Gears..
The red Bass is the same pattern as your bass. The neck is a dovetail sitting on top of the block. That is also 1000% German/Mittenwald style. Your bass is just about the exact same outline, corners, back and back center. Same school or shop but maybe not same period, maybe yes. NOTHING is French about either of the two basses. The Gears are 1000% German Gears as used on the Neuner & Hornsteiner Basses. The other ones like on your Bass I have seen on a Seitz bass and a few others. Sometimes not on plates. I had a set on my Big Gamba but there were not original to the Bass as mine was a 3-string bass originally. They were so heavy (iron, brass and steel I think) that I gave them away to Paul Biase.
What is it with people/dealers calling every nice German bass French? They seem to be totally clueless as to what the differences are. Maybe it's money driven motives or maybe just ignorance or blind ignorance for the money.
French Basses do not have necks set in like that and never have a black center strip in the back. Many German basses have German made individual gears. One player I worked with awhile back has a sloped shoulder bass with outer linings (German), gears like the red bass and purfling around the plates. I knew it was a Mittenwald bass and perhaps a Neuner-Hornsteiner. I asked him in a naive voice, "do you know what pedigree your bass is?".. "Yes, it's a Lupot" he said told to him by a dealer. Lupot was the top French maker ever c.1800, before Vuillaume's period. He was the French Strad and ranked with Panormo. Lupot never made a bass and that bass of his was made about 100 years after Lupot. Still, if it has a hint of French style like Gears or Purfling, sell is as a French Bass. lol
Not to rant but I saw one German bass, a Markneukirchen bass, late 19th century. It was similar to the above bass but roundback, German plate gears and purfling around the plates. Inside the bass was a very old sticker "made in Germany" curved around a small tag. The TP had the German makers name written under it BY the Dealer that fixed it and naext to the Germany sticker, the Dealers repair label, all plain as day. THAT same Dealer sold this bass as French with Papers even describing the German linings as Mirecourt and an Insurance appraisal as well. The German make of this bass could not be more clear plus the Sticker said Germany and that same dealer worte the Gearman makers name on the bass and STILL sold and appraised it as French. How Brash is that?
Anyway, I have a concert in a month, Shostakovich 5th, etc.. Trying to choose between the Mittenwald and the Hart as to which bass to use. Decisions decisions..
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