Here is a link to photos of a repair project of a lefty Christopher 304 hybrid DB that my local luthier found through with his dealings with the Christopher distributor.
Officially it is a DB304TGM-SG-L which says that it is a hybrid 300 series busetto double bass that is left-handed and comes with german tuners and a semi-gloss finish.
Being left-handed does not leave me with many opportunities for a bass. I can't walk into a bass shop and find a selection of basses to choose from, let alone even one to try out.
I currently have a lefty Englehardt ES-1 and was planning to look for a hybrid. So when my luthier contacted me, I was very interested.
The bass, which was ordered for someone else, had been damaged by a forklift while still in its shipping box. The carved top had several cracks along its seams.
My luthier, David Mix (of Branford, Ct), had a similar right handed model in stock and it sounded great, so I was interested in the damaged lefty. He had the Christopher warehouse ship it to him and he brought the damaged bass to his friend Lou DiLeone for an opinion on whether to repair it or not and Lou said that it should be an easy repair. He was impressed with the construction of the bass. So we decided to go forward with the project to repair it.
David took the top off and gently moved the split seams back together and glued them. Next, he applied wooden cleats over the cracked seams to hold the wood together as well as a soundpost patch.
Before David put the top back on, I had both David and Lou DiLeone sign the back of the top. After the top was glued into place, he then refinished the top.
David added a new saddle that was larger than the original as well as a compensated tailpiece he had made by hand.
He set it up with an Aubert maple bridge and a Fishman full circle pickup.
I chose a set of Pirastro Jazzer strings. My ES-1 has Helicore Pizzicato strings, but after hearing so many good things about Jazzers, I thought I would give them a try.
I picked up the repaired bass this past weekend. It plays and sounds great. The strings give it a nice growl. The E and A strings have very good deep tones. I just need to get used to the thicker neck vs. my ES-1.
So now it is official, I have a hybrid.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2000431...7603749845592/
My new lefty Christopher Hybrid 304T Busetto 
