Quote:
Originally Posted by uprightben  There are too many factors that cannot be asessed by looking at pictures to give an appraisal on the internet, and you really shouldn't expect an appraisal for free from strangers anyways.
Your bass appears to be a german factory bass, and the label saying west germany indicates that it was made during the cold war years (i would not consider a bass from that time "vintage" yet). One major factor in determining value will be to determine if it is made of solid wood or plywood (solid being more valuable). The best way to figure out the value on your own would be to research what company made the bass, and try to find a current model that is most like yours and find out what retailers are selling that bass for. Since your bass hasn't been played, I would price it like a new bass because it the playing, not the years, that improves instruments over time.
To give you an idea of what ball park your bass might be in, it's probably worth at least $2,500 but not more than $10,000. |
I agree with much of what Uprightben wrote, except that based on the fact that it appears to be professionally set up (and the bow was certainly used), I would guess that it was played before you father got it.
Is there anything else on the label? If not, you probably won't be able to figure out the maker, but that's not really important for a bass like this. "West Germany" indeed means it was imported between 1949 and 1990, but it could possibly be even older. From the scroll shot it looks like the fingerboard might not be actual ebony but only painted black. If this is the case then it probably is plywood, and would probably fall in the $2500-$3500 range.
Finally, the only way you're going to get the information you want is to take it to an expert. Where do you live? If you aren't near a proper bass shop, maybe you can find a pro player or teacher in the area who knows his basses and would be willing to take a look.
