Oldest and Finest Plywood/Laminated bass I have ever seen..

[Ken Smith]

I just got this bass in and the details are beyond what I have seen in the past. It was probably made in Schonbach (W.Bohemia), but had an old faded squarish sticker that has "Ma..........." on the top line and "........any" on the bottom, hence 'Made in Germany' which is probably where it sold from, c.1920-1930 estimated.
The ebony strips across the neck heel runs 'under' the outer linings, the Purfling is inlaid about 1.5mm deep and the gears and gear plates are nicely engraved and etched but looks handmade. The Scroll button is also typical for this region. The bass seems to be 3-plys with no delamination anywhere, made with flame maple outer lam's for the back and ribs, the top outer layer is vertical spruce and the neck/scroll is beechwood. The back is round with an angle break like a Panormo or old Italian bass. String length with a proper bridge is over 42" and a D-Eb heel.

Have you ever seen a laminated bass this old or this fine before regardless of its condition?

This Bass has been SOLD.