Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Double Basses with Star Power

From Gary Karr’s French bass to the stately JTLs, here are a few of the stars everybody gravitates to here in the Upton Bass loft! Our big Martin 4/4 seeks a good home and is on deep sale – it spent it’s formative years pushing the Frank Sinatra Jr. big band. The French Mentec was…

UB Brescian Hybrid with Extension – available!

This Brescian double bass from 2021 has just become available – with some choice upgrades! C-Extension, flat back and a Rev Solo pickup really put the oomph in this cannon – super fun to play and ready to ship.

Upton Double Bass Extensions

If you’re on Instagram, check out our luthier Jack Hanlon’s page: @jackhanlonbass – Jack keeps it updated with some of the many exquisite double bass C-Extensions that come off his bench! The Upton Bass C-Extension was conceived and designed to have no structural impact to your scroll. No cuts, no notches, no drill holes. Our…

Upton Bohemian Hybrid 7/8ths, Opus 804

This large-pattern Bohemian Deluxe double bass glows with an amber varnish and delivers a big powerful note. It’s a hybrid build with outer veneers on the back and sides of finely figured Northeastern Sugar Maple. Nicely flamed Northeast Maple accents the neck and scroll. Other than the German Spruce top, it’s a showcase of regional…

Selmer Kay Bass Gallery, S-10 Thin Body, 1937

Here’s studio pictures of the restored Selmer Kay Bass Viol, the thin-ribbed deluxe S-10 model from the dawn of Kay Bass! We set out to not over-restore or “candy coat” this historic example, leaving its cool checked patina while returning structural health and playability to as-new. Learn more about this Selmer Kay bass restoration HERE…

Selmer Kay Bass Restoration, S-10 Thin Body, 1937

This Selmer Kay restoration began with some fact finding: Selmer Kay? Kay thin body? These early deluxe version Kays are some of the rarest. We’ve serviced vast multitudes of Kays and haven’t seen a Selmer Kay even for a string change. In fact, our friends at the Kay Bass Registry haven’t seen one either! We…

Alcoa Aluminum Bass c1930, #92

This big crazy Alcoa has been hanging at the shop, now fully sorted with a fresh setup and for sale on our vintage page! Shiny underneath, with weathered paint. Very few come through in original condition – it’s pretty cool! Many have been stripped and polished to hot rod chrome, they definitely have a cult…

Brescian Basses – A Brief History and What’s In the Shop

What’s in a name? Here at Upton Bass we name our bass models after the region that influenced them, as in the Brescian, Mittenwald, Bohemian and Concord. Here we’ll take a look at some notable Brescian-style instruments. Pictured – Giovanni Maggini early 1600s What do we mean when we use the term “Brescian?” Brescia is…

Upton Bass Barn Sale Lives on Reverb!

Reverb = Rando! In addition to listing used basses and bows on our Reverb page, we often post electric uprights, guitars and other string instruments that deserve good homes. The Upton Bass Reverb page changes all the time – it’s a good outlet for the many non-basses that we end up with! Recent offerings have…