Double Bass Experience with upton bass?

[groooooove]

At the entry level the Uptons I've played are LESS impressive than a Shen, not equal..

i do agree with this, but i don't think a basic upton is at all over priced at the $2k mark. a new shen 80 goes for $1800, and though i agree is a "Better" sounding bass (for me), i can't say my tastes are the same as everyone elses.

any reliable, nice sounding bass, at $2,000 is a good deal. may not be ideal for everyone, but they definitely sell enough of them to prove that they are not "over priced" or anything like that.

 

[damonsmith]

To be fair I have zero understanding of any of the new plywood market at all. I don't get it. There are tons of sturdy ply basses in the world and if you really want one, just getting an old one and having it set up is going to be much cheaper.
So, if that is your thing - paying enough for ply that could get you decent carved or hybrid if you took the time to look, I guess it might be OK.
I am not saying they is over-priced in terms of materials and labor, I am saying they are not competitive with all the options on the market for a bass in that range.

i do agree with this, but i don't think a basic upton is at all over priced at the $2k mark. a new shen 80 goes for $1800, and though i agree is a "Better" sounding bass (for me), i can't say my tastes are the same as everyone elses.

any reliable, nice sounding bass, at $2,000 is a good deal. may not be ideal for everyone, but they definitely sell enough of them to prove that they are not "over priced" or anything like that.

 

[damonsmith]

I know all too well how difficult it is, the analogy was more along the lines of it being a regular service we all need and it gets customers in the door at regular intervals whether we like it or not.
As it is I've had about four trusted rehair people in over 25 years of playing. I do plan to learn it myself, but, I am too busy playing and posting on talkbass.

Go learn how to rehair then, and then buy and stock all the varieties of hair and tools, and take a crack at it, and then do it over an over and over until you get it right every time.

String changes are oil changes...anyone can do them.

A good rehair is a highly skilled thing, lots of people try and fail at it, and you've got to be "game on" when doing it as there are too many things that can go wrong in a rehair and make you look like a fool. You have to love it...or it'll show in your work. Equating a rehair to an oil change is insulting to everyone doing them.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

I am not saying they is over-priced in terms of materials and labor, I am saying they are not competitive with all the options on the market for a bass in that range.

So a used car should be priced competitively with a new car? Even inclusive of an engine overhaul?

 

[damonsmith]

So a used car should be priced competitively with a new car? Even inclusive of an engine overhaul?

Basses last way longer than cars, however, many new cars are not a better deal than a used car.

 

[GretschWretch]

But why would he want it????

 

[GretschWretch]

Gotta love how small the DB world is. No offense, BG side...

But the BG side still thinks you can get there faster on a Fender.

 

[Don Kasper]

To be fair I have zero understanding of any of the new plywood market at all. I don't get it. There are tons of sturdy ply basses in the world and if you really want one, just getting an old one and having it set up is going to be much cheaper.
So, if that is your thing - paying enough for ply that could get you decent carved or hybrid if you took the time to look, I guess it might be OK.
I am not saying they is over-priced in terms of materials and labor, I am saying they are not competitive with all the options on the market for a bass in that range.

It is getting somewhat frustrating for me to continue reading certain posts in this Thread.
Just FYI.
Thanks?

 

[unbrokenchain]

Ryan K here in Asheville plays an Upton, never played it but he sounds great!

 

[The Biz]

It is getting somewhat frustrating for me to continue reading certain posts in this Thread.
Just FYI.
Thanks?

I get frustrated at people buying new copies of Breakfast in America on LP, while I find a copy at every garage sale I go to. They get upset when I say so too.

Not saying a new Upton ply is not a worhtwhile investment, but the opinion above is valid, whether or not you agree with it.

 

[damonsmith]

It is getting somewhat frustrating for me to continue reading certain posts in this Thread.
Just FYI.
Thanks?

I am happy to get on with it. I think my experience is pretty clear, if it keeps getting challenged directly, I'll respond. I had the experiences I had, and the impressions I had. I was also surprised that they differ so much from others.
People should just post their experiences. If I happen onto another example of their work that changes my mind I will post about it.

 

[unbrokenchain]

I for one think they should raise the prices of Uptons, or at least start making them with worse quality. A good product at a competitive price is likely the reason no one's bought the Kay I'm selling yet! Grr... hardworking talented luthiers, ugh..

 

[GretschWretch]

I for one think they should raise the prices of Uptons, or at least start making them with worse quality. A good product at a competitive price is likely the reason no one's bought the Kay I'm selling yet! Grr... hardworking talented luthiers, ugh..

