The Concord Model double bass was one of our first ambitious design projects once Upton Bass moved into our own post-and-beam workshop in Mystic. It was born out of a long admiration for Prescott basses and a realization Upton Bass had to have a model paying tribute to New England stringmaking history! An homage to Abraham Prescott, the Concord would incorporate the 'Busetto' recurved c-bouts of the most famous Prescott double basses. The Concord would also carry forward ingenious design principles from the original Concord, New Hampshire Prescotts - deep ribs and high-arched tops carved thin with attached ff-holes to…
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Basses take a LOT of tonewood - and as we work and watch the scraps fall, we couldn't help but think - they don't all have to go into the wood stove! Here at the workshop we get some nice trim pieces cut outside the lines on our bass backs once joined - they are now being repurposed as inspirational wall art for our bass playing friends! This is our first series of artist-approved bass-centric wisdom. We'll be debuting them on Etsy, but as we ramp up we're offering you, our friends on the mailing list early dibs! These corners…
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Our approach to creating your perfect bass - communication is key! Buying an Upton bass is a personal process that we are happy to guide you through. We love it when you can visit the shop, but not all can, and most do not! The majority of our customers order basses from their homes around the world. By taking our time together, we can arrive at the perfect bass for your musical dreams, ability level and budget. Gary speaks to this process in this new video: https://youtu.be/5XlOSAuHhD8 For the complete video, click here. Often a bassist who comes to us…
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Here's a full gallery of our recently finished Busetto copy! Follow the posts below for more info on this bass and the remarkable Nina Bernat. This bass was built from direct tracings of a Gia. Maria del Busetto double bass viol from the late 17th Century. This beautiful, diminutive cello-shaped instrument clearly does not have the commonly-referred-to "Busetto" recurves on the C-bouts! That historic instrument is still in use, but can now lean on the capabilities of its new companion, this new, solid flatback of tightly-flamed English Sycamore. The adjustable/removable neck allows for the direct response and tone of solid…
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