Double Bass German bass. U.S. zone vs west Germany?

[jellymax]

it is light in weight. ive'd moved the post around a bit with good results.
happy holidaze my friends

 

[AGCurry]

so, this bass was finished during operation dumbo drop. a pieace of history...

???

 

[Don Hergert]

Wiki: Operation Dumbo Drop

(ca. 1968 though, probably not the right dates for the OP double bass.)

 

[james condino]

I always find it entertaining how in the bass world, there are strong opinions about "shop basses" not being "luthiers", while every electric guitar ad for mass produced factory instruments built on cnc machines in Nashville or South Korea act like they are all hand made by some old guy in a Pinocchio outfit wearing Keebler elf shoes & John Lennon glasses spending half a decade hand carving a single top with a hand plane his great grandfather passed down...

There are a lot of mid 20th century Wm. Lewis and sons labeled basses that are very similar to a Juzek; mass produced from small shops to a certain build spec. and sourced from any of multiple different shops in the region.

 

[AGCurry]

There are a lot of mid 20th century Wm. Lewis and sons labeled basses that are very similar to a Juzek; mass produced from small shops to a certain build spec. and sourced from any of multiple different shops in the region.

Just to clarify ... the OP's bass is not labeled "William Lewis."

 

[GretschWretch]

Yes, that's about it. "Shop bass" simply means a bass made in a workshop by craftsmen, but without "special attention" given to its creation - not "master built." Mittenwald, in Bavaria, and Markneukirchen, in Saxony, are/were known for the shops that turned out thousands of violins, violas, cellos, and basses. The instruments were exported under many different brand names. The various brand names get confusing (and fairly meaningless), so it's easier just to say "German shop bass."

Very many older German shop basses sing well, play nicely, hold up well, and are fairly valuable. I'm fond of mine. Enjoy your bass!

But not Mirecourt in France?

 

[AGCurry]

But not Mirecourt in France?

Wouldn't that be a "French shop bass?"

 

[GretschWretch]

Wouldn't that be a "French shop bass?"

Yes, it would. But I recall from the Raymond Elgar bass books, which I discovered while still a college undergraduate, that he grouped Mittenwald, Mirecourt, and Markneukirchen as centers of bass manufacture.