For a time, when I was in college, I played a wonderful (borrowed) bass owned by my high school teacher; it had a 44-1/4" mensure. It felt perfectly okay back then, but I'm not sure I'd be able to handle it now, with my 50+ year old physiology (Playing a 42" now, and it feels like a stretch). It was a grand, round-back instrument with an enormous voice. Appeared to be late 19th century, big English shoulders, violin corners. Reminded me of a Hawkes bass, but it had hat-peg tuners and a square-ish shaped neck heel, so I don't think it was a Hawkes. Always wondered about the origin of that bass.
