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…
View Full Post
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…
View Full Post
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…
View Full Post
This striking, amber 4/4 double bass just turned ten years old, conceived for clarity and playability it truly shines in the low ranges. With a 48" back, what seems like a half-acre of brilliantly tiger-striped Bigleaf Maple furnishes the generous back and sides. Fitted with a fully-gated Low B extension (yup, B not C) we even tinkered with a tailpiece drop-tuner to get to a low, low A at will... The ultimate workshop rafter shaker! An adjustable neck gives immediate setup flexibility between section and jazz. The Karr pattern was echoed with dropaway accessible upper bouts and large bass bin.…
View Full Post