Not so Mini Review of Upton Deluxe Bass Case

[bluegreenturtle]

I wasn't sure where to put this because there is no "accessories" section and the misc says "not bass related."

I just got done with 2 weeks of symphony rehearsals and concerts and so am feeling my experience with this case freshly. I gig about an average amount for a "busy amateur" or "not so busy semi-pro" - somewhere between 50 and 140 gigs per year depending.

I bought this case because I sold my second double bass and I told the buyer I would get them a case. I had planned to give them my 7 year old Bobelock and keep this one for myself. That is not what is going to happen now that I have used the Upton case. In a lot of cases when I am comparing here I am comparing to the Bobelock. I am aware that Bobelocks vary in quality depending on the year of construction, batch, etc. I got mine in 2000.

First off, construction. The case is quite solid for the price range - the padding is good in almost every area. I would rate the padding a strength in this case, although it was not as thick or dense as I expected from the ad copy. One of the big tradeoffs I realized when comparing the cases is that the higher density the foam, the heavier and less usable the case becomes for the player, so this is a balancing act for the maker. The padding is generally where it needs to be. One pet peeve of mine in bass cases is that the padding is too thin in the scroll area - this is where the bass often gets hit! The Upton is "OK" or better than average in this regard, but still not what I would like to see. The straps and handles are made of seatbelt nylon material that is very strong. I think it would be impossible for any of these straps to break themselves. The metal hardware could possibly fail, I've had that happen before on other cases. I kept mucking with the clips on the shoulder strap - they kept getting reversed somehow and being unclipped. I didn't really like the clips - I would have rather seen a different design - the sort where the ring slides with a catch.

There is some soft fuzzy stuff around the zipper edges to protect the wood from the zipper hardware. The zippers are of fairly mediocre - worse quality than the Bobelock, but they are ok. They got caught constantly in the fabric around the zipper, and I am fairly careful when zipping it up. That is pretty annoying.

The shell. Generally pretty average to pretty good. The ad copy ("The thickest, tightest weave yet on an Upton Bass bag fabric - the strongest in the industry!") is at best, good marketing material that is hard to prove, just pure ******** at worst. The shell was somewhat worse quality than the Bobelock, even after years of wear, in my opinion. It may be denser thread, but I couldn't tell. Also some sections of the shell (pockets) are as thin as it would be humanly possible to make them. I don't see why different material was used here. However I would say overall the quality is at least the same as a Mooridian, etc, so I wouldn't fear it - it's a good solid shell.

So construction I would give a solid 7 or 8 out of 10. Some elements (straps and handles and a few of the best padded spots) would get a 9.

Looks: It's a pretty nondescript case, not much here. The "UB" on the front is obnoxious though. This is my fault for not really looking at the pictures closely enough and realizing how prominant it is. I can't concieve of wanting somebody else's ad on my gear that I paid for. (no, I don't wear nike shirts, etc). I don't think an argument that it's a manufacturer's label is really germane here - it's a different case than, say, a speaker manufacturer putting their logo on the grill. This is an outsourced product that has a label slapped on it, as evidenced by the fact that it took a month and a half after ordering it to get it. (Hey, here's an idea, say if an item is actually in stock or not! I wouldn't have ordered it if I knew how long I had to wait before I placed the order). Anyway, not a big deal, it can be covered. Looks 7 out of 10, would be a 9.5 or a 10 without the logo.

Design and usability: This is why this case is going to the guy who bought my other bass and I am keeping my old Bobelock. I specifically bought a case with a shoulder strap because that's the way I carry the bass: slung on my right shoulder, on my backside, and I carry my stool (and sometimes amp or stand) in my hands. This works perfectly with the Bobelock. Alas, some wag thought it would be a good idea to put the shoulder strap connection points about 2 inches too low. The result is that the shoulder strap, instead of being a perfect balance point, put center of gravity too high, and the bass tips all over the place. So you HAVE to carry the bass, if you use the shoulder strap, like it is pictured on the Upton site - with your arm around it. Unfortunately this 1) makes that hand and arm less usable and 2) places a lot of weight on your shoulder as your arm presses down. In my case this was because in my left hand was my stool and in the right hand (around and on top of the bass) was my music stand - so all the weight of the stand was pressing down on the shoulder as well. With my Bobelock I would have just slung the bass on the shoulder and had both arms and hands free in front of me, so there would be no extra weight. My entire body still hurts from carrying stuff out from a concert tonight. Add in the fact that the goddamn wheels hit my legs randomly and I was very unhappy. I used the case on 10 different gigs, so I did try many options to get it right or comfortable, and messed with height of the strap, etc, which shoulder it was on, etc. This is a deal breaker for me and I don't understand why it was designed this way. I'ved used Bobelock, Mooridian, and Soundgear and none of them had this balance point issue. (The soundgear was a backpack design though and worked a little differently.

