Yo,
I got this small (somewhere inbetween 1/2 and 5/8) instrument last spring, in a godawful condition - it was worm-eaten and all - from an aspiring psychobilly bass chick who never got around to play it. (She was a pro bootmaker, which is cool enough anyway.)
Spent some $5k on it for repairs, without really knowing anything about it. It turned out to be a nice little bass, sounding good for being so small. Think I'll smack some plain gut onto it and use it as a baroque bass once a year or whenever I get the opportunty. It looks very similar to the Halbbass Dalla Torre tries out on
http://www.silviodallatorre.com/inde...ne=2&thema=176, but with lower shoulders. I thought I should post some pics before, mid-restoration, and after. Anyone has any guesses on what it really is? Two luthiers have agreed that it could be about 200 years of age, which would coincide with those Halbbass/Arperggione experiments that was going on back then, but it might as well be some cheap shop bass from the 30's that's just gotten some ill treatment for all I know. Another guess would be that it is a Bohemian folk bass that was used as a band instrument, probably in some strange tuning. One of the luthiers suggested Austria, too. I'm clueless; the bass itself is very contradictory, as the table is rather nicely made but the scroll suggests that it's built by anything else than a master luthier.
Anyways, bring out you magnifying glasses, and all knowledge you have and tell me what I just spent 6 grands on.
