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Double Bass Help wanted on a DB (because it sounds too good to be true)

Bisounourse

Bisounourse

Jun 21, 2012
940
677
Gent, Belgium
#1
Hello,

I came across a DB on a second hand site in my region (a bit like Craigslist in the US) for a 120 year old fully carved bass from Germany. Seller is asking 900 € (~ 1150 $) for it. Question is: is this a good deal (it sounds like it is too good to be true) and should I go for it and if someone can identify it? (And maybe I should ask for more pictures)

link to the website (description in Dutch): http://www.2dehands.be/muziek/muziekinstrumenten/contrabas/oud-duitse-contrabas-214525257.html

Description given: German bass, 120 years old, fully carved, suitable for advanced level.

Pictures:

214525257_1-oud-duitse-contrabas.jpg 214525257_2-oud-duitse-contrabas.jpg 214525257-oud-duitse-contrabas.jpg
 
#5
Hé Eric.

Those links to marktplaats don't seem to work anymore. Do you know wether those basses were also made to look old? I think this bass has a repaired crack on the front and the fingerboard has been raised. So it can't be a very new bass. Even then: the claim of it beïng 120 years old and german isn't substantiated in any way. If you know this details, wouldn't you show proof, at least in the form of a fake label?

Anyway, I've sent a message with some questions.
 
#9
I think I once bought a fingerboard from him I wanted to use on a EUB project.

It's still not clear to me why it is this cheap, but I doubt he'd undervalue a bass. The pictures are not very clear, but there probably are some very ugly repairs on the top. Still: if it plays well
 
#11
There is a guy here in sweden that sells brand new basses and passes them off as old. It really erks me as young students who don't know better get sucked in and believe the saelspitch. There is a guy in Norway (T....h..m) that sells basses in a higher pricerange and sold me a bass as an italian Pallotto from 1791. It was an ok bass for the money,maybe 20-30% overpriced, but it is extremely dishonest as he very well knew this was a scam. I was only 16-17 at the time and had no way of knowing what I was getting.
Our swedish scam artist curently has these ads out: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed][Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#12
Perhaps its cheap because maybe it just doesn't sound great. It appears to be blockless, it may have a big ugly tone killing integral bass bar or a lousy neck block conversion. The blockless basses can have a pretty long mensure too (north of 43 inches). Of course I hope it's a gem and you get a great bass for cheap though.
 
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#13
Well, I didn't get the bass..., seller was being very difficult; he wanted to move it fast, I said I could come over, but no more replies, after a few days I mailed him again, bass was still there, asked for his adress (which he still didn't give), then wanted my phonenumber, then no more replies, mailed again, no more replies...

Short story: I got fed up; you want to sell or you don't and not something in between... (and I was still very sceptical about it).

For those who are interested in the bass: seller is located in Den Bosch; he claims that everything is original, except for the strings and the bridge.


Oh well, other basses will pop up. (Now I'll focus on practice).
 
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