German Blockless 3-strings, 100-120 years old.
I moved this over here where it belongs. Whom ever you have shown this bass to in the past were clueless in their opinions. I am not trying to insult them but they just didn't know any better. In the turn of the 19th and 20th century, France and England were still offering 3-string basses. The Germans were making a few like yours for those markets as well as for Export to USA. The 4-string Simandl method did not fully take hold as standard until after the first world war.
I have heard stories of these being made near the German/Austrian border as well as the German/Czech border as well as some similar basses made in Prague. Fully blocked string instruments evolved from the Baroque era. There are even Violins with very little blocking at all. I have seen some without corner blocks and with the ribs tucked into the neck aka blockless.
Blockless is just the old furniture way of making instruments. Many of the older instruments that were made with less than a full set of blocks have long since been restored and modified. I have a bass in restoration at this moment as well that was blockless at the neck, smaller blocked at the Tail and only maybe half sized blocks in the corners. It appears this bass was possibly assembled on a mold and the corner blocks added when finished rather than built up from the blocks within the mold.
Basses like yours and even mine aka Tyrolean basses which may or may not actually be from the Tirol were made for Price and often export. They were cheaper than the stronger commercially built German, Czech and French instruments that poured into USA by the 1000's after the first war. Some even before but in much smaller numbers. These 'heavier' built instruments, often machine made with integral bars, were overly wooded and some have been improved with restoration and re-graduation by re-making the bass correctly from now old/aged settled wood. The Tirol lighter built instruments often sounded much better with less dead weight to hinder the sound but with less structural support to keep it from falling apart, cracking or just imploding.
All basses need care and as they age, they need repairs. When ever I have an old bass on the bench, I have all the shortcomings from the original build modified within its restoration. The result is a bass now properly build but sometimes within its own limits and you can't put in what's not there for the most part. The cost for jobs like these often exceeds its commercial value in the end. Someday however as prices rise, the old restored basses will be in more demand if fully modified as they are not making any old basses anymore. Catch-up is what one can hope for.
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I've taken it to several luthiers in the Midwest, and have been told by several people that it might be from the 1780-1840s, possibly from the Southern Austria or Northern Italy region. One luthier thought it might be a church bass or Prescott bass, but it doesn't look like any I've seen. And yet another thought it was a 1/2 size bass made for a child in the 19th century. I've even heard bassetto.
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One time a customer brought in a bass that they bought from a shop just like your bass, 1/2 sized but 4-string, same vintage. They thought they got a great deal on this little old Italian bass. They paid about 10x its value in my opinion and the shop also ripped them off. If a bass shop can't tell the difference between a blockless Germanic style 100 year old bass and a real Italian bass, they should choose a new profession. To my eyes, its like not knowing a Hot Dog from a hamburger. It's that obvious in this profession.
Now, I have seen a few Blockless basses made in this style that were less commercially made and older. They also had nicer Italianish/handmade Scrolls and were just more interesting to look at. These were Fussen style/S.Germany basses that were blockless but less commercially made with more irregular top woods and carved scrolls. These basses also fooled people into thinking they were Italian. Your bass however is more clear cut as was the 1/2 size I looked at a few years ago when the customer overpaid.
Provenance = price +/- in the instrument business. Be careful and always get several opinions if you are not sure.