Info on this Bass?

[waltwallace]

Current owner says it's a French carved bass from the 50's. He's not sure what kind of strings it's strung with. Is it likely some other European origin? And what type of strings are those with the blue winding on top and bottom?
Thanks in advance.

[Ken Smith]

No, it's a Factory German/Germanic bass, sorry.

French basses NEVER have outer linings on the Ribs.
French basses NEVER have tuner plate gears.

The bass is German regardless of the features mentioned above.

I need to see the strings lower down at the tailpiece and thee ball ends.

Most bass strings are European as well. What kind is the question.

[waltwallace]

I appreciate the reply with your expertise. I suspected it was German not French. I have don't have any closeups of strings at the endpin, but posted 2 more I do have. When I play a bass with spirocores, it's very comfortable and easier for me to compare cause that's what i've used for decades. It's hard to know playing a bass with other strings how much of the difference is because of the instrument and how much because of the strings & set up. The owner wasn't sure about the details, but it sounds good and seems like it would be a pretty good bass for not a huge amount of money.

[Ken Smith]

I appreciate the reply with your expertise. I suspected it was German not French. I have don't have any closeups of strings at the endpin, but posted 2 more I do have. When I play a bass with spirocores, it's very comfortable and easier for me to compare cause that's what i've used for decades. It's hard to know playing a bass with other strings how much of the difference is because of the instrument and how much because of the strings & set up. The owner wasn't sure about the details, but it sounds good and seems like it would be a pretty good bass for not a huge amount of money.

The Strings, I have no idea, sorry.. The bass has a nasty crack from the saddle up towards the soundpost. For a bass in this price range, the repair will be expensive in relation to the value of the bass. Maybe it was repaired before but it should be checked out. It doesn't look great!

[Eric Hochberg]

I think they may be Innovation strings.

[Johannes Felscher]

From what I can tell these strings are Thomastik Superflexible, steel strings slightly higher in tension but quite close to Spirocore Mittel - should give a good idea about what the bass would sound like with Spiro's since they're pretty comparable, a bit less "whiny" on the top strings though.

[Thomas Erickson]

Yes, those are Superflexibles, I think. They're good all around strings (in my opinion); like Spirocores but a little smoother sounding and easier to bow. Tension wise I think they're more like Spirocore weich than the medium/orchestra. They're a pretty "mild" string overall; I can see why some people like them and many think they're not so great. I think they're pretty good... but I don't use them. :)