Two years ago, I was in dire need of bass so I could become a more serious player. After awhile, your high school's Strunal ply doesn't cut it anymore when you want to play classical music.
After reading many threads on here and talking to a few intelligent TB members, I decided that a hybrid would be good for me, because of the price point, durability and honestly I didn't think I needed or deserved a fully carved bass quite yet.
This was when Upton became popular and many people were curious about the fuss. To add to the interest, they began making their basses in-house. To a kid like me, seeing all these glorious reviews and the relatively low prices got me hooked. However, this could've been a truly horrible experience. Not everything is what it's made up to be. Also, I had no idea how the bass would sound in my hands. Living in Louisiana with no vehicle and a family weary of traveling, much less dishing out thousands of dollars, I didn't really have a choice.
Calling Upton Bass was a great experience in itself. There were no signs of frustration in Jack's voice whatsoever. They were only helpful to me, which made me feel better about what I was doing. I knew the dangers of ordering a bass without having the chance to play or hear it, but I chanced it anyway.
When I received the bass about 10 weeks later, all worries were gone. The bass made it here safely. My teacher was surprised at how good of a bass it was for the price I paid.
This was two years ago. To date, I've ordered twice again from Upton and have been pleased both times. I've had no problems with cracks or major warping with the bass, even in the crazy weather here. There was slight buzzing in the fingerboard, which was fixed with a planing. All has been well since.
The tone is just great and has gotten better since it arrived and upon buying a new bow. I finally feel confident in my sound. The bass has allowed me to progress tremendously since trying to bow a ply. The difference was very noticeable even when my Upton was new.
I don't want this to sound like the bass is absolutely perfect and nothing could be better. I wish the endpin had more notches because the perfect height for me is between notches and has a tendency to rattle sometimes. The high shoulders make it somewhat difficult for me to reach notes around the high G harmonic, and impossible to do without my forearm touching. I am short though (5' 7") so this isn't really Upton's fault.
All in all, I am satisfied with my purchase. I bought a bass without playing or hearing it, and it worked out for the best. There are many great basses now available to people in my situation, like American Standards and Gollihur's basses, so don't think that Upton is the only choice. However, for me, it was the best choice. Two years later, I am still satisfied with my Upton Hawkes Hybrid. Thank you Upton for making this possible.
Not Another New Bass Review 
