Double Bass Upton vs. Shen

[Gary Lynch]

I have owned both. The Upton for me is superior in many ways. The tone, playability and design of the Upton, not to mention resale and being a one off hand built bass, makes the Upton standard lam superior in my mind and hand.

 

[alanbarnosky]

Thanks guys, I'll be playing it Friday. As long as it is superior to the Kay, I will get it. It comes with the Rev II pickup, I am assuming this is also a good choice from the reviews on it. Does anybody here play the Upton Laminate with the Rev II? What do you think? What preamp works best (I am looking at the Baggs Para DI)? I am currently using K&K bass max and pickup, but again, it is like my Kay. Powerful with a big midrange. I'm looking for something more natural.

 

[joinercape]

The Rev. pickup worked great on other basses I've had, and I still have it, but I went back to the Fishman I had on my Kay. It's a little harder to EQ but it's a lot louder, especially through my AI combo, which I use alot for small gigs. Maybe the word is articulate rather than loud, I don't know. I think it depends on what you do, how you play, and your amp. But start with the bass, everything after that is easy., just trial and error. You'll love the Upton!

 

[ole Jason]

I went with Shen because I could try one out and have it set up by a great luthier. I think Upton makes great instruments but I really wanted something that I could try beforehand.

Newer Shen basses have a very nice dark oil finish. It's not as dark as the Upton brown but it's very nice looking. Definitely not the shiny plastic stuff we've all seen.

 

[bassfixer]

Both basses are great. I haven't played to many uptons, but the one's I've tried have been good. I deal more with the shen's and Thompson ply's.