I recently bought a Thompson Bass from Stephen Koscica at The String Emporium in Phoenix. We did the wholed thing over the phone. It was a great experience and the bass is better than I expected and has a really nice finish. Steve helped me make the right choices without the sales pressure. The bass was delivered by air freight and in tune right out of the box with a great setup. I am really happy and would recomend one of these basses to anyone anywhere. Now I need to sell my old Scherl & Roth.