So, I'm not much of a joiner, but I met G. Upton in 2000, when he was dealing in basses in his living room acquired from all over the world. He talked me out of buying a Kay, and buying a Mathias Thoma instead. I met him over the border off of Rt 165 to avoid sales tax. To be honest, I was never happy with the setup, even after bringing it back to get rid of a buzz where there was an obvious depression on the fingerboard.
I took it to Zachary Martin, who had to take a hammer and chisel to dislodge the soundpost. But he got it loose, and the sound improved. A few years later, after using it as a drum during a wild gig, I had to bring it back to Zachary to have the top repaired. While the top was off, he trimmed down the 2x4 bracing, and when I got it back, you can't imagine the difference. I haven't yet auditioned a sub-$10,000 bass that comes close. It ain't pretty, but it sure is loud, with a wonderful dark tone.
After a few tries, I've settled on EP on the lower 3 strings, and an Oliv up top. Couldn't be happier.
This probably doesn't qualify me for membership, but I just thought I'd tell my story. I'm glad Gary is making basses in CT. I played one of his hybrids at an open mic the other night, and couldn't wait to get back to mine.