The wheels work ok if you are indoors on a smooth surface. There is no way I would let my bass go over a rough surface with those though. I suppose this might be ok for people with laminated instruments. Even using the wheels (I tried them out at a gig in a church with very long hallways) they don't free a hand because of the handle locations. Worst of all the wheels seem to be quite a bit of useless weight that again just goes right onto your shoulder if you are using the case that way (or carrying it in your hands). More often than not they just got in my way and I hit my legs on them. I don't see a viable way of removing them without possibly messing up the bottom of the case - they are riveted on to a flexible board inside the case.

Finally the handles on the neck/scroll area are on the front and back. This is ok, but in my opinion a poor design choice. The Bobelock has a handle on the front AND the side. I use that side handle all the time when going through doorways, etc. Because of the way the shoulder strap works, every time I reached up for a handle while moving through a doorway, or to steady it, the whole bass took a nosedive.

Design gets a 2 out of 10 - it's good on paper but when you actually use the case, you see the issues, some of them potentially dangerous to your instrument. After gigging for 2 weeks with the case I was just angry and frustrated with it.

Value: 8 out of 10. This case is very well priced and is why I selected it. Even though the case has a value of 0 out of 10 to me, objectively somebody else who didn't gig much or only carried a bass to gigs, or had different expectations or experience with cases might see it as 8 out of 10 or even better. It seemed like it was too good to be true - from the description I thought it was basically a deluxe Mooridian or better, but at quite a lot less money. Unfortunately in the long run I would have been better off just spending $600 and getting a better case. I have nobody to blame but myself for that - I was trying to get off cheap and I ended up with something I can't use. Returning it doesn't seem like a good option - the shipping each way plus the restocking fee would be the better part of $100.

The Bobelock IS 7 years old and well used and so some of the padding (around the scroll) is breaking down. I had hoped to replace it with a new case that was affordable. Unfortuantely the design issues made this just money down the hole and I will be giving the case away. Fixing those issues (tearing off the shoulder strap connections and solidly placing them properly, removing the wheels and repairing however I damage it in the process, adding a side handle to the scroll) in the UB case seem laborous compared to just up-padding the Bobelock a bit.

So I would say the case is a real mixed bag - some players may love it and really feel it is the best buy in the world. The price is certainly great, and generally the quality of the case is, for the price, very very good, probably the best value ratio out there. For me, though, the case is unusable.

[jmondick]

Thanks for his great review! I am buying a new (to me) bass shortly and may have to eventually get a bag for it. I was loking at this bag and the Gollihur deluxe bag - they may even be the same bag under different names.

I was curious as to how the wheels worked. I like the 1" padding, but think I may pass on a wheeled bags and get a stoller.

[bluegreenturtle]

Thanks Jeff. I think this bag is a different bag than the Gollihur one, but I think the Gollihur one may be one of the earlier iterations of the upton bag. If given a choice, I wish I had gotten the Gollihur one, sight unseen, because I can't stand this one.

[Marc Piane]

Get a Mooradian. I've had the same one for 12 years with no problems.

[BassAxe]

Thanks for this review. I'm planning on going on a long trip to the Upton shop in Mystic, soon. Once I get a replacement for my current bass, I have promised it to a local school strings program for a very low price and told them I would include the bow and bag, as well.

If I do opt for an Upton bass, I was thinking of getting their gig bag, too. I'll look into these other brands you mentioned.

[Andy Allen]

I too have recently given up on an Upton bag after about six months of use. That is only about 100 gigs (@ four a week) of use.

There are a few minor design flaws that are annoying, but mostly the bag is its own worst enemy - it's so big and heavy that its own weight tears it apart. Although the handles themselves have not torn from the body, the stress has been transferred to the bag, which has ripped along the seams. The supposedly tough outside covering has torn in one place, and the final straw was when one of the zip 'heads' desintegrated.

I found the wheels useless (I use a bass wheel in the end-pin hole). The case wheels stick out and catch on things as the bass is moved, and add to the already excessive weight of the case. The backboard that the wheels are mounted to is tearing its way out of the case covering.

