I would love my DB to sound like the woody, buzzy rich tone that Danny Thompson or the guy from the Wood Brothers gets. But its a ply back/sides Zeller student model, so it will never get near that. Amplified, however, it really sounds very good through my AI/EA rig and especially in a band context. I am guessing that were I to have a very expensive carved 19th century bass it would approximate to the acoustic sound I love but be no better than my Zeller when amplified and in fact more problematic with feedback. Horses for courses and depends on context, in short.