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Double Bass Repair vs Replace... Upton Hybrid

Will Kelly

Will Kelly

Mar 3, 2010
1,129
8
TX
www.facebook.com
#1
I wanted to get some input from everyone else here on this.

I have an Upton Standard Hybrid (round back) that I really like, I believe it was made in 2011. I am not the original owner. The bass was a customer return to Upton and had a soundpost crack in the top from being strung up without the post in place.

The bass has made a couple of return trips to the Upton shop over it's life to have patches installed on both the top and back to keep it from sinking on the treble side of the top. It was stable for about a year. Now, in the past few months, it's back to sinking like the Titanic. It's gotten bad enough I've had to retire it essentially; I've run out of room to raise the bridge anymore.

I used to live in Boston so it made getting things fixed pretty easy. Now I live in Texas. Not so much.

So I'm torn... wether I should get the bass repaired again, or just order a new one. I don't think the top on this one will ever be right, so I'd think I'm looking at a new top. New top plus shipping vs just ordering a new bass (an unknown quantity).

Thoughts?
 
#2
Hi Will

If you are near Austin, Violins Etc. has an excellent repair shop. I've dealt with them a couple of times for DB rentals. Don't know if they could handle a full top replacement but it might be easier than getting back to Mystic. Good Luck.
 
#8
Eric Hochberg said:
What has Upton offered to do? Seems like crating it or trunking it back to them for a new top and set up is the best scenario to me.
Click to expand...

That bass was made for somebody who set the bridge and strung it up without setting the soundpost. I was told they called Upton daily to complain about wolf tones etc. until the top cracked.

They accepted the return and made a new bass for that numbskull, so hopefully they take equally good care of Will.
 
#9
I'd do both. I know it's a lot of bread but I'd jiust upgrade to something better, preferably through a trade-in through Upton or through a luthier. At worst, you'd get a new one and then put this one in the shop up to fix so that you could sell it.
 
#10
The various options will have different wait times. Does Will have another bass or a good friend who will loan him one for a while? Does he have a relentless performance schedule that doesn't allow for using a temporary replacement loaner bass that doesn't quite perform as well? The answers to these questions may help to determine which way he goes. Good luck!
 
#11
I do have a second bass, so its not like I will be left without.

Also, for the record, while I lived near Boston, the guys at Upton were awesome enough to do all the patch work on the bass free of charge. I feel like they did what they could for it (especially since I was not the original customer). It's really not their fault or any slight on their workmanship (which is great).

I'm waiting to hear back from Upton on cost. It's really a consideration for me of cost/repair vs cost/replace. If the repair cost plus shipping is going to be north of a couple of grand, I'm going to have to consider ordering a new one which is only around $3500.

I think in its current state, the bass is not something Upton (nor I) would re-sell, so that option is probably out.
 
#12
I dunno. I can't see replacing a top being more than $2K - it's definitely gotta be less than $3.5K for a whole new bass. I wonder if Upton would be able to do it and for less than just about anyone else since the bass is in their design. But everything is shaped by hand so who knows if that really does matter or not.

Certainly, Upton's is a class act in the way they're handling these repairs.
 
#13
Will, unless you bought it "as is", you expected and deserve a good serviceable bass, and considering Upton has tried to do right by you in the past, I bet they would continue to do so now to finally resolve the problem. Either a repair or trade in. Assuming you paid less for it than a new uncracked bass, I would think the difference would get you a new top or new bass now.
 

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