I posted about my new bass over in the Upton Club thread, but decided to start a new thread because - well - I'm excited! 
It was exciting to see this roll up in front of our house yesterday!
I had ordered an Upton hybrid to replace my 10-yr old Englehart.
I think my sole disappointment is that I'm such a lousy photographer, tho I suspect the really dark finish makes it challenging to photograph.
Here is a shot from last night under room lighting:
And here are a couple in this morning's sunlight.
I told Upton to make it as dark as possible w/o obscuring the woodgrain, with very light distressing. I think they succeeded exceptionally. In person up close, the wood is stunning. But I'm not a good enough photographer to do it justice. The very mild distressing is just enough that it doesn't look like a completely shiny new instrument, but it doesn't at all look all beat up or fakey. Fit my preference perfectly.
It is a Bohemian w/ a deluxe top. I don't have the experience to compare the deluxe to the standard top, but I can say that this is an impressive slab of wood! I asked for a very defined grain. The recurve is beautiful, but the dark color seems to obscure the purfling. Just can't say enough about what a beautiful piece of wood carving it is. And the sound and playing are exceptional.
I think the left photo of the top under the fb might give an idea of how pronounced the grain is. (In another thread, a poster was commenting on a strong top grain. I suspect this is the sort of thing he was talking about. I told them I wanted an almost "corrugated" top grain, but they didn't say anything about any special process or anything.)
The right photo shows a small thing I think really cool. That is looking down at the edge of the top from playing position. If it shows up in the photo, the strong top grain appears almost zebra-striped on the very edge. Just a cool little detail.
Flat back - back and sides are birch
I really love these French Rubner tuners. I ordered them b/c I dug how they looked. But I had no idea how large, textured, and meaty they would feel between my thumb and finger.
Dots, b/c I like them, it is my bass, and I don't care if you disfavor them!
The neck grain does not really show up well, but it is highly flamed, and will become more defined as I invest the time and sweat!
Evah Weichs. I really like the tone and how well they bow. They are a fun contrast to the Evah guts on my ply.
7/8 size. I laid the 2 basses side by side to see a comparison, and got photobombed.
It was a long wait, but I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. Stupid little thing - I LOVE the endpin. Just a pleasure to use.
My main concern was getting the best sound possible. I play mostly bluegrass/oldtime, and wanted a cannon. Eric told me going to 7/8 and the deluxe top would be the biggest "bang for the buck" upgrades. So those were no-brainers - I didn't want to spend the minimum entry fee, and spend years wishing I'd gone bigger.
I'm a cheapass Polack who is very critical of my bassplaying skills, so I initially thought I'd just stick w/ those upgrades and try to keep the budget low. Then I saw a bass w/ those tuners and thought they looked really neat. I thought of them like "jewelry" which would be right up near my eyes and which I would appreciate. I've got a kid who is really into steampunk, so they sorta make me think of him. I'm fortunate that I don't have to scrimp on every dollar, so I figured I'd go with them.
Then one day a fellow picker showed up to a jam w/ a new custom banjo w/ a sick flamed neck. I couldn't keep my eyes off it, and he said, "Eddy - in for a penny..." So I called Eric up and asked for the purtiest neck possible.
I think I did a really good job for my needs/wants. Probably coulda gotten a bass that sounded as good somewhat cheaper, but it wouldn't have been exactly the bass I wanted. So I'm fine if I paid a premium. I'm far from a pro, and I have a hard time envisioning getting to a point where this is not enough bass for me. The tone and sustain are exceptional. Comparing it to my ply, I think of a racecar w/ really tight steering/gears, as opposed to an older car w/ a little more play in the wheel/shifter. Going for various notes just seems so easy and precise. I've been working on bowing and expanding my range up the neck, playing some classical ensemble work in the process. This bass will excel at that - while still being able to deliver the goods driving a BG beat.
I'm also glad, however, that I still have the old ply. The guts are a different kind of fun, and it is nice to have a bass to haul in and out of the car, w/o worrying about the weather, laying on its side, etc.
Disclaimer - if you think I'm wasting too much time on these boards, be assured that I am in front of my computer avoiding work, instead of avoiding practice!
