I remember seeing a photo from the 1930's of the famous Pop Stoneman family band all lined up on the porch of their house with their instruments. One of the kids was standing on a chair, playing a bass similar to the one under discussion. The Stoneman instrument was obviously made from an old bass drum, and what stuck in my memory was that they called it "whumper"! So there's not much new under the sun, just re-invented every half century or so.