Double Bass Upton Basses

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Apsyclist

Jan 14, 2024
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13
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#1
I am considering purchasing an Upton Standard laminated bass. I know they no longer produce laminated basses but was wondering how they perform. I am a bluegrass player and torn between buying one of the last Upton laminates produced or go for an older Kay or Engelhardt. I would appreciate any comments from someone familiar with Uptons.
 
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#4
Also, if you are serious about this, give Gary a call, he and Eric are great to work with. A few years ago he bought all the old forms from the original Kay factory. While they stopped making the standard laminates, He has occasionally teased on social media the idea of resurrecting those old Kay forms. Give him a reason to, Wave a little cash at him and you might find yourself the owner of an Upton Kay prototype or something.
 
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#6
I had a '39 Kay and loved it but the slim neck ended up causing me some issues. Gary reached out to me about a new return he had. It's a Bohemian with upgraded top and every time I play it, it just blows me away. You can't beat the Uptons. Check their Instagram channel out, Gary's posting new or used basses every day and they are THE BEST people to work with!
 
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#7
Apsyclist said:
Thank you both for the comments.

When you say "no comparison to the Kay or Engelhardts" do you mean they are preferable to an Uptons in your opinion?
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I interpreted his comment the other way, meaning that the Upton is superior, unless you like/need the vintage "vibe". Another option for you to consider are the Shen basses - I have a hybrid but their laminate basses are also excellent and good value (FWIW, I used my hybrid in a NewGrass band for some years and it was just fine).
 
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#10
Apsyclist said:
I am considering purchasing an Upton Standard laminated bass. I know they no longer produce laminated basses but was wondering how they perform. I am a bluegrass player and torn between buying one of the last Upton laminates produced or go for an older Kay or Engelhardt. I would appreciate any comments from someone familiar with Uptons.
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I own one of these and it is a great bass. assuming it's in good condition and setup well, it should be great for pizz playing in any style. arco not so much, but it can get by i suppose.
 
#11
I must admit that I had a blonde Kay that was great (until my daughter had an accident playing hide n seek and the neck broke off). The bass in my avatar is an Upton Super Swing Laminate. It's a European-built Upton that is great and gets the job done...solid and dependable with a comfortable neck. To say Uptons are better isn't really a fair statement. My old Kay had mojo. Then again, another Kay I owned and an old King Mortone I had both lacked the shizzle.
 
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#13
I forgot about that. You can get a
Apsyclist said:
Thank you both for the comments.

When you say "no comparison to the Kay or Engelhardts" do you mean they are preferable to an Uptons in your opinion?
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Having owned a Kay and an Upton here’s my opinion on the matter: Kay and Englehardt are factory instruments in the truest sense of the word. Nearly all their design choices were made based on budgetary constraints. The main reason that certain genres of music still fetishize them is that they are original to that music, they were around back then in the period modern artists are trying to recapture. Sure they are durable, and some can play and sound well. Upton on the other hand, while still being an assembly line (the level you are looking at anyway) level instrument, and of course budget is a concern as well, Gary has made many innovative design choices, and is a player himself. Granted he’s not the saint of reasonably priced basses, he’s a business man too, but a lot more aspects of his basses have been designed and chosen with music and longevity in mind than a Kay or and Engle. The neck for instance.
 
#14
I own an Upton 7/8 hybrid. IMO Upton makes fine basses. Their lams compare well with Shens or other decent modern lams. Uptons probably cost somewhat more - I'm not sure how much, and you would have to determine whether any premium is worth it.

The major difference you will immediately perceive compared to Kays/Engles is the neck. Many people decry the neck profile on Kays/Engles. I also own an Engle. The neck is narrower than the Upton, but I've never had a problem with it, and have no difficulty switching back and forth.

Realize that time is not necessarily kind to old inexpensive basses. As a very general rule, most newer plys will be more solid than many/most old plys. Some people criticize the build/sound of Engles, but I have not personally perceived any issue in those areas. (Some people differ - but my personal experience is that I really like Kays, but have not found one that outplays my Engle - for at least 3x the price. YMMV.)

One issue - which may or may not matter to you, is that many Upton lams are finished in a basic brown, which is not the most appealing finish IMO. But looks should fall so far behind sound and feel that it is essentially a non-issue.

BG/oldtime is my wheelhouse. An Upton standard strung w/ guts (my preferred string) or Spiros (many others' fave) would do pretty much anything any BGer would want to do.
 
#16
Just curious - what ballpark are they asking? From a shop or individual?

You can be comfortable that it will be a bulletproof ply. I'm not sure how "spectacular" ANY ply is. Well, maybe a pristine AS or something... Whether it is worth the asking price only you can decide.
 
#17
BobKay said:
I've owned three Kays and two Uptons. The Uptons won in my opinion. I sold a '51 Kay in excellent condition to buy a 7/8ths Upton ply. The Upton was superior in every way, especially in the neck dimensions.
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I don't know anything about Kays vs. Uptons, but @BobKay, I know for sure that you're not going to be very popular at your next Kay family reunion.:)
 
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#20
I own an Upton and have been playing fiddle/bluegrass music with it for many years.

Last year, I played 30+ gigs over the summer and got many compliments on how good the thump I get out of my bass. It is surprisingly loud it is compared to my fellow bandmates during rehearsal.

And +1000 on the kay vs. Upton comparison. the neck is much more comfortable.

I've recorded 4 albums on my bass and the sound engineer was very impressed with my tone. Not much eq required in the mix. He did use a Neumann U87 to record with :thumbsup:
 
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