Where's This Bass From?

[Chang Min Lee]

Hi, All. 1st post.

I have this bass out on trial from a reputable shop. The guy I spoke with wasn't sure of the origin. He mentioned French but then said he leaned towards New England because of the way the scroll's carved in towards the center of the spiral. I saw it and immediately thought German. And having tried it out for a week I'd say it plays like a German too.

The bass has a nice mature complex sound. A woody pleasant tone with no tub and projects very well in a big hall (although it lacks a little of the sub-bass boom). The shop guy says it's over 100 years old and the look is consistent. It's in very good shape overall having no open seams or cracks, and is set up well.

I'm thinking about buying it and would appreciate any ideas so I have an idea of what it might be worth. Thanks!

A couple interesting things about this bass: It has a curiously purfled back button like I've never seen - just an extension of the back and not carved to match the heel of the neck. It also has an interesting cam design allowing the E string to go down to a D by flipping a lever. The other strings are also on cams adjusting for the change in tension and keeping them in tune.

Here's a link to more photos:
http://s454.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Bass/?start=0

Thanks again!