This build began with tracings of one of the world’s finest basses! A Josef Gagliano double bass dated to 1781. Deep arching and remarkably figured old-forest Maple adorn the original historic instrument. In homage, Gary selected some of our wildest spalted pieces – they fit beautifully together in three… Ribs setting is slow and deliberate…
Blake Hinson in the Shop!
Gary talks shop with Blake Hinson, Assistant Principal Bassist of the New York Philarmonic! Blake and Gary talk about historic basses, new basses, big auditions, and choices as we build a copy of his Gagliano. This video is also available ad and interruption-free at Upton Bass School. We’re cycling features in and out of our…
Klotz Pattern Double Bass, 2024
We’ve been building this compact powerhouse for over a decade, from direct tracings of an original, wide-ribbed Klotz. With a slightly shorter string length, it’s become a favorite of crossover bass guitarists and anybody who needs a compact double bass that packs a wallop. This gorgeous slightly-antiqued hand varnish sets off the stout dimensions of…
UB Standard Laminate Double Basses – Limited Run Available!
Were you hoping to get an Upton plywood bass before we switched to hybrids-and-up? We have enough plywood plates to build somewhere from 8-10 double basses of our (recently discontinued) Upton Standard Laminate Double Basses. The price on these is $4000 with setup tweaked to your liking (strings and shipping additional). There have been many…
What should I pay for a Juzek? UB School Update!
New video just added to Upton Bass School – this week, Gary takes a quick look at an old Juzek double bass which might capture the imagination online but will be a handful to repair and own. See what a bass shop sees when one of these comes in! We’ve added this as a free…
Mittenwald Model Double Bass o241
This mild-mannered Mittenwald Double Bass has its gorgeous evening attire in the back! This Mittenwald is built with a flat back of well-figured Maple hand-varnished to a light-catching luster. Bravo gang! The Mittenwald brings the generous dimensions and rib depth of our Brescian to a gamba-cornered instrument. As with the basses of its namesake, the…
Upton Bass School is in Session!
Upton Bass School brings detailed lessons and insight from our own setup benches directly to you! Our Knowledge Bass is built for every issue great and small, check out a free version of the Upton Bassics care guide, or renew your entire bass setup with our Pro Luthier series!
Ghosts of Prescott Basses Past, Present & Future
We’ve always appreciated the accomplishments of Abraham Prescott and his thriving early 19th Century New England string instrument company. Separated by an ocean from the violinmaking traditions of Europe, his large resonant basses built of native old-growth Sugar Maple have inspired classical and jazz bassists to this day. In this holiday season we can see…
Double Basses with a Restoration Future
Gary has pulled down some basses from the loft which need work but promise to be amazing instruments once tuned back to life! We’ve set the prices to include the full shop restoration, completely redone, down to the last cleat. The finished instruments will be tuned to precision with modern overstand and a complete setup…
Upton Prescott 4/4 Opus 150, The Tiny Martin Prescott
This new Upton double bass is a direct tracing from the Tiny Martin Prescott, a fully-sized Abraham Prescott bass, perhaps one of the last built in the 1840s. That Prescott enjoyed a decades-long career filling Boston Symphony Hall under the bow of Leslie “Tiny” Martin. It exemplifies how a simple ingenious New England double bass…
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