i bought an upton standard

thechips · #1 03-07-2009, 07:22 PM

mainly from reading favourable reviews on this site.
should be here in a few weeks.

I'm a fairly experienced electric player (12yrs exp) starting out on uprights.
I'll be playing jazz.

if you have any advice it would be greatly appreciated.
e.g books for beginners?. Toronto resources? (for set up etc)
going to be scouting around for a teacher aswell...

excited to be finally getting into this.

reedo35 · #2 03-07-2009, 08:37 PM

Don't expect DB to be anything like BG. Find a teacher, read the newbie links, Start with Simandl and move on from there.
Oh, and post pics of the Bass when you get it, or you will suffer credibility issues for it.

Edit- If you are focusing on Jazz, Simandl is still good as a Fundamental method, but you may also want to check out Rufus Reid's The Evolving Bassist.

longfinger · #3 03-07-2009, 09:14 PM

The Upton standard laminate is a really nice bass. I've played two in the last week. Really nice.
The Uptons come already setup according to what you and them discuss over the phone. So, you should not need further setup in Toronto until your tastes change. There are a lot of DB players in Toronto so you should not have too much trouble finding a good teacher.

DB is really not that different from BG, both are bass function stringed instruments tuned in fourths, which means a lot of similarity in the essentials. It's not like you're a flute player starting DB. (different music function, different music family). How much similarity depends on how you've been playing the BG, as in like a guitar or like a DB, or a mix.

Start out with the recordings of great players and groups to hear the sound of the DB in a jazz context. Then add in some lessons with a local teacher, as well as some books about scales and fingerings. And explore the bowing options as well.

I just got my first DB this week as well. It's fun.

reedo35 · #4 03-07-2009, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longfinger

DB is really not that different from BG.

I just got my first DB this week as well. It's fun.

Uh-huh...

Ghost_Note · #5 03-07-2009, 09:24 PM

Hey, welcome to the club!

I too recently ordered my first DB, also from Upton. It should be shipped on Tuesday

Photos will certainly be coming forthwith.

Coming from 35+ years of guitar playing and ten years on electric bass, I'm treating both my Double Bass and bow as new instruments. It's remarkably refreshing.

Enjoy yours!

Jason Sypher · #6 03-08-2009, 09:29 AM

I assure you that the doublebass is a completely different animal than an electric bass. I know what longfinger means, it does function in a similar way as the electric musically. But that's where the similarities end. Everything about producing a sound on the upright is different (too many differences to list). Longfinger did suggest getting a teacher and that, as far as I'm concerned, is essential, at least to get you playing properly and knowing how to use your body to produce a tone.

Mike D. · #7 03-08-2009, 09:52 AM

Heinls is a great shop for getting any work done if you have an accident or simply want your setup revised. From what I understand, Uptons come with a really decent setup anyways, so you're probably not gonna have to worry in this regard.
Try and get a lesson with Mike Downes. He teaches at Humber College. He's really great at the bass, and you'll learn a lot. He has a book about jazz bass too that you can get. It's not really method on how to play the double bass, but a useful source for checking out really basic musical concepts that the typical jazz bassist will come across (blues, rhythm changes, playing in 3, playing broken feel, etc.)
Simandl is a good method, but may I suggest to not take 'position' playing too seriously. Don't attempt to play with your hand stretched out to encompass all the notes in a given position, this is not natural for the hand. Instead, you can maybe sort of pivot. Ask Mike Downes about this. I think he's into Rabbath technique as he's got a bent end-pin and all.
Rabbath methods are interesting reading too. Simandl, Bille and Nanny and pretty much the standards of bass methods.
as for jazz bass books filled with good harmonic concepts; Mike's book is great, as mentioned earlier Rufus' book is great too, John Goldsby wrote a very comprehensive book on jazz playing with a section on the history and a section on technique. Ed Friedland made a DVD. You can check out Mark Levine's book on Jazz Theory.
Anyways, you probably know a bunch on the conceptual side of playing bass and jazz, so I guess you should probably pay more attention to learning how to play the double bass properly.
hope this helps
Mike

Hector Wolff · #8 03-08-2009, 01:05 PM

Hi Mike D,

I don't know what you mean about Simandl positions - in Simandl the hand only covers a major 2nd (one whole step) - that is a single position.

