Alcoa ALUMINUM upright bass 1930s Faux wood finish

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The Great White Whale.  A solid, all aluminum upright bass.  #144 of an estimated 500 ever made, this beauty was produced in the ALCOA plant somewhere between 1928 and 1934.  

Never heard of an Alcoa bass?  Not surprising,  as some experts estimate less than 200 remaining.  If you have heard of one, I'll bet you've never seen one in person.  And even if you had heard of one, and seen one, but wanted to buy one, I'll bet you've never seen one for sale.  In the 10 years I have owned this, I have scoured the internet looking for others and have only caught one auction after it had already closed.  

This is a piece of American history.  There was another foreign company (see G.A. Pfretzschner) that made aluminum basses in the few years following, but they were cheap and chintzy with sharp edges and rivets to hold them together, not the high quality welds that make this one of the finest pieces of aluminum craftsmanship from a historic American company.

Everything on this bass is original except a pickup has been installed on the bridge,  and sadly, I had to remove the gut strings.  (They were pretty gross!)  It has the original faux wood finish.  Many people have striped them and pollished for a quite striking effect, but I could never bring myself to remove one of the more intact finishes I have seen in any photographs of these instruments.  Still, I included a picture of a chromed out one for your reference.

There is some puckering in the some parts of the finish, there is a big spot on the top where it looks like someone tried to clean it with solvent and removed the top layer of the wood grain look, but the bottom is still in tact.  A few spots where the finish is worn through to the aluminum,  and a few touch-ups with brown paint obviously applied 70 years ago.  But it is really in good condition with no significant dings.  I like the patina- it gives it credibility. 

This instrument is well set up and plays perfectly.  A fully working stage ready instrument. It has a unique sound, but I think it is part of the charm!  

Feel free to message me with any questions!  Shipping looks expensive, but I might be willing to drive part or all the way as I travel the US regularly.