I'm a dissenter. I've had students with Kays in good shape - which means some serious and deft luthier attention and a price that reflects that- and Uptons, and I prefer the Kays by quite a bit. I also think the entry level plys that Gollihur and String Emporium sell are better than either one as far as bang for the buck goes.
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Double Bass Upton Basses
- Thread starter Apsyclist
- Start date
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- upton bass
I'm on year 10 with an Upton Standard Laminate. Recorded 3 albums, some one-off tracks, and currently working on a 4th. I've played dive bars, festivals, theaters, camp grounds, living rooms, radio stations, porches, bagel shops......have never had a problem with mine yet.
Funny this thread pops up as I just placed an order for an Upton one-off plywood flatback.
This is my “getting back into playing again” bass. It’s been 14 years and really looking forward to getting this bass.
This is my “getting back into playing again” bass. It’s been 14 years and really looking forward to getting this bass.
Did something very similar myself last year. My original quote was about 6 months, being familiar with “luthier time” I expected 9, I believe the bass was finally delivered at 10 months. Besides that they were great to work with and made me an amazing instrument. I still don’t get to play it as much as I’d like to, but every time I pick it up it just sounds so good and plays so easy. You are gonna love it.
I ended up purchasing the Upton plywood bass and am very happy with it so far. It fits the hand well and has a really nice tone. Thanks for everyone's input. It was helpful.
The only thing I have to say about Uptons is that I wish their base level finish weren't that ugly chocolate color. I know they may be using less beautiful wood but I'd rather see a clear stain over less-beautiful wood than just painting the whole thing brown.
I just put my downpayment in on an Upton standard laminate. I had a long conversation with Gary Upton and he assured me that this final batch of standard laminates will be the best they have ever made. He did say he hopes they can do another run in the future, but for now this is it.
I previously owned one of their standards. Foolishly sold it. I'm kind of pumped to have one again. It's the one of the finest beater basses out there.
And I'm excited for another road trip to Mystic, CT. I'll start taking food recommendations now.
I previously owned one of their standards. Foolishly sold it. I'm kind of pumped to have one again. It's the one of the finest beater basses out there.
And I'm excited for another road trip to Mystic, CT. I'll start taking food recommendations now.
congrats! I too am getting one of these laminates.. (scored the flatback). Also thinking of a road trip out there from Texas!
AGCurry
Good enough for a town this size.
Semi-transparent finishes are really only useful if there's nice-looking wood (which costs more). The wood under the shoe polish may be every bit as fine sonically, but if it's not pretty, the shoe polish is effective. Witness Fender putting solid-color paint on alder and saving the translucent finishes for ash.
My Upton was standard shoe polish brown and I really liked the way it looked in person. Interestingly, I got way more compliments on the look of that bass than my NS LaScala, which had a beautiful grain & typical lighter finish. Go figure.
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Similar experience, people compliment the dark finish all the time. I quite like it myself.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
I've always loved the standard finish, and it looks different in person than on the web. Also changes in different lighting.
The most common comment that I get from non upright people is that "wow that looks old". Maybe that is what Upton was going for. In any event, it tickles my fancy.
I've always loved the standard finish, and it looks different in person than on the web. Also changes in different lighting.
The most common comment that I get from non upright people is that "wow that looks old". Maybe that is what Upton was going for. In any event, it tickles my fancy.
They didn’t. My Upton was a Standard Hybrid. The LaScala was all ply (granted, a very nice all ply). Both were setup by Upton, so they had a similar feel, which was nice. But the tone on the hybrid was pronounced, clear and like a cannon, by comparison. A decent hybrid will always smoke even the best ply bass.
Well, here we get into the world of personal aesthetics. Personally I'd rather see a semi-transparent finish on a bass made of blah wood than the brown paint.
I may be wrong, but my understanding is that it was the overwhelming customer choice.
Q.E.D.
I am required to state that I am proud to represent Upton Bass String Instrument Corp. as its attorney. This is not a post by a neutral party. Please, please, I beg you, do not misinterpret the content of this post as legal advice or even as my client's legal position.
I own one Upton, and previously owned a second one. In both cases I paid extra to avoid the shoe-polish finish, which I thought looked terrible. But, it's personal choice. I understand the issue with the stock poplar laminate. I saw the brown finish when I visited Upton on several occasions, and was glad I opted for something different.