I had been using my previous case for over two years of similar treatment, and it's still in pretty good shape; I only upgraded because I thought my new bass deserved better protection. I don't think that the heavy foam helps very much - it makes the bass awkward and unwieldy, so that you're more likely to bang it on something. And I'm convinced that a stiff, heavily padded bag is more likely to cause damage to the bass itself when putting it on/taking it off.

I'll be looking at cases again, but I won't be buying until I get an extension fitted and know the size needed for that.

Andy

[jmondick]

I posted a query on 2xBasslist asking about bags. I need one that has a decent amount of padding to protect my investment, but don't need a suit of armor, if you know what I mean. I was looking for a 1" padding. Here's a summary -

A lot of people recommended the Mooradian. It was probably the #1 recomendation.

Quite a few recommended the Bobelock. I checked their site - it is available cheaply enough, but I was curious as to the amount of padding. Is it 1" or more? I was wondering how good the protection was.

A few people recommended the Gollihur bag. There is also an Atlas bag that looks the same as the Gollihur bag (available at SW strings) for less money. The two look identical. One of these bags would probably be perfect if it wasn't for the wheels. I wouldn't use them, and it would seem to be extra stuff to get in the way, so wheeled bags are out.

A few people recommneded the Cushy bag. I think the Bobelock is based on the Cushy, isn't it?

One recommended Renuin Blues, but I don't have the cash for that.

One or two also recommended the Upton bag. Based on these reviews (plus the wheels), I think it is out.

I had a guy e-mail me with a used bag (says it is like a Cushy or Mooradian), and he is sending pics. If that works out, I'll probably buy that. if not, then I think I am going to go with the Bobelock.

Anyone use the Bobelocks? What's the protection like?

Jeff

[CamMcIntyre]

That bites about the Upton bag. I'm guessing since it is that company [Upton]-they'll try to make/get a better bag instead of keeping a mediocre bag as a representative of their brand.

This all being said-i'm truly digging my Mooradian bags. We [my dad and I] got a Mooradian DB bag w/my Cleveland from Arnold when we ordered it. I bought a Mooradian Double Electric bass bag from Sadowsky Guitars. The cases have stood up to pretty heavy use [conservatory student, to class 4 days a week plus gigs] and have performed amazingly. There's been a number of times when i have gotten caught in a down pour-they cases were soaked, the basses were dry. It was a great feeling.

[Andy Allen]

Originally Posted by CamMcIntyre

That bites about the Upton bag. I'm guessing since it is that company [Upton]-they'll try to make/get a better bag instead of keeping a mediocre bag as a representative of their brand.

It looks as if Upton are updating the bag on a regular basis - the one on their site at present is a little different than the one I have. However, unless they can get over the weight, bulk and unwieldiness it will still have major flaws.

I'll likely look at Moradian next - they are moderately priced, and I've heard nothing but praise.

Andy

[Chris Fitzgerald]

The other (and very expensive) option is the Soundwear bag. It's heavy and kind of stiff, but it protects the bass a kevlar shield. It took me a minute to get used to carrying it, but once that minute was up I got used to it and now other bags feel kinda funny. For my main bass, I think it's more than worth the $$$.

I have a Bobelock bag for my ply LaScala. It's light, seems sturdy, and has enough handles to make it useful. I haven't taken it out that much since it's an office bass, so it'll probably be years before it shows extreme signs of wear. My one complaint about it is that the seams of the bag *seem to* coincide with the edges of the top, which means very little protection on the second most fragile part of the bass. I could be wrong about this, or it could just be the way it fits my bass, but if it's really the case, that would be a pretty questionable design flaw.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I considered the Upton bag when I bought my bass from them, but ended up going with the Mooradian and couldn't be happier. The bulkiness of the Upton bag seemed to be a potential problem. Where do you store the thing when it isn't protecting the bass?

The Bobelock looks like a nice bag and may have a step on Mooradian.

[Andy Allen]

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

...My one complaint about it is that the seams of the bag *seem to* coincide with the edges of the top, which means very little protection on the second most fragile part of the bass. I could be wrong about this, or it could just be the way it fits my bass, but if it's really the case, that would be a pretty questionable design flaw.

I thought about this with my old, lighter bag, and thought that the ideal compromise between this and a heavily padded case would be to have thicker foam at the edges only. But then you'd probably have trouble keeping the foam and edges aligned - it would probably slip off unless designed by a clever person, which I'm not.

Originally Posted by clink

...The bulkiness of the Upton bag seemed to be a potential problem. Where do you store the thing when it isn't protecting the bass?...

That is a problem - you cant even prop it up in the corner because it has wheels on the bottom and slides down.

