What do ya think of this puppy?
 

Hi everyone,

Just back from a vacation and picking up where I left off last year. So, if you haven't followed me at all, I recently got a old german DB last month. I sold my other DB, a really nice romanian flat back then decided to get a second bass for backup. This is that bass.

I was told by the seller that it was chinese in origin, 8 years old, no-tag or ID and I was just curious to some of your thoughts about it.







I have more photos here including some inside shots of the interior construction:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9115076...7632463400965/

She really is a no-frills kind of lady. Nothing is book matched, no flamed wood anywhere. Do you think that the pencil lines were guide lines for being hand carved? It is all solid. Clunker junker?

Sound wise all I can say is she is interesting sounding. She has this puffy note attack with short sustain most likely from the dated strings on her.

Any opinions?

Looks nice...interesting outline. No cracks, that's a good sign. How does it sound?

That's a bass all right.

It sounds weird to be honest. It has a poofy attack with not a lot of sustain. Bowed it sounds really nice. Right now there are helicore orchestra strings on it. They were heavily corroded. I took the E off and cleaned the heck out of it with some alcohol and a terry cloth and put it back on and night and day difference. More sustain and growl and likable but the others didn't change a bit. Trying to decide what strings to put on. Was thinking about Evah Pirazzi Weich after she is all glued up. (open seam on the back/side).

Yeah, right :)

I saw you sold a set of Evah Pirazzi Weich not so long ago. Any particular reason? I'm considering a set for this bass.

I'm sorry I sold them. Try the weichs
For a good hybrid string.

IMHO the first thing to do is to visit a good luthier in order to have a proper set up. This set up, adapted to your own playing style, will definitely deliver the best of this beauty.
The EP Weich is strongly recommended as an excellent hybrid string, so please try it. I tried many decent Chinese basses and all of them performed properly with these strings. Bowed the E string is a real floor shaker!
Mike

Looks similar to one of the Johannes Kohr basses sold by Howard Core.

BG

I'll be darned. It looks like it is the same as an Eastman Model 200 or the 305. The 305 is listed to have a hand antique varnish which mine has.

http://www.losangelesbassworks.com/eastman.html

I think you are close/right with the Eastman guess. Most of the Kohr's and Chrissy's have the perfling loop under the button, unless they are the top models.

Yup, that is exactly what is is. It is a 305. Didn't matter that much, but what the heck, at least I know what factory it came out of. :)




Link to content: http://www.tulsastringsviolinshop.com/Basses.html

the 305 listing is a little down the page.

EPs reg. gauge sound great on my basses. Love the thicker gut-like feel.
Have EP Weichs on an American Standard. The AS has a thin top-they speak quickly-also a great sound, but prefer the thicker string.