Somewhere between a Standard Hybrid and Gary Karr is this custom Upton Bass. When we were first contacted by the commissioner of this instrument he was mostly interested in our Standard Hybrid, but a few of the Karr features were very appealing.
After discovering that nothing at Upton Bass is pre-made, he loved that it was entirely designed and built for him. We were able to provide elements of design that made sense for both his budget and playing style.
A seated player of the Rabath school the owner found Gary Karr's dramatically tapered rib assembly to be very desirable. Ergonomically it would allow much more access to the full length of the fingerboard.
Other Karr features such as the narrow neck and flat back were not suited for this one. The Hybrid Standard provided a combination of durability and tone and after a few design modifications, the bass was exactly what the commissioner was looking for.
