Got My New Upton Hawkes

[dmperry24]

I ordered my Hybrid Hawkes from Upton Bass sight and sound unheard in December. In fact, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PLAY an upright bass! But the fine reputation of the Upton people and their work, and the praises a lot of talkbassers have sung of them convinced me to to get one right away. My belief is these are going to be collector;s items one day, and the reasonable prices they go for now will rapidly appreciate in coming years.

Yesterday I drove over to Upton in Mystic, CT., and collected my little beauty and drove her home to start learning to pick it. I got her with the darker coloration, and dots down the side of the fingerboard. I'm not Todd Phillips, and I need all the help I can get. Besides, I'm old, I only have a few more years left before I'm drooling in a rest home somewhere, and my wife is selling my Hawkes for a new washing machine, so I need to learn fast!!

You'll note fixed to the bridge is a Revolution II pickup to go with the Acoustic Image Contra III amp I also picked up at Upton. The strings are the upton/Innovation Blacks. Boy, are they smooth to play with. I haven't run up any bad blisters, or lost any hide yet, and I've been doing a little woodshedding trying to get used the bass. They seem warm, and plenty loud.

Gary Upton personally showed me the ropes on caring for the instrument as well as dos and don'ts regarding humidly, letting the bridge get off kilter, and oiling the instrument down from time to time. He also carefully went over the instrument to insure it was in tip top shape before leaving the shop, and that the Rev II worked well in the Contra III. This all left me a very happy and satisfied camper.

I'm going to baby the Hell out of this beauty until it gets the first dent, scratch, or crack, or whatever, then I'm gonna ride her like a hound out of Hell. I'm going to force her to play Bluegrass and Rockabilly.

And now for the obligatory bass porn:


And here is a shot of the Rev II installation on the bridge (the Peizo head is just under the "E" string):

[Marcus Johnson]

Gorgeous. So much for the concept of "free time". You're going to be dippin' at the well with every spare minute.

[Tim F]

Thanks for the post. I've just joined the forum after lurking for a while--especially tracking DB stuff. I've posted on the Newbie link, so some info's there--long story short: slab since '67-8, upright in '72, but my affair with the "big wood" has always been sporadic. Have found myself wanting to devote myself more time to the big fella, and am seriously jonesin' for an upgrade. My upright's nothing special---post-war German "generic" ply, Juzek label...probably out of Metropolitan in NY. It's been setup and cared for thru the years, and I've always felt it's worth was sufficient for the amount of dedication I gave it. Perfectly adequate ol' ply bass, but I have no delusions--I know there's more to be had! A Hybrid seems to be what I'm drawn to, and I've been following all the numerous threads, gathering info. Upton's 1 1/2 hours away,so I paid a visit last week. Liked what I saw and sampled, and I'm seriously considering a Hawkes Hybrid--your post seems to be another positive plug, and I appreciate the info. Not sure why I'm finding it so hard to pull the trigger, or why I'm even posting---must be looking for reassurance! Sorry to be so long-winded!
Tim

[rllefebv]

I showed this to my wife, and all she could say is "That picture on the wall is crooked..."

Beautiful bass!!

-robert

[robgrow]

Congratulations! That's a beautiful bass. Gary and the gang at Upton Bass do a great job. I'm sure you made a very good choice. Now the real fun begins learning to play.

[mikegmn]

That is so good looking. I ordered a hybrid from Upton a couple of weeks ago. Went with the darker finish too. Got the RevolutionII and am going to be playing through Acoustic Images Clarus I on with a Raezer's Egde twin eight cab. Gary told me 14-16 weeks for delivery. New UB player myself. Looking forward to learning it with the help of a teacher yet to be found. Been brushing up on my reading skills and mentally preparing for the longer stretch between notes. Good for you for starting up a new passion before the rest home gets you. In the mean time - Go with your passion!

[Nuno A.]

Congratulations, the bass looks great, as all basses i've seen from Upton, i really love their finishes, but one thing i noticed(it can be from the picture ofcourse) is the lack of notches in the f-holes , if theres no marks on the F's, if you have to change bridge , wouldnt it be hard to know wheres the right position? i sure trust mine everytime i have to take my bridge of the bass....

Nuno

[dmperry24]

Originally Posted by Nuno A.

Congratulations, the bass looks great, as all basses i've seen from Upton, i really love their finishes, but one thing i noticed(it can be from the picture ofcourse) is the lack of notches in the f-holes , if theres no marks on the F's, if you have to change bridge , wouldnt it be hard to know wheres the right position? i sure trust mine everytime i have to take my bridge of the bass....

Nuno

Nuno:
Upton has put very small pen dots indicating the correct corner location of the bridge. No problem replacing them. I'll have to look closely to see if there are any notches, but it doesn't look like it from the photo.
Mike

[dmperry24]

Originally Posted by mikegmn

That is so good looking. I ordered a hybrid from Upton a couple of weeks ago. Went with the darker finish too. Got the RevolutionII and am going to be playing through Acoustic Images Clarus I on with a Raezer's Egde twin eight cab. Gary told me 14-16 weeks for delivery. New UB player myself. Looking forward to learning it with the help of a teacher yet to be found. Been brushing up on my reading skills and mentally preparing for the longer stretch between notes. Good for you for starting up a new passion before the rest home gets you. In the mean time - Go with your passion!

