I have had a chance to go over my son, Justin's, 10s "Orfea", obtained about three weeks ago.
Issues I noted were,
1) the bridge is mahogany not bone; similarly the nut, though this is less important;
2) the size of the four bass holes in the bridge is a little too small, they can take Yepes re-entrant tuning, and JUST about medium tension romantic basses;
3) inter-string spacing could usefully be a mm wider, but is playable;
4) probably, some would like the action raised a shade, perhaps a mm at the saddle. Generally, finish is very good, though the uniformity of staining on the upper fret board could be better. The woods are solid as advertised, the top, spruce, probably from northern China or Russia, the B & S's are rosewood, probably from India or Tibet, the neck, mahogany with a reinforcing strip, the finger board is probably mahogany. My suggestions for wood origins are based on information given in the alto forum, certainly, the spruce is not European or North American, and rosewood is not Brazilian.
The machine heads are reasonable, not top quality. Sound is very good, "they ring well" in both Yepes and romantic tuning. Setting origin aside, with saddle, hole and spacing problems addressed, price in the UK from a specialist salon would likely be about £2500, i.e., ~$5000. Any skilled luthier could deal with the main issues. Even with they stated issues, they are playable as is.
Shipping from Germany to the UK was commendably quick, about three days, the packaging very good. They do not come with a case, and it seems they arrive with the three lowest basses in standard Yepes tuning, but the 7th string is a repeat of string (3)!!!
Overall, for some who wants to try a 10s for only modest outlay, they do seem remarkable value.
James.
On 25 Jul 2008, at 14:32, Stephen Bright, wrote:
Like any obsessive-compulsiv
e disorder, GAS can indeed be bad if:
1) you buy stuff you don't want
2) you spend money earmarked for more important uses
3) it causes anxiety
Also, it generally disrupts the natural order of importance of 1) people, 2) money, and 3)
things, by giving things more attention than people or money.
GAS is a subset of consumerism which had been running rampant for decades, if not
centuries.
Btw., has anybody played one of the chinese-sourced 10s "Orfea" from "Thomann
Cyberstore?" I don't want one for myself, but I wonder if they make a good starter
instrument.
Stephen