Thomann 111BR 3/4 Double Bass

As a long-time electric bass player, this was my first foray into Double Bass. Based on positive reviews for this bass I took the plunge and was pleasantly surprised at how good this is for the price.

I bought this to be a learning and gigging instrument and it is performing superbly on both counts. I have developed my technique and upgraded certain parts of the hardware as I've become more confident and able. I've played my share of shoddy beginner instruments and this certainly isn't one of those

The instrument arrived well packaged on a pallet with all its accessories. A word on them... the gig bag is very useful. It offers almost no protection but makes transporting this beast much easier and practical... many gigs, festivals and train rides later and I don't even have a scratch. The cleaning kit is fine. The bow is useless junk... the synthetic hair wouldn't take any rosin whatsoever. I bought a cheap wooden bow with real horse hair and that is much better.

I could find nothing wrong with the build quality. There are a few parts where the finish and carving is a little rough around the edges, but nothing that affects the playing experience. The bridge was well set up and easy to install, and the string as perfectly fine to begin with. The tuning machines and endpin were a little stiff, but nothing a bit of WD40 couldn't fix.

Sound wise the tone out of the box is good and surprisingly loud. My bandmates were enamoured straight away. It was full and deep, and the bowed sound growls. A seasoned classical bassist might be able to point out many flaws in it, but for a jobbing musician it is perfectly serviceable.

Since buying this bass I have upgraded it with an adjustable bridge, a set of Innovation Honeys and a Gage Realist pickup, which have all taken it to the next level and it is now my main gigging instrument. I'm getting no end of compliments from sound engineers and audience members and I couldn't be happier with it! If you're looking to take up upright bass then I don't think you could find a better place to start.

When I first opened the box I was amazed at the quality of the instrument, the wood was beautiful, the craftsmanship was beautiful and the finish was perfect. It took me a while to set up properly since I was a novice at the double bass, but it wasn't too big of a chore, the body had a little mark on it to show where the bridge went (I don't know if this is on all of them, like I said the double bass is new to me).

My only complaint is that the pin got bent very easily even though I was extremely careful not to lift the bass up on it, and it's extremely difficult to pull out the pin by hand now.

The main thing is the bass still plays beautifully and looks even more beautiful. A table or chair made with this quality and attention to detail would be more expensive than this. It a really beautiful instrument