Double Bass Dietl doublebasses?

[Steve Swan]

A few years back I misplaced an old magazine article about a doublebass maker named Dietl who made instruments in Germany in the late 1950s and 1960s. He and his wife worked by themselves and turned out a good number of basses with sprayed on wine red spirit varnish finishes. Does this ring a bell with anybody?

 

[JDBassist51]

Hi Steve,

A search of German luthier Anton Dietl led to a website to his (son Wilfried Leonhardt's) current business. Anton opened his first shop in 1926, and transferred the business to Wilfried in 1968. So that puts the time frame about right.

Also, several instruments including a 1957 Mastrcraft cello and a viola came up under a dealer with Anton's name.