To all on this board thanks for the advice, I've read so many great posts and learned so much in the last month. In my first post, a "cautionary tale", I explained how I had gone to a mom and pop music store here in Florida and bought my 12 year old son his first DB. Only to find out it was a used 15 year old Englehardt Maestro 1 (for which we paid $1500). Feeling like I had made a mistake that was going to be very hard to recover from, especially AFTER finding the board and reading all the newbie threads on how to choose a first DB (if only I had read them before falling for this deal). The music store owner refused to make any exchanges or offer a refund or even a partial refund, even though we contacted him the following week. In comes Englehardt-Link, I had written to them to trace the DB's serial number and that's how I found out it was actually 15 years old and not new as it had been sold. Tom Link talked to me on the phone and offered to send my son, Ian, a brand new Englehardt S-1 in exchange for the DB we had purchased. Finally today, the transaction has been completed, the brand new bass arrived and Ian got to open it this evening - he was thrilled!! This is a wonderful experience where it shows that at times supporting "Made in America" can really have a sweet ending and that there are some great people behind the companies that make instruments in our country. I am very grateful to Tom Link for sending Ian this wonderful Db and for making a kids first experience with an instrument one to always remember - a story he can tell his kids and grandkids!
A promise kept!! 
