Old website for reference String Instrument Company

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…

Choice Pre-Owned Upton Basses for Sale!

Two great Uptons have just become available, both previously detailed here: The fully-carved “Murray” Concord, with all the Prescott cues and adjustable/removable neck, and the “Swift” Brescian, a big roundback hybrid with precision Irving Sloane tuners. We’ll put up full sale listings if they stick around, but we wanted to give Upton subscribers first dibs…

Edward Maday Carved Double Bass, 2018

Ed Maday has built instruments from the violin and viol family as well as mandolins and guitars in his Long Island shop for forty years. Everything he makes features beautiful woods and his old-school carving skill – this larger bass features a museum-quality horsehead scroll!

A Low Note’s Worth a Thousand Words

Gary auditions a couple of easily-overlooked basses in the loft this week – Here are new videos of the Stamitz bass and Dittrich bass – both great values available on our Vintage page:

Vintage Bass Listings – New This Week!

August 13, 2022 Just put up a one-owner Kay M-1 from 1955 and a great fully-carved Budil from a high-end jazz club: This Dittrich just took a huge price break, and this century-old Morelli has a fresh Upton restoration!

Back-to-School Bass Bow Special Offer

FREE CASE with any bow over $500, through Labor Day! We just got in some beautiful new Pernambuco bows from the Marco Raposo collective in Brazil: We also have some great values on vintage fine bows – check out this deeply discounted S. Kolstein & Son NY bow and newly refreshed W. Seifert bow:

Summer Price Drops on Basses!

Double basses on sale! It’s roasting outside but the basses are inside, cool and comfortable. August always means a bit of chaos here, as carloads of new Berklee, Julliard, Eastman, Oberlin, Hart (etc. etc. etc.) students look for the bass that they can lean on all year. If they were thinking ahead, they’re taking delivery…