Thomann Chinese DaRuan

I bought this as I'm a bass player who is very interested in traditional chinese and european folk music.

SOUND:
The Daruan sounds really excellent, a nice even tone and full sound. I love the clarity in the instrument and how well it projects.

BUILD QUALITY:
The quality of the Daruan is overall very good, but there are numerous marks on the neck from where the glue has been spilled to attach the plastic and steel frets. There is also a small crack in the varnish/finish of the neck where the neck meets the body of the instrument. These are all stereotypical trademarks of budget chinese factory made instruments.

SETUP/PLAYABILITY:
The Daruan arrived with the bridge fairly out of alignment. Luckily I know how to intonate guitars so didnt have a problem but those with little experience may need to educate themselves. Very easy to do though as the bridge is not glued to the body of the instrument.

CASE:
The case that comes with it is a polystyrene hard shell case, with a material outer cover. It seems of fairly good quality with a zip on the front. Time will see how well it lasts.

It's a BIG instrument. It looks very nice, with a very smooth outside body. The sustain and resonance is surprising. I would say it resonates almost too much (with the high metal frets, or the other strings?), but I am not an acoustic specialist, so I can't tell if that is how the Daruan is supposed to sound. The frets are well tuned, there is no problem with the (simple) bridge. The glueing of the body is not 5 stars if you examine very close, but very decent, if you look 20 cm away or more it looks splendid.

The strings are quality. The casing is big and protects the instrument well, you can carry it on your back like a cello.

You can play deep low notes like a bass and high notes like a mandolin equally well. I tune it like a cello and use it for European folk. You can press down on the high frets and do Chinese-style ornaments. It's a very versatile instrument, it's still probably underused, it could be adapted to many kind of music. You can also play chords, strum, and finger picking bass-style works as well.

It comes with a hard pick that gives you an idea of how hard you can play it. You might want to add straps if possible, as it can only be played sitting (it's really BIG!).