There is no "hand stretched out to try to encompass all the notes in a position". That's why in Simandl things are broken down into so many "positions" (I, II, II/III, III, III/IV etc.)

For me the whole position appproach was an attempt to break the learning process down into digestible chunks. Once I learned what notes were under my fingers at any given moment (whatever position my hand happened to be) I stopped thinking in terms of positions.

Niels Brown · #9 03-08-2009, 02:47 PM

Hey man, as far as places in Toronto go, the only place worth going to is Heinl's on church st, right around the corner from younge and dundas. Best luthiers around and the best service you can ask for, all the top guys in the city go there, and they treat me INCREDIBLY well for a young student.

davidAaronCarte · #10 03-08-2009, 05:52 PM

Another point for Heinl's
They're simply the best
Maybe try lessons at the conservatory since you already play jazz
Really just get someone to teach you how to play without hurtin' yourself

thechips · #11 03-10-2009, 01:09 PM

thanks for the advice everyone. I emailed Mike..his name has come up before when I was talking about teachers with someone here in T.O

I'll take pics of the upton when it arrives.

drurb · #12 03-10-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longfinger

I just got my first DB this week as well. It's fun.

What did you get?

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #13 06-30-2009, 12:45 PM

I played an Upton standard (from 2009) at the Aebersold camps today for about 10 minutes. It was solidly constructed and felt and sounded really good. Playable up into TP, and with a good evenness across the range. It was a heavy basstid, but it sounded great, and the student who owns it (from South America... maybe Equador?) really loves it and sounds great on it. It helped that he likes his action on the higher side (about where I keep mine), so I was able to switch back and forth from my own bass with little adjustment needed. From the short amount I was able to play on it, I'd give it a big thumbs up.

Marcus Johnson · #14 06-30-2009, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

action

http://www.wavsource.com/snds_2009-0...x/buzzer_x.wav

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #15 06-30-2009, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

press me

Dude, I'm from Kentucky. I'm exempt from getting the buzzer for wrong words.

Gary Lynch · #16 06-30-2009, 02:53 PM

Get a good teacher, saves time and avoids injuries.

Bassman316 · #17 06-30-2009, 03:03 PM

I finally took the plunge into the dark side and put in an order for an Upton Standard last Tuesday. I see why everyone here talks about what a cool guy Gary is and how the people at Upton are nice to deal with in general. I was probably on the phone with Gary for an hour and a half and he answered all my questions very patiently and in detail. So now the wait begins... about eight to ten weeks according to Gary. It's been one week, and I'm already going apes*** waiting for it!

Eric Rene Roy · #18 07-01-2009, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

I played an Upton standard (from 2009) at the Aebersold camps today for about 10 minutes. It was solidly constructed and felt and sounded really good. Playable up into TP, and with a good evenness across the range. It was a heavy basstid, but it sounded great, and the student who owns it (from South America... maybe Equador?) really loves it and sounds great on it. It helped that he likes his action on the higher side (about where I keep mine), so I was able to switch back and forth from my own bass with little adjustment needed. From the short amount I was able to play on it, I'd give it a big thumbs up.

Thanks for the kind words Chris (Checks in the mail

). ALL JOKING ASIDE...I'm glad you finally got a chance to play one...and a fairly recent one too.

As one customer pointed out to me today, I should clarify something though. The model is not an Upton Standard. Upton Bass makes UB Laminated, UB Hybrid, UB Professor (a flatback) and UB Concert (a carved back) models of which there are Standard and Deluxe (and sometimes SuperDeluxe) versions.

OK, back to your regularly scheduled thread...

BigOldHarry · #19 07-01-2009, 06:52 PM

I want one. You suck!

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #20 07-01-2009, 10:12 PM

Eric - it was standard version of a laminate model then. The student had had it altered to have a removable neck for travel, which turned out very well. When I first picked it up and felt how heavy it was, I was a little worried, but when I played it it turned out my worries were for nothing based on the sound.