LAG T177BCE Tramontane

Before I get lost in details, my conclusion right away: The "LAG T177BCE Tramontane" is an attractively priced entry into the world of mid-range instruments. I recommend this model not only to ambitious up-and-comers, but also to beginners who do not want to fail at the hurdle of poor playability (performance) or a diminished sound image. You simply can't be happy with 200 € instruments. The Tramontane is not only cleanly finished with good woods (such as no glue marks), but also delivers rich and assertive bass sounds that can stand unpluged next to the acoustic guitar.

Here are some details about this instrument. I was pleasantly surprised about the workmanship of the bass. Especially with entry-level models, you don't like to look inside the body. This French bass, which by the way is made in China like most of the acoustic basses from Ortega, Fender and the like, has a clean finish without any snotty edges and the solid top made of Engelmann spruce is visually pleasing. I'm particularly taken with the wood inlays around the soundhole, which have been provided with a "German cross" at the lower end towards the bridge. The dark brownwood fretboard - I couldn't find out exactly what kind of wood it is - with the dark tuners and the dark contoured headstock make the instrument stand out from the crowd of competitors and give the bass a historical ambience that I personally like very much. In addition, the side-matte open-bristle finish aesthetically accentuates the overall appearance.

I was also surprised by the sound of the instrument, which is certainly due to the somewhat voluminous body. The top made of Engelmann spruce is said to have a sound rich in overtones, which responds especially to softer notes. I can confirm the same with this model. The sound develops powerfully even in the lower notes, which is often not the case with entry-level models. It is simply a great pleasure to elicit the tones from the instrument and to enjoy the clearly transparent and melodious sound. Such a bass inspires to play and this characteristic is mainly found only in high-priced instruments. This clearly distances the acoustician from entry-level models, where sound and response leave much to be desired.

With my rudimentary knowledge of instrument making and electric bass restoration, I suspect the positive sound characteristics are due to the use of a carbon saddle and bridge at the bridge. Apparently, this carbon bridge transfers the tones abruptly to the resonators. Here one must really express respect to the French. A great innovation.

At the end, however, I would like to point out that the bass was delivered with an overstretched trussrod (neck bar). The strings scrounged at different positions and adjusting the neck took some experience. I made some corrections to the fret rods with the fret file after the fact, as I couldn't get the A side "scrounge-free" in the 6th through 10th positions beyond the usual measures without worsening the string action. The saddle height was set optimally at the factory with about 0.2 mm at the 1st fret. I also used a saddle file to slightly correct the string height at the bridge. So I got a perfect and halfway sidetone free playing on all positions. I can imagine that these instruments all have slight differences in workmanship. You can be lucky to get a flawless instrument. But as a rule, in this price range, and this is especially true for entry-level instruments, you have to do some fine-tuning on the instrument. Otherwise you will only reap frustration. Here it is worthwhile to perhaps spend some money for a professional intervention, which cannot be expected for an instrument around 600 €. Otherwise, you really have to get into the upper league from 1,200 €. For that you get an instrument that has been corrected by hand and professionally adjusted.