Andy

[Eric Rene Roy]

The newest bag, pictured on the site, is a combination of our last model of UB bag and the Mooradian. We actually sent a Mooradian to the workshop in China so we could marry the two together to have a bag that had the best of both cases...but at a lower price point than the Mooradian.

I looked at the "D" ring location on the UB bag and the Mooradian today, and they are in the same location.

The padding and bag material are also the same as the Mooradian now. The last version was hard to deal with when you got to a gig. The new one is more manageable, and I know Gary at least carries a bungee cord with him so he can wrap the bag up into a ball, bungee it.

Every generation of UB bag, and I think this is the 9th or 10th now, gets some modifications and tweaking from end user feedback. It's a constant evolution.

[jmondick]

Hi Eric - Thanks for chiming in. I don't mind bulk on the bag - in fact, i would prefer a bulky bag since I want a lot of protection and don't really need to worry about storage space. I really dislike the wheels though. Do you sell a version without them?

Thanks ...

[bluegreenturtle]

Jeff - in reply to your question, I have used the Mooridian, the Bobelock, and now the Upton - also have used Soundwears before.

In my opinion, the Bobelock is of higher quality than the Mooridian. It does have 1" foam.

As to the D ring location, that may well be that Mooridian is now putting theirs too low too. They were ok the last time I used one.

I gave the Upton away last week. I can't really reiterate how unhappy I was with it. When I was moving it out the last time, I did realize how it was perfect for a certain hold - if you carry it next to you supporting it on your hip or front, holding the side handle, with nothing else in your hands then it is fine. Except for the wheels, which are useless and add weight. And I realize this is how a lot of bass players do carry their bass - I did too, back in high school, when I didn't have to carry other gear to the gig. Also back then I had a "leather" case which weighed 20 pounds by itself.

Anyway, lesson learned - you can't get something for nothing - it is lesser priced product because it is a lesser product.

[neal davis]

My Bobelock and I have been through 12 years of abuse and it is still holding up great. I had a Mooradian when I had a second bass and never liked it as much as bobes.

[MarkRubin]

...very high repair bills.

You boys go and buy a bunch of these. 10 stars on this product in fact.

We've been making good coin repairing broken end blocks from bags like this these days. Thanks for your continued support!!

[dgelting]

I'll just chime in on my bag experience, mine not the Upton but the Bob G. "Pro".
At first I really didn't like it, but with some modification it's coming around (or I'm just getting used to it). First, I don't dig backpack straps - don't see much use for them. I'm 6'2" and that puts the scroll very high up and dosn't seem safe to me. Unfortunately, the backpack straps are in a horrible place if you put music in and out a lot (in front of the music pocket). The backpack straps have a great feel to them and are made of very comfortable material, but the shoulder strap (which I do use) is just a strap - no padding. Not comfortable at all. I ended up solving the strap-in-the-way problem and the discomfort by cutting off the backpack straps, sewing them end to end and making that the shoulder strap. I'm still working out the length, but it's much better already.

Also wish there was a sideways handle on the right shoulder area of the case, but with the zipper there it's not possible. I've gotten used to not having it though, so I don't really think about it anymore.

As for the wheels, I don't really use them, and I really don't think that they add that much weight.

It is bulky, so sometimes putting is somewhere at some gigs is a problem, but at those gigs I barely have room to even play without poking my bandmates with my bow. I hate crowded stages....

Much better than my last one. It has no identifying marks, but it ended up self destructing after 6 or 7 years of loyal service.

So, not thrilled, but I'll just live with what I got....

[Andy Allen]

Originally Posted by dgelting

...
Much better than my last one. It has no identifying marks, but it ended up self destructing after 6 or 7 years of loyal service.

So, not thrilled, but I'll just live with what I got....

Exactly - I wouldn't be too upset if the Upton case had lasted 6 or 7 years, but 6 or 7 months is pathetic.

I still have this feeling that wrestling that heavily padded case on and off every day is more damaging to the bass than the occasional bump in a lightly padded case...especially if you're careful.

Andy

[DrBassie]

I got the newest Upton Deluxe bag last month.
Personally, I like it. Plenty of handles, for many maneuvering situations. More padding than my old bag. For now, the wheels work well for me. Hopefully they'll stay functional.

Plenty of padding, which is the downside to my old bag. The protection is worth it to me though. Even though it is more bulky, I have found a way to store it enough. I just tuck the neck part of the case into the body, then zip it up to hold it in place. It stacks like a guitar case in that configuration. Before I tried that, it was rather cumbersome.

All in all, I don't have any complaints. My other bag was a POS in comparison to the UB.