What a great story - Jeremy Baguyos, Professor of Double Bass/Music Technology at University of Nebraska Omaha, sent us an update on an old 3-string double bass that was pretty much falling apart, a shell of dried antique wood. It was an Ebay contestant from our bass barn in the cold winter of 2020! Professor Baguyos' writes: "It was a project bass for my bass student Zach Jeppeson, who was studying to be a luthier while getting his B.A. in Music, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Zach was able to restore the bass to structural stability and playability,…
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Happy Father's Day! A few interesting basses have just become available here at Upton Bass - in the museum-piece category is this breathtaking Prescott from the early 1800s with Busetto corners: This original-size Abraham Prescott double bass been very well maintained since its restoration in the 1980s, and has clearly been played a lot. For its size, surprisingly comfortable with an open sound and jaw-dropping clear, giant bass. Check out the full gallery here. On the entry-level end of the spectrum - this early Upton hybrid, our SuperSwing version. Early on, we made a handful of these in blonde for…
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This beauty just came in to the shop - at first glance, a pancake bass? Turns out this 'Small Bass Violin' is part of an eight-instrument set made by the American stringmaking pioneer Carlene Hutchins (1911-2009). Carlene was born in New England and built string instruments in Montclair, New Jersey up until she left us at the age of 98! In the 1940s Carlene pursued the study of resonance acoustics with Harvard physicist Frederick Saunders, leading to fresh thinking on the violin family and this new ensemble of string instruments. This 'New Violin Family' includes a range of instruments each…
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A quick look at some great double basses new to our Vintage & Used page - a big, light and loud New Standard, a compact German classic and a large-voiced player from Patagonia! New Standard (Schnitzer/DeSola) with C-Extension, 2003 Emanuel Wilfer, 1997 Marcos Gabriel Martorelli, Argentina 1999 Nice to see the aging patina on this familiar New Standard (with that American Standard plywood shape) - this one's a great value for performing or student musician. The Wilfer is compact, very flexible, easy to live with and fully-carved. The big Martorelli is really fun to play and actually comes from the…
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