UB Standard Hybrid Double Bass "UB Hybrid"

 Hand-Carved European Spruce top, slab cut face laminations of Italian Poplar on the back and sides.  Elegant looks and carved bass sound all for around $3,500.  Using the same simplistic design concept as our UB standard laminated bass, this hybrid version gets you a bass without the aesthetic extras of our deluxe lineup but adds a hand carved spruce top (including inlaid purfling) giving you that classic carved bass sound and responsiveness.  Many of our customers comment on how these instruments brand new "hot off the press" so-to-speak, sound better than many vintage factory basses such as Juzek Basses.   Please call us to discuss your double bass needs 860-535-9399 Read our reviews by clicking here to see what people have to say about the UB Hybrid Standard Bass. Ten reasons to buy your double bass from Upton Bass More info below...

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.

Antiqued Finish ($250 Upgrade)

Standard Upgrades Available:

Flat Back $250

Violin Corner $250

Deluxe Top $1000

Antiqued $250

Polished Varnish $250

Remember...All Upton Basses are handcrafted for you...so if you can dream it, we can build it.  Give us a call to discuss your dream bass!  860-535-9399

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, and now as a FLATBACK for a bit more forward more immediate response.   For those looking for a hybrid bass with all the trimmings see our UB Deluxe Hybrid Upright Bass, or for another variation on the hybrid standard add a sold flat back and you have the UB Professor Double Bass also see the Blonde version of the standard bass, the UB Hybrid 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 Hybrid bass

 What do we mean when we say this double bass is a Hybrid?  Certainly they don't mean gas/electric???  Our Hybrid bass is simply a solid carved spruce top combined with  laminated back and sides giving you the best of both worlds: a carved basses sound and feel, blended with the economical durable laminated/plywood back and sides.  If you have further questions...please feel free to call and discuss 860-535-9399

At Upton Bass String Instrument Company, our goal is to bring you affordable double basses that have the same attributes a luthier commissioned upright bass costing ten times the asking price of our double basses would have. With our own double bass design, the quality of the materials used, the traditional construction methods, the level of care and refinement our setups include and all of the upgraded accessory items, our double basses are not only the most unique upright basses on the market today, but they are the best valued basses in the world!

The UB Hybrid Standard Double Bass is a rich, tonally complex double bass constructed to the exacting specifications of Upton Bass.  See how we designed it here! The back is made of graduated laminations of well-seasoned maple with a poplar core. What makes the UB Hybrid Standard Double Bass unique is its solid carved spruce top.

Please call Upton Bass at 860-535-9399 to discuss the UB Standard Hybrid bass. Strings not included in the price of the instrument. Bridge adjusters are an upgrade option that cost $75.

Our varnish is hand-applied on each and every UB Bass! 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 models 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 $3500.00 includes our full set up & the Upton Bass 5 year warranty! Strings, bridge adjusters and other upgrade options additional.

Approximate Body Dimensions:

Click Here!

"I have had the bass just over two months now and wanted to take a few minutes and tell you how much I love it!
I took it to a jazz gig less than 12 hours after I brought it home because I felt so comfortable with it right away. It was
vocal/piano/bass trio so the bass would be very exposed and I loved the way it sounded!
The most amazing part was that it not only felt like a bass I'd played for a long time, it sounded like it too! It
did not have any of the sound characteristics that I normally associate with new basses. Amazing!

For the last 8 weeks I have been using it at Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Spectacular where it is getting played
over 30 shows a week and 8-12 hours a day both classical and jazz. This is the fourth
year I have played the show so I was curious to see how this bass would perform.
They use only a mic for the bass so the sound the bass itself puts out is very important because we all use in-ear monitors
or headphones for the click-track. Once everything was mic'ed up and we started running through the music, the
drummer took off his headphones and said "that is the best sounding bass you have had here". The woodwind
players that sit close to me often play with only one earphone, so from hearing this bass acoustically
one said "you get a beautiful sound" and another said "the notes on that instrument really open up after
the attack". None of those people had ever mentioned the sounds of the bass in years past.
The sound and response with the bow is very smooth and refined. So much so that many of the people in the string section were
shocked that it is not a fully carved bass. The pizz sound is very big and warm, but never loses the clarity and focus of the notes.
Vibrato sounds beautiful with both pizz and arco.
I have also received compliments about the beautiful woodworking on the Low C-Extension.

All ply or hybrid basses I have played prior to the Upton have felt very flat and unresponsive, but I feel like I can
truly make music with this bass.
All of the other bass players that come in to play the show have told me they think the bass is great and really enjoy playing it!

This year I have not encountered the arm and hand fatigue that I have felt in past years. With this bass I was able to play 6 shows
last Saturday, the first at 9am and the last at 10pm. The difference is the playability of this bass. The shape of the neck, body, fingerboard
are perfectly comfortable and as I mentioned before, I can get a beautiful, musical sound without undue effort.

I am TOTALLY happy! Thank you!"

Steve Millhouse

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 $75.00.

♪ 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 hybrid bass anywhere that is as finely crafted, professionally setup and tonally dynamic as the UB Hybrid 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!