$100 Upton Bow

[pmckee]

Have you guys heard about that new bow that Upton bass is selling like crazy...and only for $100. My teacher recommended that I pusrchase one but I wanted to get some feedback from anyone before I pulled the trigger.

If you don't know which bow I'm talking about, please PM me for more specific info.

[Mudfuzz]

I have a German one and like it a lot. The hair job is one of the cleanest I've seen. I got it because I wanted to give German a try and it looked like the best deal to me. I've played bows that are three times + as expensive that I didn't like as much.

[Eric Rene Roy]

pmckee, normally I would be the LAST person to tell someone to fill out the user profile...and while I appreciate you wanting to know about our product...I am sure the mods have about a dozen emails right now from users thinking you are a shill (which I can assure everyone you are not).

So, how about that user profile?

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Many thanks to pmckee for being a sport and filling in his profile. Let's keep further discussion in this thread to the bow in question, shall we?

[pmckee]

Sorry guys. I haven't even been a member for 24 hours yet. Now I know. But does anyone have anything bad to say about the bow?
ps. what does shill mean?

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Nothing like that, Ken. That one was my fault, as I explained to you you just now in PM. Let's keep the rest of that discussion there, and continue talking about the bows here. Again, that was my bad.

Discussion of the bows in question, anyone?

[Michael Eisenman]

I bought a German model as my first bow a couple of months ago. Both my luthier and my teacher said that it seemed like a good bow, if just a bit tip-heavy. I couldn't tell, as it's all new to me. They thought that it was especially good for the money.

Michael

[Eric Rene Roy]

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

Nothing like that, Ken. That one was my fault, as I explained to you you just now in PM. Let's keep the rest of that discussion there, and continue talking about the bows here. Again, that was my bad.

Discussion of the bows in question, anyone?

man...i read posts for a few minutes around 7am and then again around 7pm every day...and I miss so much! I can't keep up...

[bpclark]

I bought the french version for my son and it's a serviceable bow. If you don't have a lot a money to spend, it's certainly a very good buy for the price and far better than a fiberglass bow.

shill (noun)
1. a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc.
2. a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.

Originally Posted by pmckee

Sorry guys. I haven't even been a member for 24 hours yet. Now I know. But does anyone have anything bad to say about the bow?
ps. what does shill mean?

[drurb]

Originally Posted by bpclark

I bought the french version for my son and it's a serviceable bow. If you don't have a lot a money to spend, it's certainly a very good buy for the price and far better than a fiberglass bow.

shill (noun)
1. a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc.
2. a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.

Hmm. The second definition seems most unconventional. You just can't trust those internet sources sometimes!

[robgrow]

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

Discussion of the bows in question, anyone?

I have 2 of the Upton $99 bows (both French). For the price they are unbeatable. They also compare very favorably to much more expensive bows. Several months ago, I did an A/B comparison with a friend who is a bassist in a major symphony orchestra. We compared one of my $99 UB French bows to a pernambuco bow that lists for $600, and neither my friend nor I noticed enough difference between the two bows to justify spending the extra money for the more expensive stick.

BTW these are great beginners bows, since they are pretty much bullet proof yet are easy to play and get a decent sound. Far nicer than the typical starter bows I've seen. At the same time, they are good bows for working players who only play incidental arco like last note of ballad (thanks Sam!).

[D McCartney]

Originally Posted by pmckee

Have you guys heard about that new bow that Upton bass is selling like crazy...and only for $100. My teacher recommended that I pusrchase one but I wanted to get some feedback from anyone before I pulled the trigger.

If you don't know which bow I'm talking about, please PM me for more specific info.

I have the French Upton bow. It is my first bow, so nothing to compare it with. Working on Simandle, all I can say is the bow seems to do it's job. Better than I do. (Teacher says I'm improving, I wonder if she is just being nice. )

[EggyToast]

I bought a Gollihur Fiberglass bow when I started, and "upgraded" to the upton bow. Different hair color/texture and different feel, so I figured having both wouldn't be bad. I definitely like the bow, and my teacher says that it's a very nice starter bow, especially for $100.

[mahlerbass]

I have the 99$ version of the french bow (brazilwood). As the players before me have established, the bow is ok, but for the price of $99 dollars, it is amazing. The other brazilwood bows I have played in the $100-$600 range were not that much better, or MUCH worse. Granted, it simply doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with most of the pernambuco bows that are $1000+, and just about any that are +$2000, but it is definitely good enough that it wont "hold you back" as you develop your technique - which is why I'd say that it is one of the better brazilwood bows out there, and easily the best deal.

The negative things I would say are that its not balanced, which I still have issues with, because I use the "Italian" grip for the french bow, so it puts slight stress on my thumb. The frog is on the "chunky" side, as well.

Then again, these things are somewhat expected of a bow that is less then the best, but again, for 99$ - this bow is a steal, and overall, it doesn't suck, and wont **** up your technique.

[dbmike]

I have the German bow. My teacher cannot believe it cost only $99 -- he likes the sound better than his expensive carbon fiber bow. He also owns a pernambuco bow that he will never part with, but it cost more than my bass and my bow and my case and my amp and my cab . . . His expensive bow feels slightly better balanced to my clumsy paw, but it doesn't help me sound any better!

[Sippy]

How would you compare it to the Meinel Brazilwood bow?

[Joe Ergle]

I have the German model, and it's unbelievable for the price. I don't have a whole lot to compare it to; the only other bow I've played was some generic carbon bow (compared to that, it's heaven!). I would definitely recommend this bow; I bet that you absolutely cannot find a comparable bow for the same price. I did lots of research on the matter before I made the buy, and I couldn't find anything even close to it. Plus, the people at Upton are a pleasure to do business with.

[bassist1962]

Originally Posted by dbmike

I have the German bow. My teacher cannot believe it cost only $99 -- he likes the sound better than his expensive carbon fiber bow. He also owns a pernambuco bow that he will never part with, but it cost more than my bass and my bow and my case and my amp and my cab . . . His expensive bow feels slightly better balanced to my clumsy paw, but it doesn't help me sound any better!

That's the way it goes. I can't count the number of times people have laughed at my inexpensive equipment, then dropped thier jaw when they heard me play. I was looking at getting the German bow just to experiment with, and this thread has made my mind up to do that.

[Sippy]

I just placed my order for the UB bow, case and Nymans rosin!

[silversurfer68]

hallo,

i am interested in the UB Workshop Double Bass Bow - GERMAN

how heavy is the german bow?