My experience with Upton Bass

x-header · #1 10-07-2007, 10:50 AM

Yesterday, my fiancee and I took a ride down to Mystic and spent a couple of hours in the Upton showroom with Josh, and let me tell you it was a great experience. I explained to him that I play electric and know nothing about the double bass and I'm beginning to think about dipping my toes in the the DB realm (with my fiancee's strong encouragement). During the time there, he gave me a fairly good basic education about DB, from construction and material differences, to care, to strings, and even showed me some basic things about technique (quite a different animal than electric bass).

My typical experience with music stores is that you go in, and unless they know you, they treat you like an idiot until you prove yourself. In my pre-sales experience with Upton it was the complete opposite, I went in a self-admitted idiot and I got the best assistance possible and was made to feel comfortable the entire time. It's a shame this level of care is missing in many businesses in this day and age, but my experience with Upton was stellar.

If we decide to get a double bass (yes we, since this is going to be a gift from my fiancee) I'm 95% sure it's going to be from Upton. 5% of this because I'm originally from the neighboring town, 90% because of the service.

drurb · #2 10-07-2007, 11:20 AM

That's a wonderful story! Now, right after you get the bass, and perhaps before, get thee a good teacher.

chuck1073 · #3 10-07-2007, 11:27 AM

Nice compliments. Great bunch of guys at UB. IMHO you can't do any better any where.

Xheader, Where are you from originally?

clink · #4 10-07-2007, 11:50 AM

As an Upton bass owner who bought long distance, my experience was similar to yours; certainly not quite as personal

. I think they do a good job and are dedicated to the instrument.

That said, my experiences with KS Strings, one of the largest shops anywhere, have been very nice. My last visit was with the intention of just picking up some strings, but I ended up talking with Anton for a couple of hours, getting a full tour of the shop. Seeing the entire operation was quite a treat.
If you haven't seen this, it is very interesting http://www.kcstrings.com/violin-shop-video.html

I've also had good experiences with the shop we purchased my son's cello several years ago. The point is, it is nice to develop a relationship with a local shop. I suspect most local luthiers/dealers offer similar service.

I remember WAY back as a teenager driving to the largest music store in the area, Quigley Music (now gone) to help my friend Mike buy a Fender bass. When the sales clerk told Mike that he couldn't touch anything unless he was a serious buyer, he just showed the blank check his mother had signed and we bought the bass elsewhere.

Dealing with string instrument shops is quite a bit different then guitar stores.

coreybass · #5 10-09-2007, 02:36 PM

Quote:

The point is, it is nice to develop a relationship with a local shop

I couldn't agree more. With instruments, especially basses, which are more prone to getting knocked around, it's important to have a "go to" luthier who knows you and your bass and can help you out in a bind as well as to advise you on routine maintenance. I'm lucky to live within a few hours drive of Upton, as well as Boston and New York so I have options. My experience with Gary and everyone at Upton has been fantastic and since I own an Upton Hawkes Lami and I have a Professor on the way, they are my first choice these days. It's a first rate shop.

Osama_Spears · #6 10-10-2007, 10:04 PM

Amazing customer service, amazing bass, amazing experience here. seriously the best company i have ever dealt with.

JimmyM · #7 10-13-2007, 08:06 PM

Yeah, I bought my Hawkes a couple years ago over the phone, and I went with them because of so much talk about them like this. I wasn't disappointed. I got to visit them a few months after I bought the bass, and it's the coolest shop ever! Tons of basses, all with different strings you could sample, and I got an impromptu slap lesson from the great Jack Hanlon. Plus Mystic is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. Hard to beat the scenery.

**Damon Rondeau** · #8 10-13-2007, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clink

That said, my experiences with KS Strings, one of the largest shops anywhere, have been very nice. My last visit was with the intention of just picking up some strings, but I ended up talking with Anton for a couple of hours, getting a full tour of the shop. Seeing the entire operation was quite a treat.
If you haven't seen this, it is very interesting http://www.kcstrings.com/violin-shop-video.html

What a cool and informative video -- I didn't know it was there. Thx for the link!

chuck1073 · #9 10-13-2007, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Mystic is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. Hard to beat the scenery.

It's not such a bad place to live either.
Just be carefull around the casinos....

The only thing I play there is my bass. Cheaper that way.

bankerwithabass · #10 10-19-2007, 03:50 PM

The only thing I would say about Upton is that if you order one of theirs to be built for you, you can run into some long lead times 14 to 16 weeks, so be forwarned that you may have to be patient.