[Adrian Levi]

Hi Wayne , thanks for the offer but I have a nice 50's/60's Framus 3/4 Hybrid.

The back has bulged a bit due to sound post pressure and will need an inner patch sometime ! I was toying with the idea though of perhaps removing the back and making a solid wood flat back replacement for it . I'm going to need to remove the neck and straighten it sometime as it is a little off centre ....

Originally Posted by wayne holmes

good question Adrian- one that we shop owners get a lot. In a former life I sold home-improvements for Sears. Just about everything we sold, we offered a "good", "better", and "best". This is the way I look at basses, generally(there are some exceptions, like the New Standard in my opinion is better than some fully carved and probably most hybrids-IMO)But, generally, the plywood would be the good, the hybrid(top carved and sides and back laminated) would be the "better" and the "best" would be the fully carved(solid wood). The difference IMO, is vibration. The more solid wood, the better the vibration, the better the carved wood, the better the vibration. Plywood that is laminated in 2 to 6 sheets together with glue is just not going to move very much. Everything is closed off and sealed IMO

Price generally- the good-cheapest-better- more and best-the most -usually, IME

I like hybrids for students like in HS or college. I have had some come through my inventory that I thought sounded very good. Most were European. Also, I have put an Engelhardt top on a couple of old really rough Germans and they sounded great. This made them a hybrid with solid sides and back with a laminated top. So, in these two, the back and sides being carved and the Engelhardt top, made these two basses sound better than any fully laminated. Again, IMO, it has to do with how the bass vibrates. The better the vibration, the better the sound and the more the cost.

You thinking about going hybrid-I'll trade you one for one of your carved-how about that French bass?