Where are they??

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by nick weldon

Here's my large old German - the stop is 43.75", the body length is 46.5", the width across the top bout is 21.625" and across the bottom bout 28.5". Bottom rib 8.75" deep.
The papers I received with the bass described it as Mittenwald, around 1820, but another luthier has recently disagreed, ( I think because of the scroll) and dates it later and not from Mittenwald.
Anyway, it's a fine old bass, which I love playing!
Any opinions gratefully received…
Nick

First off Nick, it is hard to evaluate anything from just pictures on the Internet and these pics are not that good either. From what I have seen of Mittenwald basses, this one looks different. There are some that have that typical smaller upper bout with slightly sloped shoulders and a bigger wider bottom. Then, there are commercial basses made that look like all the rest of the Germans. Some Czech basses made near the German border look like this as well.

As far as the age goes, from the pics I will agree 19th century but 1820 would be hard to agree on from just these images. Looks like a nice bass but, that dark varnish was put over lighter brown varnish at some point from what I can see. That in itself makes it seem older than it might be.

If Mittenwald, it looks more like a commercially made Baader then anything from the Klotz-Hornsteiner-Neuner-Seitz-Reiger school. The Scroll may or may not be original to the body. Lots of bad things have happened to old basses and original heads do not always survive.

By the way, where are the Papers from, by whom?