Thomann Bass Ukulele Side Hole

After playing electric, and double bass, for several years; and becoming tired of carrying my oversized double bass, or a heavy amplifier, I decided it was time for something smaller, so I purchased the Thomann Bass ukulele.

Sound:
The sound is amazing. The tone is deep and robust, and reminds me a lot of my old double bass. While silent enough to not annoy my neighbours when I'm playing on it without the amplifier at night. When I connect it to an amp or a speaker, however, the sound is powerful and lovely.
Not all notes are quite on key, but it's not enough to bother me, and it's no likely to bother anyone else either, unless they have perfect pitch.

Appearance:
The bass is probably the most beautiful instrument I've played in years. The design is simply beautiful, and makes me feel more professional while playing.

Craftsmanship:
The instrument was filled with sawdust when I received it, and had rough edges around the sound hole. Before I could start playing properly, I had to empty it and smooth out the edges around the sound hole before i could start playing. Also, the nut needed filing, as it was rough and damaged the strings, as well as made tuning difficult.
Lastly, it is a little bit too neck-heavy to play standing up comfortably without a strap, but no strap button exists; thusly, you need to add one (or possibly two) for comfort.
In other words, nothing serious, but the instrument needs a bit of extra work before use. Changing strings was also a challenge, and as such, I haven't dared change strings for several years, since it took me so long (the better part of an hour) to just change the G-string.

Pros:
Can be used with an amplifier or plugged directly into the PA, also, both 6,3 cable and XLR can be used. good sound, good appearance, good microphone, lightweight, easy to take with. Also, the side hole sends some extra sound to your ears, meaning that additional monitors to hear yourself play is unnecessary unless your band mates are very loud.

Cons:
There are some small things that are likely to need fixing before you start playing on it the first time.
The strings are prone to pick up extra sound from the picking finger. This can be fixed by wearing gloves, using a felt pick, or switching to better strings.
Because the sound hole is on the side, rather than the middle, regular ukulele sound hole straps are unusable. The strings have a tendency to get stuck, making tuning difficult, and changing strings is next to impossible unless you have tiny hands or high dexterity

To summarise. I love this bass, and think it's a good buy. But unless you either know how to fix the kind of errors I mentioned, or have a friend who knows, those problems might be frustrating.

This is an addictive little instrument to possess, I have been unable to go even a few hours without picking it up to have a jam. Most of the downsides are those which all Uke Basses suffer, namely the strings require much more winding to reach accurate tuning, the standard strings are very 'grippy' and don't slide as easily as nylon, they're also a little bit buzzy and noisy.
I replaced standard factory strings with Aquila ThunderReds and they are significantly better, more Gliss, less buzz and noise. However, this brings me to the major fault.
In order to change the strings easily you need a torch, and to remove the jack/XLR input, it's very tricky even then.
In summary, the first thing I did was restring it, the second thing I do will be to cut an access panel in the back!

Interessantes Konzept mit einem eigenständigen Klang. Nach kurzer Eingewöhnungsphase was die Mensur und die Art der Saiten betrifft, kommt man zu guten Klangergebnissen. Sehr gut auch als Solo-Bass-Instrument zu benutzen. Die Verarbeitung ist 1a, die Bespielbarkeit ebenso. Auch beim Recording mittels Mikro und XLR-Anschluss des Pickups kommt man zu guten Klangergebnissen.
Was fehlt sind Gurt-Pins. Kann man natürlich nachrüsten. Dann verliert man aber die Gewährleistungsgarantie....
Was mir völlig rätselhaft ist, wie man die Saiten wechseln soll. Man braucht sicher schon sehr lange Zangen/Pinzetten, um durch das "Sidehole" die alten Saiten herausziehen und die neuen wieder einfädeln zu können. Elektrik-Modul entfernen? Die Saitenenden mit dünnem Draht umwickeln und dann die neuen Saitenenden dranmachen wird scheitern, weil die Saiten mit Draht dann nicht durch die Löcher in der Brücke passen. Vielleicht gibt es zu dem Saitenwechseln mal ein Tutorial. In der Zwischenzeit hoffe ich, die Saiten nicht wechseln zu müssen. Ansonsten bin ich sehr zufrieden.