Double Bass Unknown "German" Bass

[LaFaveBass]

I was recently given a bass that is in horrible shape. Until I took it down it had been sitting on top of a closet for x amount of years. Apparently it had been bought for around $100, restored (poorly), immediately dropped on its side, then thrown up on top of the closet. It's a f;at back and it seems to be a hybrid, although its hard to tell if the back is ply. I am very interested in restoring it but I'm not sure if it will turn out to be worth it. I am a high school student who is looking to pursue music in college and doesn't have a bass, so if this looks promising I'd be very happy. I emailed the people at Guarneri house, the nearest luthier shop (7 hours aways from me), for restoration information, but they're at ISB right now so they haven't gotten back. The only label on the inside is just a "Made in Germany" one.

-Lucas

 

[fakeneckplate'65]

I accidentally clicked on this link thinking it was an electric bass thread. I don't know the first thing about contra-bass, but, whew, that one's a doozie!

Good luck OP!

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Nice! That will be a pre-war German bass and could end up sounding really good. There has been some unfortunate attempts at repairs but once those are corrected, you should have a mighty fine bass there!

 

[Matthijs]

Looks like a mistreated gem. It needs a lot of tlc, but that can become a beautifull bass. We did not get a good look at the top though. So I can't tell if there are any structural issues under the top.

 

[LaFaveBass]

Here's two pictures of the scroll and neck

 

[LaFaveBass]

More thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated if anyone is still seeing this!

 

[LaFaveBass]

Looks like a mistreated gem. It needs a lot of tlc, but that can become a beautifull bass. We did not get a good look at the top though. So I can't tell if there are any structural issues under the top.

I looked at the underside of the top with a mirror and was actually surprised. Other than that giant chip and a few smaller cracks it was in decent condition. Bass bar is still tight to the body. The bass is pretty structurally sound... But beat to hell...

 

[Nagrom]

Well I don't really know alot about this, but if you're thinking of learning string bass I think you're looking at a couple choices. First one is to take that wonderful old bass and have it properly repaired-I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say lotsa money and a long time. I'll take a guess and say $5k and a year till you see it back. Others here could give better estimates of course. Or, take that repair money and buy something ready to play. Keep the old girl for a future project and start living your dream.

 

[tyb507]

It's hard to tell from the pics, but nothing about the sides or back make me think plywood.

 

[LaFaveBass]

Hello friends!
I figure i'd post an update, just for fun.

The bass ended being restored by Aaron Reily of the Guaneri House family. After it was finished it became my partner in crime and carried me all the way through my undergrad studies (thats the bass in my profile pic). Once i started grad school, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a bass from my professor Rodney Whitaker, so I sold this old german to a good friend and bought a brand new Golia.
She turned to be a good bass! beautiful signing mid and upper register, only it severely lack resonance in its lower end. being that my college studies are rooted in hard bop, this proved to be a difficult thing to dela with throughout my undergrad, so when I had the opportunity to buy a bass that had a canon-like low end i jumped at it. I still see the bass regularly and my friend takes great care of it!
Thank you all for helping out a clueless high school student with a passion for the bass (almost seven years ago)!

 

[BobDeRosa]

Love happy endings! Best of luck with your career.