Thomann 22AS 3/4 Europe Double Bass

I'm a beginner player coming from the electric bass so take my review with a grain of salt.

Packaging: Really well packed, my box was quite damaged on the outside with a massive dent in it which made me almost refuse receiving it, but the local delivery company was very pushy. The inside of the box has enough cushioning and structural pieces that none of the box damage reached the instrument.

Set up: I got it to a playable state in about 15 minutes. The bridge marking is very precise and instructions that come with it are also good. Action might be a tiny bit high. No buzzing at all, crisp and clear.

Sound: To my untrained ears, sounds quite nice. Warm but clear. Not too loud, but I guess loud enough.

Build: This bass looks really good. Spotless although it came quite dusty. I love the color and the matte finish. I must say it looks so spotless that it almost makes it look cheap, if that makes sense. The matte finish might make it look a bit cheaper than the glossy version. But that's all very subjective.

My teacher was quite impressed with the quality for the price. I'm overall very happy with it. Only attention points would be:
1. Maybe get the string height adjusted
2. If you're tall the endpin will likely be too short for you

So I bought this bass returning to double bass after a 15 year break.
I am anyway a novice. The sound is good when I changed the strings. After 1 year and a half I am still happy with it but I`d like to try some more expensive instrument for comparison.
Anyway this bass is good for a novice and even more advanced player.
The setup is non existent. The action on all strings was 1cm when I got it so in absence of a luthier in my area I had to file the nut and the bridge on my own. Not difficult as many people say but you need the right tools like a rat tail file.
The tuners are not very good and the gummy covering the endpin wear out pretty quickly. Changing the endpin can be done but you need to saw it as it has got a securing that doesn`t allow the endpin to come out all the way (a bit stupid in my opinion).

I`ll make short...

Pros:

1. Price
2. Thomann`s Service - Credited for the too short endpin
3. Thomann`s Setup - really nice
4. Look!

Cons:

1. Too short Endpin if you are 180cm in height or more (!!!)
2. Really not a nice finish of the back of the neck. Varnished and almost WHITE colour
3. Fingerboard was not the same width as the neck - both sides.
4. Tuning pegs not lubricated, very hard to turn, and NOISY by default

The £50 strings fitted are NOT bad but don't expect they will be like £150 strings.

Nach einem Vergleich mit anderen Bässen bei thomann im Laden habe ich mich für den 22AS 3/4 Europe Double Bass entschieden. Weicher, gleichzeitig klarer, voluminöser Klang und gute Bespielbarkeit haben mich überzeugt in der Preisklasse bis 1300€. Die Lackierung ist wunderschön und unterstreicht den Charakter des Instruments hervorragend. Der Versand war vorbildlich. Anschließend war ich beim Geigenbauer, der nicht ganz so begeistert war, ihn für den Preis aber ok fand. Für knapp 200 € hat er die Stimme neu gesetzt und den Steg nachgearbeitet, nicht zuletzt um meine Keramiktonabnehmer einzupassen. Der Klang hat sich nochmal verbessert. Nicht gefallen hat mir die Besaitung, die mir von thomann als Jazz-Version aufgezogen wurde. Die Saiten haben einen Metallkern, ein Nylonkern wäre wärmer und weicher, jazziger eben, kostet aber ca.100-130€ mehr. So werde ich mir die "richtigen" Saiten demnächst für den vollen Preis neu anschaffen. Ich spiele in einer Coverband Soul, Blues und leichtere Jazzsachen. Meine Kolleg*innen flippen beim Anblick des Intruments vor Begeisterung regelmäßig aus. Für das Publikum ist es ein normales Instrument, scheint eher so ein Musikerding zu sein. Man sollte aber die Präsenz und Erotik eines Kontrabasses aber nicht unterschätzen. Wohl dem, der ihn zu spielen weiß.