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Double Bass Upton Bass Club

#1,681
jkndrkn said:
Gary is definitely branching out into other areas as well. He also shared that he hopes to be selling his in-store string brand soon, sign up folks for his electric bass lutherie course, and capture the gap in the market left by the loss of Acoustic Image.
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Don't forget the new line of rosin, made in-house from scratch.

DISCLAIMER: I am proud to represent Upton Bass String Instrument Corp. as its attorney. This is not a neutral post from a neutral poster.
This post does not represent the views of my client(s) and does not create any attorney-client relationship.
Seriously, just picture that: "My legal advice is to buy more Upton sticky tree-goop immediately." Wrong!
 
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#1,682
Sam Sherry said:
Don't forget the new line of rosin, made in-house from scratch.

DISCLAIMER: I am proud to represent Upton Bass String Instrument Corp. as its attorney. This is not a neutral post from a neutral poster.
This post does not represent the views of my client(s) and does not create any attorney-client relationship.
Seriously, just picture that: "My legal advice is to buy more Upton sticky tree-goop immediately." Wrong!
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Yup! Happily using their Maple+ right now.

By the way, your disclaimer is hilarious. Glad that someone from the UB world is still posting in this thread. While I was considering putting in an order for my build I read through this whole thread and was sad to see that Eric's responses stopped a couple years back.
 
#1,683
I bought an Upton Standard laminate from them several years ago when they cost $2,000. I always thought it was a lot of bass for the money, putting to shame any of the similarly priced Kays and other laminates they had in the shop. I paid extra for a removable neck, and they upgraded it with lightweight tuners and a lightweight composite tailpiece at no charge. Several years later I had them sell it for me on consignment and received what I had paid for it, as the price of a new one had increased. I understand how they probably can’t compete with decent Chinese basses; it costs more to pay a living wage here than over there.
 
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#1,684
statsc said:
I understand how {Upton} probably can’t compete with decent Chinese basses; it costs more to pay a living wage here than over there.
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It's been a while since I talked with Gary Upton on these topics. What follows it my take and by no means represents the positions of any of my clients:

It's possible that the Uptons' decision to stop building laminated-top basses comes from personnel considerations more than anything else. On the one hand AFAIK everybody who's been at Upton for a while can build a bass from start to finish. On the other hand, there are particular people who are really good at particular jobs and Gary is sensitive to that as you would expect. Over the years there have been people who really thrived on being The Laminated Bass Person -- Vicky comes to mind immediately -- and there might not be somebody like that at this moment.

As far as "a US living wage," people tend to stay at Upton for a long time and I assume that reflects that they like their jobs. Part of luthiery is building expertise through experience. Part of being a respectful, supportive employer is about helping each employee to find things that they thrive on and, if advisable, adjusting your business to allow those people to develop those aspects of their work. I've done that in my business and it's a fair guess that Gary does that in his.

I can't make a habit of posting these kinds of comments (because it's easy for people to mistake them for veiled pronouncements of my clients) but I've thought a lot about the topic over the years. I don't think that Gary dwells on how years ago people told him, "Don't do it -- you can't compete with the Eastern Europeans and the Chinese on quality or price," and the record shows that those people were wrong. But I remember that!

DISCLAIMER: I am actually proud to represent Upton Bass String Instrument Corp. as its attorney. This is not a neutral post from a neutral poster.
Again, these are my comments and do not reflect the views of any of my clients.
Sometimes the requirements of attorney-client privilege get frisky but I am so lucky to have lived this life at work for the past 30+ years.
Out!
 
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#1,685
one thing to remember is that Upton is a business as well. And one that doesn't really have many competitors when it comes to getting a made to order bass in the US. I dont think there is literally any other company here that does what they do and are as easy to work with. with that said i feel extremely lucky to have bought a couple basses from them when the prices were much lower. If folks slept on the $2K laminate standards, they severely missed out.
 
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#1,687
Looks nice! Similar color to mine (7/8 Bohemian.)

Hey, with that aged finish, does that mean you don't have to spend the time practicing and playing it yourself? ;)

Enjoy!




1738709758761.jpeg
 
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#1,691
jkndrkn said:
Hey @Aragorn35016, I just referred to your bass in an email to Mattias! Currently thinking of varnish options for mine. I sent them a proposal for a varnish concept inspired by Chelsea Gwizdala's F-Bass BN5. I hope that they agree that it's a cool idea but totally get it if they think that it isn't feasible or doesn't fit with the Upton aesthetic.

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That’s a great looking bass! Maybe they can make it happen for you!

On an aside I got email about 3 weeks back that it’s done done, I think they are working out the logistics of having it shipped down south. I’d go get it, but it’s about a 20 hour drive from where I’m at, and there’s not enough in the vacation hour bank to cover the total trip.
 
#1,692
Aragorn35016 said:
That’s a great looking bass! Maybe they can make it happen for you!

On an aside I got email about 3 weeks back that it’s done done, I think they are working out the logistics of having it shipped down south. I’d go get it, but it’s about a 20 hour drive from where I’m at, and there’s not enough in the vacation hour bank to cover the total trip.
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I am based in FL and the thought of my bass sitting in a crate in full sun on some loading dock somewhere does not appeal to me one bit. My plan is to fly into Providence and pick up a rental car. I will then pick up my bass and maybe request some small adjustments and then make a trip of it and visit friends in Manhattan and Richmond on the way down. Have been saving up vacation days just for the occasion ;]

Gary trusts the shipment process but also understands that driving the bass down is probably safer. Marc Chesanow in Savannah made a similar trip.
 
#1,693
jkndrkn said:
I am based in FL and the thought of my bass sitting in a crate in full sun on some loading dock somewhere does not appeal to me one bit. My plan is to fly into Providence and pick up a rental car. I will then pick up my bass and maybe request some small adjustments and then make a trip of it and visit friends in Manhattan and Richmond on the way down. Have been saving up vacation days just for the occasion ;]

Gary trusts the shipment process but also understands that driving the bass down is probably safer. Marc Chesanow in Savannah made a
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Pictures of your new bass upon your safe return please.
 
#1,695
jkndrkn said:
I am based in FL and the thought of my bass sitting in a crate in full sun on some loading dock somewhere does not appeal to me one bit. My plan is to fly into Providence and pick up a rental car. I will then pick up my bass and maybe request some small adjustments and then make a trip of it and visit friends in Manhattan and Richmond on the way down. Have been saving up vacation days just for the occasion ;]

Gary trusts the shipment process but also understands that driving the bass down is probably safer. Marc Chesanow in Savannah made a similar trip.
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Of the two Upton basses I owned, one was shipped to Florida. There was no problem at all. Well-packed, obviously handled with care by the transport company. I was notified when it arrived, went to the terminal with a screw gun, opened the crate and removed the packaging. The shipping company disposed of the crate and packing for me. Just my experience. It was shipped to Fort Myers, BTW.
 
#1,696
BobKay said:
Of the two Upton basses I owned, one was shipped to Florida. There was no problem at all. Well-packed, obviously handled with care by the transport company. I was notified when it arrived, went to the terminal with a screw gun, opened the crate and removed the packaging. The shipping company disposed of the crate and packing for me. Just my experience. It was shipped to Fort Myers, BTW.
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Good to know!
 

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