Upton bass in SF Bay area?

[Mukaiji]

Hello,

I really want to play an Upton bass (or several, if possible). Anyone on the SF Bay Area have one that I could play?

I could meet you at a gig, or go to your house.

Thanks!!

[LouisF]

I've got one in LA which I will probably be bringing up to a concert in Monterey in September. Happy to have you look at it then -- or before if you're down south.

Louis

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by LouisF

I've got one in LA which I will probably be bringing up to a concert in Monterey in September. Happy to have you look at it then -- or before if you're down south.

Louis

I just ordered on two weeks ago. Its a standard with a solo fingerboard. What do you have?

[LouisF]

The first of their Gary Karr "super deluxe hybrid" model --
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG1KtGZOxSY)

LF

[Mukaiji]

Originally Posted by LouisF

I've got one in LA which I will probably be bringing up to a concert in Monterey in September. Happy to have you look at it then -- or before if you're down south.

Louis

Thanks, LoisF! If I don't get a chance to try on before then, I will reach out to you.

[Rocky]

nice! mine will have the antique amber finish like the Karr hybrid..

[damonsmith]

Upton's have a good reputation for sure - but there is no reason to mail order a bass in the Bay Area. There are several good shops as well as individuals with good instruments for sale.
It would be a total waste of the shipping, especially for a basic instrument like that.
As always, all basses even by the same shop and same maker are different. It is always best to try before you buy and in the Bay Area or any other major metropolitain area you can.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

It would be a total waste of the shipping, especially for a basic instrument like that.

Your advice is generally sound but I didn't see where the OP said he was looking for a "basic" model. Certainly not all Uptons are "basic instruments" and carry (appropriate) price tags from about $2000 to over $20,000. That's not to say that one shouldn't investigate local shops, just as you advised.

[hdiddy]

def hit up Steve Swan in South SF.

[damonsmith]

Steve Swan, the String bass shop, A & G in Oakland, Ifshin violins (they have a new bass room and a small bass sheet music section now), there is a place in SJ I forgot the name of, I don't knwo if Weinkrantz is still in SF in Haye's valley, etc.

[Steve Swan]

I've had two of the Romanian made hybrids pass through the shop in the last couple of years. The new versions are supposed to be a fair bit better than those. I'd like to see some myself!

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

Upton's have a good reputation for sure - but there is no reason to mail order a bass in the Bay Area. There are several good shops as well as individuals with good instruments for sale.
It would be a total waste of the shipping, especially for a basic instrument like that.
As always, all basses even by the same shop and same maker are different. It is always best to try before you buy and in the Bay Area or any other major metropolitain area you can.

I think that depends on what you want. In my case I wanted an American made instrument of higher quality, and I feel Upton provides that type of instrument. The shipping is not that big of a deal as Upton provides a 200.00 credit towards shipping, and the tax that I pay here in L.A. (9.75%) would be more on a 2000.00 bass than what my portion of the shipping winds up to be. The other option is for me to have bought a used instrument, but there are some challenges with this too. First of all I would need to find a bass that I am interested in, and have a qualified person look it over (not sure what that would cost if anything), but just the logistics of this prospect can be daunting to say the least. Now assuming the instrument is in good condition it will more than likely need a new setup. The price of a set of strings plus a setup would be around 300-500 depending on the type of strings and work involved. Then I would have an instrument that has no warranty at all. Maybe that's not that important, but having a five year warranty on a new instrument makes me feel better. Understand that I am fairly new to upright bass, and there are many pitfalls that I could be a victim of due to my inexperience. This is why I am personally more comfortable going with a company like Upton than buying used or from an instrument company that only sells imported instruments.

[damonsmith]

As I said, Upton has a great reputation, I still think consulting an LA teacher or two could get you on the right track - there are tons of great shops in LA and you could get a quality instrument there no problem. Most serious teachers know where to get a quality instrument for a good price in their area.

