The UB Concert series of double basses at Upton Bass are very special to
us. The Standard, Deluxe and Special Deluxe basses all represent many things; from the entry level of the Standard
Poplar
Concert starting at $8,000 rivaling most any vintage German factory bass in
sound, such as
John Juzeks and other imported instruments of the late 1800's thru the early
1900's. All the way up to the Concert Special Deluxe starting at $15,000
in Maple, built with our best tone woods and primarily by Gary Upton
Birkhamshaw and Eric Rene Roy. These instruments offer an budget minded
substitute to having an instrument entirely made by a single bass maker.
We are able to utilize our workshops proven systems and protocols ensuring a
master made bass with master made tone at a mid-level price point for those that
otherwise could not afford this level of attention and quality. Upton Bass
builds our basses entirely in house at Stonington Connecticut workshop.
Utilizing our developed rib molds, necks and other components that are Upton
Bass Standards into a "custom" build allows us to
offer "one off" instruments for a fraction of that seen from America's single
maker shops. These single maker prices can range often from $25,000 all the way
up to $50,000. Most Concert Upton Basses can be made in as few as 3-4
months time with many custom configurations.
We stress that our intention is to bridge the gap between factory built
instruments and single shop makers. Crafting instruments below the $20,000 price
point and offering customizable double basses that are purpose built, with
exceptional sound and craftsmanship all within the Upton Bass workshops
standards. We are able to do this in the America by utilizing our
developed instrument making systems to stay within a given budget. Please contact Gary about making
your next dream bass at 860-535-9399
-Click on images for a close-up view-
The Standard Concert (Shown in 5/8): In the sea of large, bold double basses, smaller musicians find themselves at
a disadvantage. They either struggle with instruments that are too large for
them to get the tone they desire, or they compromise on tone to play a more
manageable instrument. Our 5/8's size fully carved Concert double bass has been
paired up with a poplar back and sides. Poplar has a warm, dark sound and when
coupled with the smaller air volume of a 5/8 corpus, you can achieve that "big
bass" sound. A fully carved domestic Sitka Spruce top is carefully graduated
(thinned) to our "competition" grade specs. The results are a
magnificently manageable bass that can play with the bigger basses and not miss
a beat. David meets Goliath. Starting at $8,000...
-Click on images for a close-up view-
The Deluxe Concert: A hand-carved instrument for double bassists looking for rich,
warm tonal fireworks of a vintage instrument without the worries of costly
repairs and maintenance or inevitable restoration work. Only our best quality
spruce is used for the top, while well seasoned maple with moderate figure is
hand-selected for the round back, sides & neck. Completely hand graduated to
our own proven patterns and thicknesses for a tonally superior instrument while
maintaining our eye for a "well engineered" design that will withstand not only
your lifetime, but the lifetimes of the musicians who own the instrument after
you. The UB Concert Deluxe is varnished in the Italian tradition,
utilizing the varnish as a preserving agent which is meant to protect the wood
as opposed to suffocating tone like spirit or lacquered varnishes do. Top
quality hardware and ebony is installed on each and every UB Concert Deluxe, and
of course every bass includes the full, highly acclaimed "Upton Bass Setup".
Starting at $12,000...
-Click all images for a close-up view-
The Deluxe Concert in Poplar:
Poplar has not been a common choice for recent
commercial instrument making; however, Cremona's masters of centuries ago
recognized poplar's acoustical merits. Amati, Stradivarius,
Guarneri and others used poplar to create masterful instruments during a
truly golden age of instrument making.
The use of poplar in our Concert
instruments pays homage to the master builders of yesteryear by sporting a solid
carved poplar back and poplar sides. The Concert Poplar Deluxe Double Bass
produces a warm, lush tone with incredible clarity and projection. The
warm deep construction of the chocolaty dark poplar round back coupled with a
solid spruce top with a fully re-curved Italianesque arching
generates a remarkable immediacy in response-both arco and pizzicato. The sum
of all the parts makes for an instrument that is equally impressive in
orchestral, jazz, and solo performance. Serious collegiate level bassists and
working professionals can be required to play an incredible array of styles in
many settings. With the UB Concert Deluxe
Double Bass, moving from the solo spotlight, to the orchestral section, and then
onto the smoky jazz club can be done with ease!
Starting at $12,000...
