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I tend to agree, both Shen and Upton seem to be making really good instruments for the money. I ahven't tried a Shen but I tried an Upton hybrid of september 2006 which means it was a European import bass. It was a really fun instrument to play with a good tone. Upton is now making basses in the USA, which are supposed to be of better quality as the Upton staff has control of imperfections that would occur from the factory imported European instruments. I imagine Shen's are somewhat similar.
A lot of these basses that are priced similarly sometimes sound different from one another as they're made differently, in different regions, and with different materials. I don't think you'll be able to find a Shen that sounds like an Upton, or vice versa. So for sound, you'd have to try them out, and decide which suits what you want to hear come out of the bass.
That being said, even though they WILL have difference in tone, they are still in the same ballpark of instruments. They are both companies providing plys at $1500 through $2500, hybrids at $3000 to $4000, and carved at $5000 and up. Shen has carved basses that go up has high as $12 000. I would wanna try one to see what makes it that expensive.
listing the similarities, the difference would be Shen's are made in China in a factory (I think), and Upton's are made in a shop by hand in USA (now, as before they were European imports finished in USA).
And as for materials, I was reading that Shen used to use European woods for some of it's higher quality basses, but now are using Chinese woods for all their basses to cut costs on materials (I don't think Chinese wood, although ceaper in price value, is bad wood), while I think the higher end Shen cellos, violas, and violins are in European wood. I can be mistaken, but I think I might have read that that's the situation.
Upton's are stocking up on wood imported from North America in Northwest Canada and regions of USA, as well as getting wood from European countries such as Germany or England.
The differences will affect the sound I think which will be up to the buyer's taste. Some basses are tubby or bottom heavy while others scream. Some growl, while some sing. A very personal choice, I'd say.
But they are in the same ballpark as they are both making really nice sounding instruments at affordable prices (under $8000). Although, as mentioned earlier; Shen does make a line of instruments over $8000, they do offer many more models of instruments below this price for budget minded bassists or students.
Nothing we say here can make your decision. The key to finding YOUR bass is trying as many as possible and finding the characteristics you like, as well as the characteristics you don't like.
Hope this helps,
Mike
Last edited by Mike D. : 01-16-2008 at 01:54 PM.
Reason: clarity
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