It was exciting to see this roll up in front of our house yesterday!
I had ordered an Upton hybrid to replace my 10-yr old Englehart.
I think my sole disappointment is that I'm such a lousy photographer, tho I suspect the really dark finish makes it challenging to photograph.
Here is a shot from last night under room lighting:
And here are a couple in this morning's sunlight.
I told Upton to make it as dark as possible w/o obscuring the woodgrain, with very light distressing. I think they succeeded exceptionally. In person up close, the wood is stunning. But I'm not a good enough photographer to do it justice. The very mild distressing is just enough that it doesn't look like a completely shiny new instrument, but it doesn't at all look all beat up or fakey. Fit my preference perfectly.
It is a Bohemian w/ a deluxe top. I don't have the experience to compare the deluxe to the standard top, but I can say that this is an impressive slab of wood! I asked for a very defined grain. The recurve is beautiful, but the dark color seems to obscure the purfling. Just can't say enough about what a beautiful piece of wood carving it is. And the sound and playing are exceptional.
I think the left photo of the top under the fb might give an idea of how pronounced the grain is. (In another thread, a poster was commenting on a strong top grain. I suspect this is the sort of thing he was talking about. I told them I wanted an almost "corrugated" top grain, but they didn't say anything about any special process or anything.)
The right photo shows a small thing I think really cool. That is looking down at the edge of the top from playing position. If it shows up in the photo, the strong top grain appears almost zebra-striped on the very edge. Just a cool little detail.
Flat back - back and sides are birch
I really love these French Rubner tuners. I ordered them b/c I dug how they looked. But I had no idea how large, textured, and meaty they would feel between my thumb and finger.
Dots, b/c I like them, it is my bass, and I don't care if you disfavor them!
The neck grain does not really show up well, but it is highly flamed, and will become more defined as I invest the time and sweat!
Evah Weichs. I really like the tone and how well they bow. They are a fun contrast to the Evah guts on my ply.
7/8 size. I laid the 2 basses side by side to see a comparison, and got photobombed.
It was a long wait, but I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. Stupid little thing - I LOVE the endpin. Just a pleasure to use.
My main concern was getting the best sound possible. I play mostly bluegrass/oldtime, and wanted a cannon. Eric told me going to 7/8 and the deluxe top would be the biggest "bang for the buck" upgrades. So those were no-brainers - I didn't want to spend the minimum entry fee, and spend years wishing I'd gone bigger.
I'm a cheapass Polack who is very critical of my bassplaying skills, so I initially thought I'd just stick w/ those upgrades and try to keep the budget low. Then I saw a bass w/ those tuners and thought they looked really neat. I thought of them like "jewelry" which would be right up near my eyes and which I would appreciate. I've got a kid who is really into steampunk, so they sorta make me think of him. I'm fortunate that I don't have to scrimp on every dollar, so I figured I'd go with them.
Then one day a fellow picker showed up to a jam w/ a new custom banjo w/ a sick flamed neck. I couldn't keep my eyes off it, and he said, "Eddy - in for a penny..." So I called Eric up and asked for the purtiest neck possible.
I think I did a really good job for my needs/wants. Probably coulda gotten a bass that sounded as good somewhat cheaper, but it wouldn't have been exactly the bass I wanted. So I'm fine if I paid a premium. I'm far from a pro, and I have a hard time envisioning getting to a point where this is not enough bass for me. The tone and sustain are exceptional. Comparing it to my ply, I think of a racecar w/ really tight steering/gears, as opposed to an older car w/ a little more play in the wheel/shifter. Going for various notes just seems so easy and precise. I've been working on bowing and expanding my range up the neck, playing some classical ensemble work in the process. This bass will excel at that - while still being able to deliver the goods driving a BG beat.
I'm also glad, however, that I still have the old ply. The guts are a different kind of fun, and it is nice to have a bass to haul in and out of the car, w/o worrying about the weather, laying on its side, etc.
Disclaimer - if you think I'm wasting too much time on these boards, be assured that I am in front of my computer avoiding work, instead of avoiding practice!
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