My Bass, a Schack "Slapper", Serial #154

It looks quite used, but it is a wonderful instrument with a continuous headless carbon fiber neck and a really well balanced rootwood body. The picks are Bartolini Soapbars, bit I plan to replace them with something that fits in there with a little stronger magnets and thus more punch (which is not very easy to find). I was thinking about a replacement M43X, but I guess I'll have a hard time carving out the carbon fibre to gain more space for the pick.

The headplate was modified to hold four screws that hold traditional one-ball strings (the bridge and headplate were made for the Steinberger balls-on-both-ends system) so I can play any strings I want. At the moment I play Ernie Ball strings, because they seem to last longer if one plays seldom. Apparently they do not lose their crisp sound (and shine) over a long period of time, which makes them perfect for a hobbyist player like me. Hellmut provided me with a set of the Rotosound strings he usually plays, but I found the EB ones to have a nicer sound with the Soapbars. Also, they fit much better into the bridge's bearings.

I love this instrument, it's excellently playable, comparable to an electric guitar with 4 thicker strings ;-)