Actually it doesn't look a disaster to me, just the work done has not been top quality. I reckon if it was available for under half that price, the remainder would be enough to sort it out into a respectable looking bass. I have to say I do like the look of some of the older guitars that typically come up for sale in Japan with a brass cavity cover on the top like No:12. So something like that could salvage the top. I do like the idea of a top engraving so that isn't such a disaster for me as long as it looks good in the flesh. If. not I doubt it would be hard to remove with a belt sander.
Someone with good woodworking skills or access to a friendly luthier could turn that round into something good. A new set of electronics could hit the budget though. But there is enough wrong to provide a good bargaining tool for the right person to get it for a song ( excuse the pun). Not me though, I like my alembics to look good, sound good and work properly right out of the box.
Bill, tgo Spoiled but through a process of distillation it could become Excel-lent or even Epic. :-)
