Martin, you've been around instruments longer than me, so I offer my personal take with a big dose of humility...
For my traditionally-styled basses I started with pretty Italian models, then tweaked them a little here and there for ergonomics and such. (Hmmm, did I just say something about tweaking pretty Italian models? I hope my wife doesn't see this.) Nowadays, players want reasonable access to the upper register, so huge shoulders and really long mensurs are a problem. But they also want a deep, loud sound, so you can't go for a wimpy shape, either. And I think it's important to create a design which incorporates your own theories about what works and what doesn't in tone production. For example, do you believe the width at the waist is important? Or the type of corners? Or the stop length/neck length ratio?
There are a lot of questions to ask yourself if you want to come up with a good, viable design that is true to your own beliefs. My designs usually end up looking pretty much like some of the nice 18th century Italian basses after they've had a shoulder cut. My "Ergonomic" bass, on the other hand, looks more like a German bass that melted in the heat. That was, for me, a case of form following function, as my personal design ideas led to an asymmetrical shape.
There is a lot of freedom to create in new directions or totally screw up in bass making. Violin makers don't have this problem/opportunity.
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