I recently purchased this bass from Thomann as I am a huge Beatles fan , and wanted to own a genuine Hofner vilion bass just like Paul's , but with out breaking the bank ! .Thomann had the best online price I could find on this excellent little bass , and the customer service was excellent with the item arriving safe and sound here to Australia.The contemporary series bass by Hofner is actually a very close reproduction of a classic V64 500/1 violin bass , but at a very affordable price . The biggest difference with this model is that the bass has a centre block in the body , creating a more modern tone , while still getting that classic trademark Beatle bass vibe and sound ! This bass although manufactured in the East , is still of a very high build quality . It comes factory fitted with round wound strings which sounds great ... however , I changed these out for La Bella flatwounds to help achieve a closer vintage tone . I also purchased the Thomann beat case which fits this model nicely . I highly recommend this bass ... you won't regret it .