Does someone knows this maker?

[Frank Larouche]

Hello Ken and everyone,

I'm new here but I read a lot of those interesting threads on awesome double basses! I want to buy a carved double because I am due for an update on my plywood bass!

My question is related to a double bass I tried today, the owner said it is probably german and maybe 100 years old but he dont really knows. There is a label inside and it says

Antoni Pauli Mulicus

and there is another word below that seems to begin with AU and maybe S so this can be Austria , i'm not sure at all.

Is there someone who knows this maker? Maybe Mr Smith and his vast knowledge! It is a very nice bass with a big sound, I appreciate any input, sorry for the long post!

Thanks

Francis

[Ken Smith]

Hello Ken and everyone,

I'm new here but I read a lot of those interesting threads on awesome double basses! I want to buy a carved double because I am due for an update on my plywood bass!

My question is related to a double bass I tried today, the owner said it is probably german and maybe 100 years old but he dont really knows. There is a label inside and it says

Antoni Pauli Mulicus

and there is another word below that seems to begin with AU and maybe S so this can be Austria , i'm not sure at all.

Is there someone who knows this maker? Maybe Mr Smith and his vast knowledge! It is a very nice bass with a big sound, I appreciate any input, sorry for the long post!

Thanks

Francis

The name "Antoni Pauli" is Bohemian and more than 200 years old. My guess is that the label, if even real does not belong in that bass. This is fairly common but this name is not one of the more famous ones we see put in as faked instruments. Still, it doesn't add up.

Show me the bass, please! Too many people come up with questions and incomplete information to get any educated answers if there are any to be gotten to begin with.

[Frank Larouche]

Thanks for the quick reply, unfortunately the bass is still a the shop who sells it and I dont have any pictures. They say i'ts at least 100 years old and from somewhere near germany...

I'ts weird that they wrote Antoni Pauli and right after that Mulicus as it was part of the name. Do you have and exemple of a Antoni Pauli bass?

It has a dark red varnish, seems original, purfling on the front and back, a roundback and a round edge very curved that is very well-made.

thanks in advance for all the comments and if I can have pics I will post them!

[Ken Smith]

Thanks for the quick reply, unfortunately the bass is still a the shop who sells it and I dont have any pictures. They say i'ts at least 100 years old and from somewhere near germany...

I'ts weird that they wrote Antoni Pauli and right after that Mulicus as it was part of the name. Do you have and exemple of a Antoni Pauli bass?

It has a dark red varnish, seems original, purfling on the front and back, a roundback and a round edge very curved that is very well-made.

thanks in advance for all the comments and if I can have pics I will post them!

I doubt that maker ever made a bass. If so, it would not look like anything near German 100 years old. Different species of bass by then. This maker probably made only Violins and Viols.

And, it's not "Mulicus". it's "Musicus" as in maker of instruments for Music, I assume. The maker's name was Anton but his labels are Latinized as many were back then and used Antoni.

------------------------
Antoni Pauli, Musicus
Instrumentalis in Tachua
Anno 1730
------------------------

Label example above in translation but the old Latin letters may look like it says something slightly different as you thought originally. There were other makers in that family as well. Similar work and labels. No mention of any Bass being made by any on them. Like I said above, the chances of this being a Bass by him is more rare than winning the Lottery every other week.

I will bet he doesn't have a bass by this guy or anything even close. Show the bass and let's see!

I have two different books that give this information as listed above on this maker. It is not from my experience or memory, just so you know.

[Frank Larouche]

Thanks a lot Ken,

I think you are completely right about the label. When I go back to play it I will try to take pictures but I dont know if the shop will be ok with that, maybe I will only pm them to you.

It is a big deal to me because even if the sound is my first requirement for my new double bass, I want to be sure I have a real old double bass and not something made to look old. However I trust the shop where I go but they are not specialized in double bass. I am also curious in general about the pedigree of basses!

[Anselm Hauke]

"musicus" = musician in latin