Bass ID, please?

[Shawn Charniga]

OK...this is my latest find, purchased from a young man from New Jersey who bought it for a college course and discovered he couldn't play a doublebass with gut strings set an inch off the end of the fingerboard. But I can.

Mensure is 42", length of back 44" including the button, lower bout 26", upper bout 19.5" and C-bouts 13.5." Rib depth at the C bout is 7.5" not including the top and back plates.

The bass is quite lightweight, likely due to the back being thin and the ribs paper-thin. The top has been off at least once, and the many cracks in the ribs reinforced with playing-card sized pieces of wood, maybe spruce, maybe not. The back shows a repaired separation on the center line, and there are several repaired top cracks, the worst being on the outside of the soundpost.

It bears a dull reddish varnish which may or not be original. There are several cloudy brown blotches where it has been touched up, and sanding marks abound beneath the varnish.

The bridge is stamped "Amiel DeLuccia." Google turned up a family of violinmakers by that name who were active in Philadelphia between the World Wars, which makes sense.

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos, but iPhone plus iffy interior lighting equals blah. If these are no good I can pull them down and make new photos outdoors in natural light.

I posted a similar query on talkbass and got no better answers than "it's old." Any insight as to its' origin and value would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for having me aboard.