UB Standard Double Bass - Laminated Plywood Upright Bass

Gamba or Violin corners, featuring slab cut face laminations of Italian Poplar.  BIG warm tone, starting at $2,400 customize yours today.  Also available in Blonde

UB Standard Double Bass "Basso Rasa"

Our entry level laminated upright bass or AKA plywood upright bass. Simplistic in design and construction yet elegant and terrific sounding. Like all Upton Basses this laminated bass is entirely Handmade in our Stonington Workshop. A bass without all the un-necessary bells an whistles made to get the job done. The EXACT same body design, construction and identical components as our Deluxe Laminated Bass but without the costly face veneers, inlaid purfling and a more plain Maple neck. All Upton Bass instruments are entirely hand made in our Stonington, Connecticut workshop Professionally setup specific to your playing style. Feature top Grade ebony components, hand applied varnish, German tuning Machines and more. Think of our UB Standard laminate as a beautiful BMW without the frills like leather interior, heated seats etc. The same drive and the same performance without paying for the aesthetic extras. Read our reviews by clicking here to see what people have to say about the UB Standard Bass. Ten reasons to buy your double bass from Upton Bass More info below...

CLICK HERE for a FREE Screensaver of the new UB Gamba Bass

The bass on the left is our Standard with Gamba corners, and on the right the same instrument but with the upgrade of violin corners.

Please enjoy this video (with Audio) of the UB Standard Laminate

How about the Blonde SuperSwing Upton Bass 

Please Note: Discrepancies may occur in the color of the instruments pictured versus what you receive. Monitor settings, screen resolution, lighting, and background all contribute to the former. As each bass is composed of unique pieces of wood, there are inherent qualities in the wood itself which make each bass slightly different from one and other which must be taken in to account when ordering. All hardware and parts pictured are subject to change and availability. Upton Bass guarantees and stands behind the function and quality of our instruments and all hardware and parts installed on each and every one of our basses.

About customizing your Upton Bass

All Upton Basses come standard with our 42 inch string length and a D neck. However as each bass is custom made for every client, we offer our basses with many custom configuration possibilities. Upton Bass offers all of our basses with string lengths of 42", 41 1/2", & 41" All of our string lengths can be configured with your choice of a D or Eb (e flat) neck. We can also make all of our basses as left handed instruments, truly crafted for the lefty bass player. Five stings are also a common customization with either a low B or high C string. Outside of our customizations we also offer many upgrades and add-ons: please visit our UB Bass Upgrade Options Page. Do you have an idea? Something you don't see listed on our site? Confused my all these options? Give us a call and we can gladly get you going in the right direction 860-535-9333

Remember your Upton Bass can be customized just the way you want it. Do you want your bass with a dark chocolate finish that's not too shiny? Or maybe a lighter color with a bit more gloss? Just let Upton Bass know and we will gladly customize your bass! Finish is just one of the dozens of customization options that we offer on our Handmade American Double Basses. A few upgrade examples...our Gamba standard can be upgraded to have violin corners, 5-strings, For those looking for a laminated bass with all the trimmings see our UB Deluxe Laminated Upright Bass, or for another variation on the laminated standard add a carved spruce top and you have the UB Hybrid Standard Bass also see the Blonde version of the standard bass, the UB Standard SUPERSWING Please call us at 1-860-535-9399 to discuss details customizing your Upton Bass.

Did you know Upton Basses are Environmentally Friendly? Click here for more details.

More about the UB Standard Bass

Our nickname for our standard bass “Tabula Rasa” means to wipe the slate clean, and that is how the UB Standard came to be. Constructed of slab-cut veneers, the UB Standard plywood bass or as many call it laminated bass pays homage to Italian instrument makers of the late 17th & early 18th century. The UB Standard is our Deluxe bass but without the fancy face veneers of flamed maple and spruce. The UB Standard double bass combines the modern ingenuity that you've come to expect from Upton Bass, such as the Reverse Orientation of Tuners, and the classic aesthetics of exceptional selections of wood and hand-applied varnish. The result: a double bass crafted in the Old World tradition of instrument making, equipped with premium grade hardware and finished with your custom setup.

We stumbled upon the Basso Rasa one day when we were varnishing a veneer of Italian Poplar (the same wood that we use as the core (inside) lamination on all of our Laminated double basses). The chocolate color and the unique pattern of grain lines (similar to the UB Willow) were striking and left everyone in the shop wondering what it would look like if we made a bass completely from Italian Poplar. Come the next day we were onto making and.... To our surprise, the result was one of the most beautiful double basses we had made to date! The Basso Rasa does not include the time consuming process of inlaid purfling, nor the costly surface face veneers of spruce or maple which drastically increase the end price. The achievement for us has been crafting a bare bones instrument with a booming tone and volume without compromising quality! The same framework and foundation as our higher end basses, without the fancy extras. All of the interior construction and components of the standard are the exact same as our Deluxe basses. Bass bars, neck blocks, corner blocks, end blocks, linings, ribs, sound post, neck fingerboard, tailpiece etc. All the same construction simply without the fancy face veneers, purfling and figured wood.