Maybe if you offered a bag of Kay's cookies with the purchase (and good luck finding one of those).

 

[statsc]

I am also a satisfied Upton customer, as are the vast majority who have contributed to this thread. I traveled to the shop in Mystic with a Czech Ease bass to try to improve the sound, and ended up leaving it there to sell on consignment after having committed to buying an Upton Standard laminate. I wanted to buy one right off the rack, but they said no, they only build to order (what other company does that?). I was a little worried about committing to buying a bass that hadn't even been built yet, but Eric said, "Have faith," and my faith was rewarded! The bass they built for me sounded and played every bit as good (or better!) than the shop model. They even did some customization on it for no extra charge. Both the buy and sell transactions went smoothly, and they have always been accessible and willing to go the extra mile to keep me happy. They have also done some set-up and minor repairs on my Tyrolean, always working to a high standard and even going beyond what I initially asked for at no extra charge. I think the OP can feel comfortable putting himself in their hands and be assured that he will end up with a quality instrument at a more than fair price that the company will stand behind.

 

[Phil Rowan]

I've never played an Upton, but I would imagine (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that a lot of the present-day-built plys, whether coming from the Upton shop, or the New Standard Line, or any others I may be forgetting, take "modern" bass construction into account. In particular, I'm thinking of neck and over stand angle, both of which go a long way in making a bass way more comfortable to play (and which I imagine would not be a cheap adjustment for an older ply). And as to the question of laminated vs hybrid vs carved, IMHO it's all up to the individual's own musical needs/tastes/etc. Anyway, just my .2 cents on the matter.

 

[matthewbrown]

There seems to be a view that if you are getting a ply bass you are looking foremost for a low-cost instrument, and in that view, it makes little sense to have a new one made to order. However, a number of other folks have posted that there are other considerations, even in buying a plywood instrument, and I agree. Customer service & support, customization (I got a 5/8 size five-string from Upton, and got to choose the finish I preferred), country of origin, knowing the supply chain, the reputation of the builder, supporting a small shop -- all these count for certain buyers. If you are not interested in buying anything but a ply, and you're not going to spend that kind of money, then spending a bit more to meet other criteria makes sense. If you are just looking for the lowest-cost instrument and don't care about getting any of those extras, you'd go for a Shen, expect. And it might seem odd to you that other buyers won't. For myself, I was only interested in a plywood instrument, I wanted it 5/8 and with a high C string. Going to a local shop with a great reputation, one that worked to fulfill those requirements at a fair price with great service was worth it.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Ok, reported posts coming in on this and I have to go teach, so closing until I get a chance to clean it up. Please, everyone, keep the personal stuff off the public boards. It will get reported and then have to be edited to conform to site rules. And thanks to those who report posts in an effort to keep things from getting worse. You are doing the right thing.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Ok, the thread has been cleaned of commercial rule-bending and certainly of back and forth between commercial users. I have done the best I could to keep the meaning of all existing posts in tact while removing the bare minimum of stuff that was explicitly against the CUP. I will be asking for further mod review in the meantime, but I will reopen the thread now. Please everyone, keep it civil and within the site rules.

For reasons related to history on TB, I was trying to avoid this thread and let customers of Upton basses weigh in with their experiences. Since I am not an owner of one of these basses, I wasn't going to weigh in. However, I would like to quote the comments I made about Upton in the thread about the 2017 ISB convention, since they are my only direct experience with Upton basses aside from occasionally seeing students at the Aebersold camps who are playing them:

I visited the Upton booth and saw a lot of nice basses, including a removable neck model. They have a lot of nice options, and I would definitely recommend people in the market find a way to visit them in person to check them out. Eric was very helpful and informative, and they seemed to have a lot of traffic every time I passed by so I know he was working hard.

I thought the offerings at the booth looked great, and enjoyed playing the basses I got my hands on. I stand by the comments I made back in 2017. Go play the basses and make up your own mind! Talk on the internet is cheap, both the positive and the negative. If you can't get to the shop, see if someone in your area has a similar model to the bass you are interested in and find out if they will be kind enough to let you lay hands/ears on it. By all means, go to the ISB convention and get to play a ton of basses and experience them yourself - this is perhaps the best way to learn about a huge variety of basses that I have ever experienced in my life.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Sorry, forgot to open a while ago. Open now.

 

[Roger Mouton]

To Eric Roy, you would have been better off to leave the argument alone or, perhaps better yet, reply privately. Arguing with a customer in this public forum does you no good.