Hello, I am new to this list and have just been watching for about 2 weeks. I have been playing my brothers Engelhardt for about 7 years. I am getting ready to buy a new bass and am looking at the UB Hawkes Laminated. Has anyone here played or seen one of these basses? Are they really much larger than an Engelhardt? Are they a good bass for bluegrass. thanks for the response.

Thanks,
Ronnie

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=314364

I'm a beginner and have owned a Laminated Hawkes since November 2006. I play psycho-surfabilly (if there is such a thing) but I'm sure the Hawkes would work just as well for bluegrass.

It looks good, sounds good and plays good.

I can't compare to an Englehardt.

I have heard and played one Upton Hawkes. I owned an Engelhardt for several years and have heard and played several others.

The Upton will come with a professional setup. A new E'hardt will require setup for optimal playing and sound (at a cost of anywhere from $2-600). The Upton has a larger neck which will be more comfortable to play and the one I played had a better tone than any E'hardt I have heard. On the other hand, the Engelhardt is built like an M1A1 tank which is an advantage in some playing environments.

If I were buying and needed to choose between those two, it would be Upton.

BUT if at all possible I would suggest you spend some time shopping and playing basses. You might find something really good that way. There is no substitute for actually feeling and hearing a lot of basses. There are several NC posters here who might point you toward dealers/luthiers in your area.

Upton FTW

I agree with Steve. IMO, the Upton Laminate is far and away a superior instrument to the Engel. I say that having owned a Kay from 1967 - 2002. I have played every version of the Upton Laminate over the years. The current one is the best yet.

If you are set on sticking with plywood, you might just try getting a good set up on the engl...

http://www.fretwellbass.com/index.htm

Jerry enjoys an outstanding reputation which he has earned & richly deserves. He plays/has played bluegrass professionally for many years. He only sells a bass that he has personally set-up & is gig-ready at a very competitive price . . . with many, many new Englehardts as well as vintage Kays, American Standards, Kings, Epiphones, Gretsch, etc. currently available from which to choose . . . & . . . he's close enough to NC for you to visit & play a bunch of different laminates. Give him a call . . .

If you haven't already found a new bass, there is a festival in Snow Camp, NC this weekend. It's the Bass Mountain Festival. I'm sure there will be a number of vendors there that will let you try a few basses to see which one you like. I'll be headed up Saturday morning to do just that. I had to return the borrowed EC-1 I was playing.

I went with the Upton Laminate. Ordered it in May and it will be here September 13th.

I went with the Upton Laminate. Ordered it in May and it will be here September 13th.

Well..........?

Well..........?
C'mon, it's only three days....RK probably hasn't even come out for food yet.... ;)

here it is

Congrats!!! Custom reddish finish or is it just the photo? Beautiful, in any case!

That was just the photo, it's really more brown.

It's a beaut!! Thanks for the picture.