Does anyone know anything about this bass manufacturer???

[Elias86]

Hi, I'm new to the forums and am wondering if anyone can tell me anything about the bass I play and rent from my university.

I only started playing double bass a few years ago, and I don't know much about bass construction or manufacturers. I'll be in the market to purchase a bass in a year or two, so I'm wondering how much the bass I currently play on is worth. The sticker on it reads:

Ernst Georg Dumel
1990 Handmade Copy of Antonius Stradivarius
7/8
Model
910

Through the other f-hole is another sticker which says,"This instrument selected and approved by International Strings, Inc. has been carefully constructed and adjusted to exceed the Music Educators National Conference standards."

My teacher here, who is actually a cellist, says that it is worth about $18,000. However, we had a guest bassist here, who was quite good, who believed it was more like a $4,000 to $6,000 instrument. I personally love the bass regardless of its worth and would love to own another like it, but I can't find out anything about the manufacturer on the internet. Anyone else heard of them?

[Bass Barrister]

Hi,

I appears that your bass comes from this series distributed by International Strings:

http://www.feolds.com/descriptions/d...Basses.htm#910

International Strings is owned by F.E. Olds. This new "Olds" uses the name of a brass instrument maker of the same name that was located in California and that went bankrupt in 1979. They import brass instruments using the well-known "Olds" and "Reynolds" brands but that are made in China. The quality varies greatly but does not approach the level found in the original US made instruments.

My sense is that the basses come from either China or some factory in Romania. That's were most of this stuff comes from. One can't tell from the rather murky descriptive information provided on the web-site.

Your bass appears to be the top of their line. It may, or may not be decent bass and the actual $$ value is anyone's guess. If you and your teacher think it is a good one, have a bass luthier check it out. Moreover, play as many basses as you can possibly get your hands on.

By the way, Antonio Stradivari NEVER made a bass in his life and his work is fairly well documented. Although these labels are common, they are bogus.

Good luck.