I'm getting used to the note spacing pretty well. I was even able to chug along with a Del McCoury CD--leaving out some of the slap bass flourishes Mike Bubb likes to lay on. Got my first real upright lesson on Tuesday, and I'm looking forward to that. I've got the Innovation Black strings, and they are very smooth playing and haven't caused me any pain or blisters or grief yet. They have a nice sound for jazz too, if I decide to go that direction.
Mike

[dmperry24]

Originally Posted by rllefebv

I showed this to my wife, and all she could say is "That picture on the wall is crooked..."

Beautiful bass!!

-robert

I know, I know, but I wanted to get the bass porn out there quick. I'll try to do some classier pix with a tripod and lights and straight pictures . A friend also suggested making a short recording to show off the sound of it.
Muike

[dmperry24]

Originally Posted by Tim F

A Hybrid seems to be what I'm drawn to, and I've been following all the numerous threads, gathering info. Upton's 1 1/2 hours away,so I paid a visit last week. Liked what I saw and sampled, and I'm seriously considering a Hawkes Hybrid--your post seems to be another positive plug, and I appreciate the info. Not sure why I'm finding it so hard to pull the trigger, or why I'm even posting---must be looking for reassurance! Sorry to be so long-winded!
Tim

Tim:
Not long winded at all. You just want to make sure you don't make a big financial mistake. I've always felt the Upton basses are going to appreciate as time goes by, and part of the deal when you buy from them is they will sell your bass for you on consignment if you want to give it up in the future. I would think you should at least come out even unless you beat it up pretty bad, which doesn't sound like the case with your Juzek. Of course I didn't buy mine as an investment, but I wanted to be sure the value held on it should my wife need that new washing machine
Mike

[Nuno A.]

Originally Posted by dmperry24

Nuno:
Upton has put very small pen dots indicating the correct corner location of the bridge. No problem replacing them. I'll have to look closely to see if there are any notches, but it doesn't look like it from the photo.
Mike

Thank you for the explanation Mike, and congratulations again, the bass really looks great ... no doubt that Upton Bass is offering a great product, lucky you guys in the States, i dont think of any new bass in that price range here in Europe with such features.. on the other side, here (specially in Germany) , if you really look around ,you can still find a nice old carved german factory bass for maybe 2.5 K, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more, but theres still many around. i got my 1890's german for 2500$

Nuno

[WendellD]

Mike,

I'm 61. Started on upright 2 1/2 years ago intending to play bluegrass at jams (switched from banjo). I've been amazed at the non-bluegrass playing opportunities I have. I'm in a church praise band, a 17 piece jazz band, a 17 piece swing band and a group of four guys who meet every Monday morning to play a mix of folk and bluegrass. Don't know how I ever had time to work. Haven't had much time for the jams. My only regret is that I didn't start sooner.

I see in your profile you list Tod Phillips as an influence. I took a 5 day advanced bass class from Tod last summer and learned a lot, he's a good teacher and a class act.

Wendell Damm

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I've also got a small dot (from an awl?) showing the placement for the corner of the bridge. However, every other bass, including mine has the notches; it's just tradition, but surely not entirely necessary.

Will these basses become the Juzeks of the future? I doubt it, but if they play well and sound good they will surely hold value.

[CamMcIntyre]

Congrats on the new bass. You're off on a great journey. Being able to play DB has opened up the door to so many different kinds of gigs that simply don't work [or work as well] on electric.

Also props on the amp-i'm wanting to pickup an AI Clarus/Focus eventually to do a light weight amp setup.

take it easy.

[TPugh]

Good looking bass, Mike. I'm green all over because I am just four weeks into the wait for my Hawkes ply. Have fun!

TPugh
Jackson, TN

[hdiddy]

Originally Posted by dmperry24

I've always felt the Upton basses are going to appreciate as time goes by

Appreciate? I'm not holding my breath. We should be happy if a bass in this price range just manages to hold it's value. It'll probably appreciate after the bass manages to stick around for 200 years without getting too beat up/damaged and while remaining employed.

I'd just play the crap out of it and not think about it as an investment. Congrats on your new baby. Looks nice.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Appreciate? I'm not holding my breath. We should be happy if a bass in this price range just manages to hold it's value. It'll probably appreciate after the bass manages to stick around for 200 years without getting too beat up/damaged and while remaining employed.

I'd just play the crap out of it and not think about it as an investment. Congrats on your new baby. Looks nice.

Let's meet back here in 2207.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Nuno A.

Congratulations, the bass looks great, as all basses i've seen from Upton, i really love their finishes, but one thing i noticed(it can be from the picture ofcourse) is the lack of notches in the f-holes , if theres no marks on the F's, if you have to change bridge , wouldnt it be hard to know wheres the right position? i sure trust mine everytime i have to take my bridge of the bass....

Nuno

Indeed, it does look like there are no notches. This picture on the Upton site, however, does show notches.

[Dbassmon]

Love the Finish. Congrats!

Play the hell out it!