-Click all images for a close-up view-
The Special Deluxe Concert in Willow: The owner commissioned this instrument and was very patient as
we worked together to build a unique bass to suit his playing needs. We built in
qualities and features that were important to him, and in return he was
receptive to design elements that happened "on the fly". Most notably was the purfling and recurve
of the arch following a "guitar" shape. Another design element was abandoning our
Prescott "Lafaro"
ff holes and finding something Italian. We settled on a nice Matteo
Goffriller (1659–1742) ff hole from a fantastic double bass with a fully
carved Poplar back. This bass had a
big rich and creamy old "Italain" sound and carried that strength and focus to the highest end
of G string. This Upton Bass and it's owner have since earned a
Professional Symphony job at the highest level. Starting at
$15,000...as shown $22,000
While every Upton Bass is custom made for it's owner, the
purchase of a Concert Deluxe is meant to give the performance and aesthetics of
any of the contemporary instrument makers living today, but at a budget most
musicians can attain. With makers today commanding $25,000, $35,000 and even $50,000
asking prices, it is comforting to know you can expect the same level of
instrument at a fraction of those prices. If you are considering the purchase
of a handmade double bass in at the highest level, we urge you to give Gary a
call to discuss your double bass ideas and needs.
Average Customer Rating
(See All 2 Reviews)
Harvie S. on 11/01/2011
I realize that in the interview I was unable to say much about my new bass at that time, but after playing it for a few weeks and recording this week, I will say this bass is such a superior instrument.
I am a tough customer and anything I endorse has to be top of the line. I can't find anything I don't like about my new Upton carved bass. It has such a punchy clear sound, feels great, tons of low end sustain, bows like a dream, records amazing, amplifies perfectly, and sounds loud and clear acoustically.
This is a winner and my only regret is that I didn't have this bass all my life, but I have it now. thank you for building such a perfect instrument. I can't believe it is not broken in. Can it get better??? If it it doesn't I am still 100 percent happy.
Kris Rogers on 08/31/2008
I spoke with Gary a couple weeks back about my new bass and couldn't say enough about how pleased I am with this beautiful instrument. He ask me to write a review and I was hesitant to jump right out there and talk about an instrument I was really not that familiar with yet. But I can't put it down, and after a few weeks of intense time spent together, I am ready to try and convey my extreme satisfaction with this bass.
I am a utility player. Mostly my playing takes me to musical theater, where versatility and flexibility are invaluable virtues. I expressed this to the wonderful people at Upton and they gave me a bass to match. When you buy a bass from Upton they give you a crash course on instrument care and their rule of thumb is "Treat it like a child, if you wouldn't leave your kid in the car, don't leave your bass". I can imagine that if this is the level of craftsmanship that goes into each of their instruments it must be just as difficult as seeing a child off into the world. But this bass is not for kids....
The tone across the bass in impeccable. Up the fingerboard on all of the strings produces clarity and resonance that I had been told were only available in seasoned instruments that were atleast 3 times the cost. I spent a good amount of time while on the road trying basses in some of the notable bass shops around the country and a lot of players I respect had their beliefs about the "green sound" of new basses. While I can't argue that theory, this bass is the exception that makes the rule. Bowed, it's dark textures and clear focused attack are the sound that recordings chase. Pizz it growls when you ask for it, and creates full round orchestral pizz the next measure if necessary. Upton was recommended to me for its reputation for setup and it certainly lives up to that reputation. Having made many adjustments to my last bass over 10 years to try and get it just the way I wanted, without really knowing what would work best, Upton made it easy. They built and setup a bass that would respond to my playing and the demands of my work in a way that I couldn't have expressed myself.
Some of you I'm sure understand the pressures of keeping up with Upright and Electric bass while others focus on one or the other. It can be easy, when the gigs keep pouring in on Electric, to let your upright go ignored in a corner. I promise that you will not be able to tear yourself away from the sound of this bass. It is what you've always wanted. If you are going to buy a new bass, strongly consider spending the little bit of extra money to grab one of these. For the price you will not beat them.... I am amazed everyday that I walked away with one for as little as they cost. And I have no doubt that 10 years from now we will all be amazed.
Thank you Gary and thank you everyone at Upton.
Best,
Kris Rogers
Average Customer Rating
(See All 2 Reviews)
