Cremona SB-4 Premier Novice Upright Bass – 3/4 Size – Hand-Carved Solid Spruce Top, Flamed Maple Back & Sides, Ebony Fingerboard – Student Bass with Gig Bag

I started playing musical instruments at a late age, first the guitar at age 58 in 2006, and a year later the upright bass. It opened up a whole new world for me and just when I needed it most. Playing the upright bass makes me the happiest. I had to give it up for a couple of years and played an accoustic/electric bass guitar, but it never gave me the thrill that playing a bass fiddle does. First of all, it is a beautiful instrument to look at. Secondly, it has a solid spruce top which will continue to inhance the sound. I've had it a very short time and already had comments about it sounding better all the time. Usually, a bass with a solid top would cost much more than the price of this one. Also, it is the same model bass that is played at the Grand Ole Opry. I did my research before making this purchase. Included with my purchase was a very nice padded bag. It has a two way zipper that allows you to zip it up to the end pin from both sides. This is a must. I can easily dress my Cremona alone. Definitely a good buy for the money!

Bass is incorrectly listed as the SB-3. This bass is the SB-4, with a solid wood top, not laminate. I was shocked to be able to buy this instrument at the price listed at Amazon. Everywhere else this model was retailing at over $600 more. While it may not be the absolute best bass at its $2,200 list price, it certainly is worth the amount I paid (and the shipping charge was zero!). It has very good tone and appears to be well-constructed of quality materials (ebony fingerboard and tailpiece, maple adjustable bridge, solid top). Compares favorably to several basses I tested out locally, and they were selling for $1,400 to $1,800 used. The bass arrived in an over-size double-walled carton with huge styrofoam billets for protection; not a mark on it. The soundpost was correctly positioned, and I had it set up and tuned in under 20 minutes. Action is extremely low at this point; I'll raise it a bit in a month or two. So far (two weeks playing) I consider it to be the best deal I have ever gotten on Amazon.