German Shop bass circo 1900?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by John Romey

oh and Yes the bass is dark - but It looks like the original varnish actually.. is that unheard of?

Thanks

Just that dark looks like it might be over varnished. These basses usually have spirit varnish on them. Making a new bass that dark is usually rare and not so appealing. It is more common in repair that a bass is over-varnished or re-finished with the thought it is helping the bass. Using a dark color helps to hide old repairs and is common in that respect. Making it that dark new is not usually done.

The c-bout ribs are crackless but the upper and lower on both sides show old repairs. The Bass as well shows some and with flatbacks it is more common than not. The top is hard to see all of what's happened in the past but I do see several repaired cracks there as well. The outer linings make the bass stiffer in the rib area and basses like this are often thick all around. They last longer than if thin but the sound the extra wood mutes is par for the course.