We recently acquired a bass for my daughter that is not labeled. Pictures of the bass can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/122881...7643759919385/
We took the bass to a luthier (name withheld to protect the innocent just in case others disagree), and he advised that he believes that the bass was made in Markneukirchen between 1900 and 1920. The tuners appear to be the original to the instrument. The measurements are as follows: 20.5" upper bout; 15" at the C bouts; 27" lower bout; 42" string length. If anyone has any thoughts about the luthier's identification, I would appreciate the feedback.
The seller (a professional bassist and bass dealer) advised us that the last three owners of the bass prior to him were bassists in the Richmond, Baltimore and Pittsburgh symphonies, respectively. From my daughter's (and her teacher's) perspective, the bass is by far the best instrument that she tried (and she tried out a number) that was within our budget, so we are happy with the purchase. Going forward, I would like to know what I should do to ensure that we have done our best to document the value of the bass (both for insurance purposes and future resale). I know that we should get an appraisal, but I don't know who I should go to for the appraisal. Does anyone have any advice on how to find the right luthier to do the appraisal? It is entirely possible that the luthier who inspected the instrument for us could be the right person, but I don't know how to gauge his qualifications or the qualifications of any luthier, so any advice that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.