Need help identifying this bass

[xwtb]

Found this bass when demolishing an old storage building recently. Seems to be well-made in spite of weird design, but has no maker's label in it. Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks,
xwtb

[Jason Sypher]

That may be a hell of a find right there. The scroll screams Pollmann but the body design is not one I remember Pollmann using. Upper and lower busetto corners are rare indeed. The only one's I have seen are Yankee basses from the early to mid 1800s though I doubt what you have there is that old, or even close. Send this to Pollmann and see what they have to say about it. Also send it to Ken Smith forums, Ken will like this with his breakfast....

[Jason Sypher]

You also need to take some more pictures with a higher res. Back, sides, heel of neck, close up ff's etc.

[ole Jason]

You don't see upper busetto corners like that every day. Cool bass!

You mentioned you were tasked with destroying the building, did you get to keep the bass?

[Rebop]

Those tuning machines look kinda junky but I've never seen a junky bass shaped like that with a scroll that nice. Something tells me the machines have been changed to plate style from individuals. Just a hunch. Most likely a fine instrument.

[PaulCannon]

Very hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like a brand new bass. No wear at all where bridge feet should be. Fingerboard looks like it could be unfinished, as well.

Is it yours?

[xwtb]

Yes, I bought the building and the contents, which appeared just to be old lumber and chairs. I was mainly after the weathered siding, which I took off first, revealing this beast behind a stack of old doors. Neighbor says the property has been unoccupied for at least ten years, was rented before to a guy with a definite German accent. Nothing else know about him.

I'll see about getting more pix (borrowed camera.) Better res would show some roughness in bridge foot area, though I don't feel a lot of wear on the fingerboard. Tuners were definitely not original, cheaper ones screwed down over nicer-looking peghead sides.

--xwtb

[Steve Swan]

The general outline reminds me of some contemporary Hungarian basses that I've seen. The extra ornamentation looks eastern european. Another case of "more is better" designing. I expect we'll see a little of that at the ISB in a couple of months.

[Eric Swanson]

If it were mine, I would ask Ken Smith about it, on his site. He knows a lot about instruments and their origins.

Ken's Corner (Bass Forums Sponsored By KSB) - Powered by vBulletin

[bassist14]

imho this is NOT a pöllmann

[Jason Sypher]

Look familiar? Click on Busetto and then the photo of the scroll. Either that's a custom Pollmann or someone who directly copied them.

Poellmann Contrabass

[Ben Mitchell]

Great looking bass! Let us know how it turns out for you if you keep it. Why can't I find basses like this?

B

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

Look familiar? Click on Busetto and then the photo of the scroll. Either that's a custom Pollmann or someone who directly copied them.

Poellmann Contrabass

I think you nailed it!

[Paul Warburton]

A cool post @ TBDB with a real answer by a guy who knows his basses.
Props, Jason.

[MollyKay]

Guys!!! Is this an April Fools Joke. Folks are drooling at the thought of free bass…I’m just saying?

Congrats if this is the real deal. Basses like THAT don't fall from the sky every day.

[Paul Warburton]

Hey Molly, just be happy that some idiot put those KAY tuners on the mofo.

[Eric Hochberg]

XWTB, if this isn't an April Fools joke, then why don't you email the photo of the front to Gunter Krahmer at Pollmann to see if they had anything to do with it. I'm betting it's a joke with those kay tuners...

[PaulCannon]

Ok, somewhere a village is missing me. This is definitely photoshopped. I thought those pictures were funky...the colors on the varnish and fingerboard looked very strange, and on closer inspection the upper Bussetto is a mirror reflection of the lower ones.

I've actually seen lousy, misfit tuner plates installed onto really fine basses before and I assumed that was the case.

Well done, sir.

[Jason Sypher]

Who has time to do these things? I hear Pirastro is coming out with a new string this summer. They're going to be called "Practice", steel core doublebass strings....

[drurb]

Yup-- look closer and you can see that the bridge, strings, and tailpiece were also edited out. Nice job!