thinkin' of buying a 4/4 thomann
 

Hey guys!
I have a WONDERFUL bass already, but i'm curious trying the cheap thomann plywoods and i'm curious to try a 4/4 one. That made me interested in this bass:
http://www.thomann.de/se/thomann_kontrabass_11_03.htm
Has anyone tried the cheap thomann basses or even a thomann 4/4?
take care!

I have tried almost all the Thomman basses and i have performed set ups to many of them.
This one is constructed in Reghin, Romania, in the Hora factory. In terms of dimensions it is a huge bass and the long string length (108 cm) is a problem for thump position playing. If you are a tall guy with loooong arms, well, i think it's gonna be OK for you.
Acoustically it is not my cup of tea, since it is not a resonant bass. If you need a laminated bass please look at the Thomann 111 (a Chinese bass) or the Thomman 1 series (Strunal basses, made in the Czech Republic). All these models feature resonant laminated tonewoods and they can be used as decent jazz basses.
For any additional details please feel free to contact me, either publicly or via a PM.
Mike

Thanks for your answer!!
so the thomann 1N 4/4 is a Strunal?
I don't really understand why a laminated bass is bad for jazz. Sam Jones played plywood all his career, why can't i? ;)

I think what mike is saying is that THOSE plywoods are bad jazz basses. This certainly isn't a general rule.

+1!!!!!!!!

Haha sorry man.
Okey.
So.... Do you have a recommendation for a 4/4 plywood with big sound? :bassist:

The Thomman 1E QM and the Thomman 1E TN are the Strunal 50/21 and Strunal 50/27 respectively. Very good instruments, constructed from very resonant laminated tonewood and beautiful as well. The 3/4 size tends to be in the large scale and the 4/4 size gives HUGE basses. IMHO the TN model is slightly better and i recommend it to you, thinking that you don't need actually the 4/4 size and prefering the 3/4 one. But you know your needs better!!!
Mike

Thanks for your answer, Mike!
I'm a pretty tall guy and i play mostly unamplified so i need to be sure the bass pull's a big sound. I think it'll be nice! How is the strunals in volume?
What are the differences between 50/21 and 50/27? Is it just the wood material?

It appears that the difference is the kind of laminate woods used and their colour and finish.

http://www.strunal.cz/en/products.aspx?cat=4&subc=2

I have a Strunal 3/4 bass. The vibrating string length is about 42 inches (106-107 cm). That is standard. Play a 4/4 bass and measure the string length. It's important to be able to play a major second in half-position that is in tune, as well as perfect 5ths and minor thirds across two strings. If it is too hard to do (think how many hours you'll be playing), then it's too big to handle.

Hehe, i know that's important!

The 50/21 and the 50/27 are constructed from different laminates.
TN means Tineo Laminate and QM means quilted maple laminate. The quilted maple gives a beautiful appearance (bird's eye maple) but the Tineo is slightly more resonant.
The string length in a Strunal 4/4 bass is 110 cm. Giving the general size i believe that it fits only very tall players with long arms.
Good luck in your quest!
Mike

so for tonal quality i should choose Tineo you think?

? for the one buying a 4/4
 

will you be playing chamber or solo?

if so, there is someone i'd like you to meet-you two could take horse trading to a whole new level.







:hiding:

Yes, all the Tineo basses i laid hands on were better than the QM models. I believe that it has to do with the resonance of this particular laminated tonewood.

As a matter of fact the amplified sound is the same, more or less. But the difference in the acoustic sound exists, in favour of the TN models.