My New Upton Bass

reedo35 · #1 03-25-2006, 12:39 PM

Just got my new Medio Fino Hybrid from Upton Bass yesterday.
It still needs to settle in a little bit, but so far, I am very impressed with it. I like the vanish on it, and I love how they idiot-proofed the bridge placement with removable tape! It projects very well and has a decent low end. Of course it's not in the same league as my fully carved Bass, but It was a great bargain for the money, being that I didn't have to pay for it!

Here are some pics:

reedo35 · #2 03-25-2006, 12:44 PM

While I'm posting pics, I thought I'd show my main bass. It's either a Juzek or a wilfer from 1923, I'm not sure which one, but seeing how closely both makers are intertwined, it doesn't really matter to me, I love the sound!

reedo35 · #3 03-25-2006, 02:16 PM

Thank You, It's a little early to pass Judgement yet, But here are some more Pics:

reedo35 · #4 03-25-2006, 02:20 PM

And the Scroll:
I'll post some pros and Cons a little later.

drurb · #5 03-25-2006, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reedo35

Just got my new Medio Fino Hybrid from Upton Bass yesterday....
It was a great bargain for the money, being that I didn't have to pay for it!

Where do I sign up for a free bass?

reedo35 · #6 03-25-2006, 05:35 PM

On the label it says "Erzeugt in Wernitzgrun, Markneukirchen, Deutschland, 1923 and there is a small picture of three little guys on the left side. And there is some handwriting over the label. I guess that's the guy who repaired it. Here is a Pic-

reedo35 · #7 03-25-2006, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRURB

Where do I sign up for a free bass?

Find your local Army Recruiter.

FYI I'm A Bass Player with the US Army Band in Virginia, and they pay for all of my professional equipment. So you should know your tax dollars are hard at work.
(You should thank me for getting this one instead of the full-carved NS LaScala!

)

armybass · #8 03-25-2006, 09:43 PM

Hey Reed, I am Scott Cutrer, the old 392 Bass Player. Congrats on the great looking bass. All I could get them to buy was the crappy EC1 but I did score the Azola. Hey gimme a shout sometime. I could use some lessons.

Marcus Johnson · #9 03-26-2006, 04:12 AM

For some reason, I read that last post as "Scott Cutrer, the 392-year-old bass player". I think I'd better get some sleep....

armybass · #10 03-26-2006, 05:05 AM

Sometimes I feel like it brother....LOL.

Paul New · #11 03-26-2006, 10:38 AM

What`s that microphone on there, reedo ?

reedo35 · #12 03-26-2006, 11:04 AM

Oh, That's the K&K Golden Trinity setup, with the Bass Max on one side and the Bullet Mic on the other. It didn't come with the bass.

drurb · #13 03-26-2006, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reedo35

Find your local Army Recruiter.

FYI I'm A Bass Player with the US Army Band in Virginia, and they pay for all of my professional equipment. So you should know your tax dollars are hard at work.
(You should thank me for getting this one instead of the full-carved NS LaScala!

)

1) I'm too old for that deal.

2) The cost to me would be greater than paying for the bass.

3) I'd be fine with my tax dollars buying YOU the fully-carved LaScala. I'm not so fond of some other ways they are spent!

armybass · #14 03-26-2006, 01:36 PM

Me either but we probably shouldn't get into that here eh?

relacey · #15 03-26-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reedo35

Find your local Army Recruiter.

FYI I'm A Bass Player with the US Army Band in Virginia, and they pay for all of my professional equipment.

I WAS a little envious since I have the same bass on order and I keep waiting for Jack to call and tell me it's on the bench. But, at least my tax dollars are being put to good use.

. Feel free to post more pictures and any impressions you'd care to share and I'll try to keep my bass envy under control. This will be my first URB, so I'm a little antsy.

reedo35 · #16 03-26-2006, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by relacey

Feel free to post more pictures and any impressions you'd care to share and I'll try to keep my bass envy under control. This will be my first URB, so I'm a little antsy.

OK, I have been playing this Bass all afternoon, and my fingers are tired, so here are my initial impressions, good and bad:

Good

- 1. This is a great Bass for the Cost-Value ratio!
2. Projects very well, I had someone standing 15 feet away, and they were amazed at how it "Bloomed" into the room.
3. Very nice Low End, I can feel it in my lower regions woo-hoo!
4. Arc of the bridge and fitting of the feet to the contour of the body are excellent. Nice Job!
5. I have Obligatos on it, it bows very well, nice growl on the E.

Bad

- I should say "could be better" but, oh well...
1. When I got it, the string height was LOW. I mean really low,
I had to jack up the adjusters quite a bit to get it to where I play.
2. Nice low end,as I said, but it sort of loses definition- sounds a little "Tubby" maybe just needs to open up a bit, it is New..
3. On the same line, the high end sounds a little stuffy above the A in TP..Maybe some more playing will open it up.
4. Neck is thicker than I'm used to. This is neither good or Bad, it just is.. It is similar to a Meisel, but not that chunky.
So that's what I think right now,I'l post some results after I play it on the job.

reedo35 · #17 03-27-2006, 07:03 AM

Well, we're talking about the bass here, not the bow, but anyway... tried it with Carlsson's on one of my bows, and Oak rosin on the other.

relacey · #18 03-27-2006, 09:40 AM

Thanks for the review. The good

items sound great

to me, especially bang for the buck, and since this is my first URB, I probably won't even notice some of your "could be better" items right away. Is there anything different you wish you'd asked for in the setup besides a higher string setup?

Ron

reedo35 · #19 03-27-2006, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by relacey

Is there anything different you wish you'd asked for in the setup besides a higher string setup?

Ron

Well as far as strings go, the obligatos were the right choice for me, I was tempted to try Animas, but that was well over the $140.00 limit they had on the strings you can get. Dominants might be a little stiffer, if you want more tension,
But Flexicores may sound a little muddy on it, I can't say for sure.BTW, They also use the new tailgut material, which is definitely a step up from the straight wire on most new basses.
Oh, and I don't mean to rave, but I also got the new Upton Bass Case With it, also a great bargain at the new price.

Ken Lloyd · #20 03-27-2006, 11:44 AM

[quote=reedo35]Just got my new Medio Fino Hybrid from Upton Bass yesterday. ]

I've had a new Upton Hawkes bass for three weeks.

Here are some of my observations:

Lovely color and finish.

I thoroughly enjoy playing this bass. And I love the Spirocore strings; they were made for my hands.

The sound changed/improved a lot in the time I've had it, most notably in the first 10-12 days. It sounds so much better than when I brought it home. Rounder and deeper, and just better.

The tailpiece and endpin hardware is top notch, much better than others I've seen in this price range. Ebony neck is great and properly proportioned.

The set up meets my request, but the E is a tad low and buzzes when I really pull hard in the Gb to Ab range. I have to play a little more carefully on the E than the other strings.

The Revolution Solo pickup appears to capture the true sound of the bass, but I haven't taken the rig out on a gig yet.

The $99 'de la ville' bag fits this Hawkes model better than the $229 deluxe bag. The deluxe bag is too tight in the upper bout, though it is a great bag, lots of padding, many pockets; it's a tight fit. They sent me home with the $99 bag because the deluxe bag I ordered wasn't in stock. They paid to ship me the new bag which I had not had a chance to try out in the store. I assume the deluxe bag fits the Medio Fino models better.

I'm delighted with my purchase and the support I've received from Jack, Eric and Gary at Upton. I think I got very good value for my two grand. I've tried to post a pic but I seem to have trouble finding the right sequence of keystrokes.