Originally Posted by Rocky

I think that depends on what you want. In my case I wanted an American made instrument of higher quality, and I feel Upton provides that type of instrument. The shipping is not that big of a deal as Upton provides a 200.00 credit towards shipping, and the tax that I pay here in L.A. (9.75%) would be more on a 2000.00 bass than what my portion of the shipping winds up to be. The other option is for me to have bought a used instrument, but there are some challenges with this too. First of all I would need to find a bass that I am interested in, and have a qualified person look it over (not sure what that would cost if anything), but just the logistics of this prospect can be daunting to say the least. Now assuming the instrument is in good condition it will more than likely need a new setup. The price of a set of strings plus a setup would be around 300-500 depending on the type of strings and work involved. Then I would have an instrument that has no warranty at all. Maybe that's not that important, but having a five year warranty on a new instrument makes me feel better. Understand that I am fairly new to upright bass, and there are many pitfalls that I could be a victim of due to my inexperience. This is why I am personally more comfortable going with a company like Upton than buying used or from an instrument company that only sells imported instruments.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

As I said, Upton has a great reputation, I still think consulting an LA teacher or two could get you on the right track - there are tons of great shops in LA and you could get a quality instrument there no problem. Most serious teachers know where to get a quality instrument for a good price in their area.

I did that, and I called around to all of the shops I know about. There are lots of Chinese bases being sold in the price range I was looking at. If I had 5K then it would be different, but in the 1500-2000 price range there are only so many choices.

[Square Bear]

my experience with upton is that they are fairly comparable to the chinese instruments in the same price range (definitely a little pricier than an equivalent chinese bass). i agree, you should have looked around SF a little more thoroughly first. if you just really wanted to buy american, that's another story. in that case, you made the right choice.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Square Bear

my experience with upton is that they are fairly comparable to the chinese instruments in the same price range (definitely a little pricier than an equivalent chinese bass).

I'd like to hear more details regarding your experience. It sure does differ from mine. Yes, just about everyone here knows I'm an Upton fan and that I own one. Over the past several years I've had the opportunity to play just about every level and model of Upton that there is and often in the same spot in the same room as Chinese, Romanian, and other eastern European instruments in the same price range. IMO, IME, to my ears, and to my hands, the Uptons have been superior in design (including body style, overstand, fingerboard projection, and general playability), in quality of workmanship (integrity of inner linings, fitting of blocks, etc.), quality of hardware (tuners, fingerboard, endpin, tailpiece, etc.) and most of all the sound.

I'm not sure what you mean by "equivalent" Chinese bass but equivalency sure can't be evaluated via a spec sheet or pictures on the internet. For example, as I know you know well, not all carved tops are created equal.

Of course, these are simply my opinions and YMMV. Still, I've had the opportunity to make a rather large number of comparisons regarding the very instruments in question. There are some very fine Chinese instruments out there that are good buys and I wouldn't hesitate at all to recommend them to players. You gotta compare apples to apples, though.

Then again, maybe all of this has something to do with the fact that I play an upper-level Upton and you play a Chinese bass. Our choices reflect our preferences.

[Square Bear]

i mean equivalent in price. i'm talking about bass for your buck. we do different things, i'm entirely a classical player and what i look for in an instrument reflects that. my experience is that upton is less of a classical bass oriented shop (in terms of their own basses and their expertise, i know they sell nice orchestra quality instruments too), which probably reflects the different opinions we have.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Square Bear

i mean equivalent in price. i'm talking about bass for your buck. we do different things, i'm entirely a classical player and what i look for in an instrument reflects that. my experience is that upton is less of a classical bass oriented shop (in terms of their own basses and their expertise, i know they sell nice orchestra quality instruments too), which probably reflects the different opinions we have.

Understood, but I was not evaluating their basses only for jazz and other non-classical genres. Sure most Uptons you encounter are likely to be set up for jazz and not classical but that's only a matter of setup. Given that I started out as a formally trained classical player, I tend to evaluate instruments in a global way and actually prefer the ones that would, traditionally, be good orchestra instruments.

[damonsmith]

Spiltting hairs in every Upton thread just makes you look like an Upton shill. Everyone knows they make quality basses. End of that discussion. The main point is that comparable basses in all price ranges can be found in most metropolitan areas (especially the San Francisco bay area and Los Angles) with minimal effort and it ALWAYS better to play before you buy.

[Eric Swanson]

I really like the "play a specific bass before you buy" concept, especially when one is in a largish metropolitan area. I also like the concept of trying lots of different basses in any given price range.

Due to some odd circumstances, I have been bass shopping twice in the past two years. My experience has been that playing lots of instruments is good, that buying in a rush is bad, and that shops that let you try an instrument out in your home for a week or more, with no obligation, are good outfits with which to do business.