| Hal,
Have owned 2 older Shens;
- A Serial number year 2000, SB100 1/2 size which was my son's first bass. It had been in a rental "fleet" prior to us purchasing in 2009 so am sure it was "knocked" around some but was structurally sound, a terrific first bass for my son. Our only issue was the finish, which was pretty rough when we bought it and seemed to chip and peel badly even with the best of care. In any case, when we upgraded to a 3/4 we were able to sell this 1/2 for what we had in it, so it held its value.
- My son’s main bass is currently a 2000, SB300 maple roundback. A wonderful instrument (there is a pic of this bass in the Shen Owners Club thread), he has received many complements on the quality and sound of this bass. We did have the neck reset prior to purchasing, but it has been a terrific bass which he really enjoys playing and used to successfully audition for the local Youth Symphony and was moved up into the High School level.
In addition to these 2 we have owned 3 newer Shens, an SB150 which we are sorry we sold, an SB80 which was parked at school and a great bass for the purpose, and currently an SB180 (his current school bass). We have been very happy with the Shens for the quality of workmanship and sound at the price point.
IMHO a lot of it will come down to set up. Were I looking I would factor in the cost of taking to a well respected Luthier for a good set up vs. the cost of buying a new SB80 or SB100. | 
