1990s Wilhelm Eberle 3/4 Ply Double Bass

Friend of the shop Reese brought this poor old bass in. Post-repairs it now plays like a boss and has a good, round, cozy sound and a sturdy feel. The gamba shape is elegant and the orangey finish brings-out the flame in the veneer on the back and sides quite well.

It looks great at a glance but when you get a closer look you can see a whole string of funky old repairs where the neck joint, middle of the neck, and headstock were mangled and put back together with gusto but perhaps not exactitude. Manny spent a good while getting the headstock completely back in order with epoxy, lots of clamps and jigs, and finally pins to keep it all sturdy for the future. After that he had to do a pretty heavy-handed board plane and dress and then some fitting and adjustment of the bridge. The end result, though, is that it plays like a brand-new, fancy-pants instrument.

I'm pretty sure this dates to either the late '80s or early '90s, as that's the range where I could find examples of this particular German-made Eberle label.