34 PM

This 1/2 Strunal was offered to me for $400. The sellers claims:

Functionally, it is in great shape. The only physical
changes that had been made seem to have been for
playability:
1) The bridge has been sanded down some, to bring the
E and A strings closer to the fretboard (
2) The fretboard, towards the bottom, has been sanded

Does this seem to indicate a major problem with the bass, like warpage? It seems a bit sketchy and the price is awfully low.
Here is a picture.

Bass Barrister · #2 10-23-2007, 02:31 PM

Strunals can be decent and $400 is a very good price. It will be worth your while to have a luthier like Mark Sonksen (www.sonksenstrings.com) or Marc Hogan (www.a440violinshop.com) take a look at it to see what would need to be done. But don't walk in there asking about the FRETBOARD - DBs have FINGERBOARDS.

el_mariachi · #3 10-23-2007, 02:38 PM

I remember seeing that on craigslist. Its been up there for a few months at least. I agree with Barrister, take it to a shop to have them look it over first before you buy. I did the exact same thing with a bass I purchased off of craigslist. I met the seller at A440 to have it looked at before I handed over the cash.

Jake deVilliers · #4 10-23-2007, 05:31 PM

If its really a 1/2 size bass its not worth as much as the more usual 3/4.

If you take it to a bass repairman he/she'll be able to fill you in on what it is and what its worth in YOUR market.

Good luck!