Yet another amazing Brescian build completed! The "Camp" Brescian double bass features deeply figured Big Leaf Maple and a very special back. One centered piece of this select tonewood makes up the vast majority of the carved back, including nearly all of the arching. Gary thoughts on the Camp Brescian: "This really reminds me of this Flemish cello we had by Ambrose De-Comble, late 1700s... I love that we chose to do a three piece back, so there's not a center seam. I love what this does for the sound and for the flames traveling through." The hat peg tuners…
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Introducing a new generation of The Ergo double bass! This modern contrabass is a joint collaboration between Upton Bass and Arnold E. Schnitzer, developing his unique Ergonomic Contrabass for production here at Upton Bass. At Upton Bass, we're always trying to apply tabula rasa, or "clean slate" thinking. That's exactly what drove our colleague Arnold to design this futuristic, ergonomic double bass: "It is asymmetrical as a matter of form following function. The upper bout is wide enough to allow for a deep, punchy tone, yet the reduced treble side shoulder provides outstanding access to the upper register. The lower…
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Luthier's notes from Eric: "Most amazing Brescian yet! Deep ribs (almost 9"!) spalted big leaf Maple that kept ruining blades as it had a bullet in it!" We imagined several stories - was the tree outside Elvis's window? Was the lumber in the trunk of Steve McQueen's Mustang? The depth in the wood and pathless imbedding as the tree grew suggests a much older story. The new owner agreed the bullet was such an interesting feature of the "spalting" that it should remain! Highly flamed Maple was selected for the neck and scroll. The Brescian was completed with high-gloss dark…
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Upton Bass Brescian Model Double Bass, 2020, Opus 203 This new Brescian was particularly rewarding to make, it's a state-of-the-art fully carved version with exceptional wood - figured Spruce top and rippling Big Leaf Maple back and sides cut from the same board. The new owner knew he wanted a premium bass from the start, but began by ordering a UB Standard Laminate to see if we "lived up to the hype." He loves that bass so much, he ordered this one and had us match the string length so he can bounce back and forth! This contrabass features our…
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