Please call Upton Bass at 860-535-9399 to discuss the UB Standard plywood bass. Strings not included in the price of the instrument. Bridge adjusters are an upgrade option that cost $50.

Our varnish is hand-applied on each and every UB Standard! We have tested and tested and tested our varnish in the most extreme situations and we are 100% confident in it's durability and longevity. Gently antiqued (color shading by us...the scratches and dents are up to you!). Each Upton Bass has it's own distinct character while still maintaining brand uniformity.

German made Rubner tuners, model 140-109 (NOT Chinese knock offs) add to this basses appeal. We have shifted the tuners as far north as possible to lessen the tension on the E sting. We cut "pockets" under the tabs and worm gears. This relieves stress on the plates and allows for smoother more accurate tuning. So many of our competitors cut costs by using cheaply made tuners that turn roughly, the plating flakes off, or no thought was given to their placement and installation. Why skimp on such important things? It's hard enough to play in tune why have your bass fighting you!

We fit our own ebony fingerboards. Thick, straight grained and jet black...you won't find a higher quality ebony board anywhere. We actually wholesale supply our boards to many other top shops...they are that good! **The UB Solo Extension is an upgrade option with the UB Standard, and is not automatically included**

Top quality endpins are installed on all of our basses. Thick, solid ebony collars do not warp or crack like the ebonized hardwood endpins on our competitors basses. Threaded tips and steel reinforced rubber caps ensure years of performance.

The UB Standard model can be considered a large 3/4 or a smaller 7/8 size bass with a very playable 42 inch string length (3/4) or other custom sizes if desired. The large sloping upper bouts allow for the bass to move more air, resulting in a thunderously low but warm tone, but having a custom taper to allow for ease of play. Our ff hole pattern was inspired by the ff holes on the Scott LaFaro Prescott! See how we designed it here

Your purchase price of $2,200.00 includes our full set up & the Upton Bass 5 year warranty! Strings, bridge adjusters and other upgrade options additional.

Approximate Body Dimensions:
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About Upton Bass Setups

Our setup luthiers spend time with you to get a feel for not only how you play, but what you play. Our setup luthiers are 'FANATICAL' about getting YOUR setup right! They LOVE what they do, and they want you to LOVE your bass!

We have hyperlinked the setup items below to the items on our website. Add them to your cart and see the value of the Upton setup!

♪ High quality endpins with STRONG ebony collars and are installed on all of our UB basses.

♪ French maple Stock Upton Bass bridges, are meticulously fitted, carved, and tonally adjusted for each individual bass. The top radius, string heights, and skew of each bridge is custom carved to meet the specifications of your playing style. Once a bridge meets our standards, it is then branded with our logo. Adjusters can be installed at an additional charge of $50.00.

♪ English style grade "AAA" ebony tailpieces are hung with Clef HITEC tailpiece cable. This lightweight, flexible cable is stronger than steel! After-lengths are carefully calculated and adjusted for the best tone dependent on playing style*.

♪ Seasoned European spruce sound posts are hand selected and fit by us to ensure each bass reaches its maximum tonal capabilities. Our sound posts fit 100% (and we mark their location in the event you need adjustments over the years!) Not all sound post locations are created equal, based on your playing style and desired sound we locate and fit your basses sound post to acchive specific tonal goals*.

♪ Fingerboards of the highest grade ebony are planed, dressed and polished to perfection. Camber, arch and relief customized for your specific playing style*

♪ Ebony nuts are brought to exact tolerances. Other than the bridge, the nut is one of the most important (and most overlooked) aspects of your setup. Incorrect string angles can prematurely break strings and cause buzzes. Incorrect spacing can make it difficult to play and grooves that are not correct can damage the string as well as take away from your basses tone. Incorrect string heights can not only make your bass difficult to play, but may cause long term medical problems!

♪ Each and every bass is played by our staff. If something is not quite right, it is done again until it is. Simply put, the level and quality of service we offer is second to none! We are FANATICAL about it!

*Don't worry you don't need to give us measurements and specific setup numbers, our staff will discuss with you the goals you have for your Upton Bass, the types of music you want to play and even specific players and sounds you are hoping to emanate. Our customers rave again and again how our setup and service has blown them away, even in other countries where we have never even met with the customer. We know our instruments and as players can please even the most complex setup needs. Be it solo orchestral no pizz sound, the clean "Thump" of bluegrass, a "Growly" plays-itself Jazz or the clickity clack of Rockabilly Slap...Upton Bass will get you a terrific bass with a terrific setup.

We guarantee you will not find a laminated bass anywhere that is as finely crafted, professionally setup and tonally dynamic as the UB Double Bass!

Call us at 860-535-9399 to talk about our UB basses, our EXCLUSIVE 5 year warranty, and how you can become a proud owner today!