I ordered the bass back in November of last year and it was finally ready this weekend. I went down to the barn to pick it up and finally got it back to the house today. The guys there were fantastic. Brian took the time to work with me for three hours to pick out the bow, bag, and pickup. Jack made sure the action and pickup were perfect before I took it out of the shop. I am incredibly happy with this bass and couldn't have found a better bass, especially for a beginner. I've only had it for a little bit and I'm in love already!
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Congrats! Now turn that new bass glow into a practice honeymoon, and all will be well with the world. 
I already have been! I'm just trying to be careful and watch a boatload of YouTube until I can get with my teacher. I don't want to do it too much and develop bad habits before my lessons start.
Welcome to the lifelong obsession of trying to make music with a beast.
Now start those open string long tones!
Spirocore Lights. I am doing mostly pizz playing for jazz so it seemed like the way to go.
Gorgeous! What was the final price, if you don't mind me asking?. I almost ordered an Upton 5-string back in 2008 for a rockabilly band I was in because my $700 Chinese Cremona wasn't standing up to the gigs (as expected, I was about to buy stock in wood glue companies because I was using so much of it every week.) I got the quote for an Upton just shy of $5000 for one with extra reinforcement to handle the battle wounds of live gigging better, then the band broke up and I decided not to finish the order and have just played electric bass in other bands since. But I came across that old quote the other day and the imagination is starting to run wild.....
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Yours was probably real expensive cause of it being a 5 string and the extra reinforcement you are talking about. I have an Upton Standard ply and i think it starts at $2k before you begin adding options(pickup/strings/etc).
Yeah, I should also mention that's the quote with a case, pickup and preamp installed too
If you're like me (and many other's, I'm sure) that new bass glow with an Upton will not go away. I've had my Bohemian hybrid for a bit over 2 years and my bandmates and I still marvel at the sound (and look) of this thing. Congrats and keep enjoying it.
The final price was close to $3k. I don't quite remember, but it was either just under or just over. The bass was itself was $2k. I then chose to have Spirocore Lights put on rather than the D'Addario Zyex they come with and the spiros obviously added to the cost. I also bought their deluxe case (and I am glad I did, the handles are amazing), as well as the starter bow kit that came with the bow, a hardshell case for it, and the quiver. I also had to buy the rosin (which wasn't that much) as well as the Rev Solo pickup.
3k is kind of a premium price tag for a laminate bass, bag, pickup, and brazilwood bow, but I'll be damned if that isn't a purdy plywood! Enjoy it!
It was closer to the $2900 range actually, just checked. Honestly considering I was looking for a new laminate, this seemed the best choice. I was between this and a shen. To me, the Upton was league's ahead of the Shen sound wise and that was what I was looking for.
For me the Shens are all about the setup work. The ones that come out of mediocre shops are mediocre, the ones that come out of good shops are really good for the coin. My Shen ply is pretty sweet, but it was purchased from the guys at Upton back when they were Shen dealers, and it's been lovingly maintained by Bob Ross (who knows a thing or two about making basses) out here in Denver.
Solid choice. Sprio Weich are great strings for beginners; they're clear enough to hear the pitch of the note pizz, easy on the hands, and sound good on a lot of basses.
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Nice! I have an Upton Hawkes that has been through the ringer (unintentional percussive fingerboard disassembly/grain exposure and spontaneous neck realignment 
) - twice (once before my stewardship). For several reasons I needed to do repairs myself (yes, I have good instrument restoration experience).
The Hawkes folks provided excellent support even though I bought it used, coming up with solid suggestions for non-invasive, reversible repair methods. Everything worked out fine and the bass plays/sounds great. In my experience and from what I've seen they make basses that are an excellent value, play wonderfully with strong projection and good tone, and their support is superb.
You should be happy with that bass for years!
Oh, and forget the teacher. Bad habits are half the fun. Bumping into everything within an 8' radius is the other half!
) - twice (once before my stewardship). For several reasons I needed to do repairs myself (yes, I have good instrument restoration experience). The Hawkes folks provided excellent support even though I bought it used, coming up with solid suggestions for non-invasive, reversible repair methods. Everything worked out fine and the bass plays/sounds great. In my experience and from what I've seen they make basses that are an excellent value, play wonderfully with strong projection and good tone, and their support is superb.
You should be happy with that bass for years!
Oh, and forget the teacher. Bad habits are half the fun. Bumping into everything within an 8' radius is the other half!
