UB 4/4 Concert Low B Special Double Bass

(1 customer review)

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A friendly giant built to be the ultimate low-range denizen of the bass section. Award winning 2013 ISB entry!

This instrument was built expressly for Richard Wagor, who had been searching for a very large orchestra bass (we should note – Richard stands six-foot nine). Around the shop it was nicknamed “Super Karr” as it began as a modified, stretched Karr pattern retaining excellent upper range access.

Highly figured Bigleaf Maple from the Pacific Northwest was used for the back and sides, from the trunk of a lightning-struck tree. Exceptional straight grain Spruce top, with one-piece flamed rock Maple for the neck. An adjustable neck was included, for Richard to transition between Classical and Jazz gigs on the fly, and the scroll is fitted with a Low B extension which leads to an astounding low frequency voice.

Description

This instrument was entered in the 2013 ISB builder’s competition where it received two awards!


 

1 review for UB 4/4 Concert Low B Special Double Bass

  1. richard wagor

    Approximately 3 years ago I came to the conclusion that I needed to part with my constant companion of 16 years. Although this did feel somewhat like a divorce, the entity in question was not a guitarist, horn player, significant other, or even a dog. It was in fact, my 1830\’s Abraham Prescott busetto model double bass, that everyone had come to both recognize in my hands and associate with my playing. To give a bit of background and perspective, I have always had a penchant for great basses that posess a strong fundamental. i studied with Homer Mensch at Manhattan School of Music and had a chance to play on both his Galliano and his Gofriller double basses while studying with him. I bought my Prescott because of the sound, it was huge and deep, but also far more projecting than the other Prescotts I have played over the years. Mensch gave me the seal of approval(not necessarily an easy thing to get) and since I am 6\’8\” tall , the fact that it was a full-sized bass actually felt great.

    The one drawback of the instrument was the weight…close to 60 pounds. This is not hyperbole, once at the Laguardia Airport, it tipped the scales at 111 pounds in a Kolstein flight case. Despite the amazing sound of this instrument, at age 37 I was starting to look for something lighter. Long practice sessions with 60 pounds leaning against my sternum were starting to take their toll. I was confident that I had found a maker capable of providing me with an instrument equal to the task of replacing my Prescott. I had played several of this gentleman\’s instruments and found them very promising, so I put the Prescott up for sale. It actually only took about a month to sell my old friend at a price that was both good for me and fair to the buyer who is a well-respected Nashville session player. I turned around and payed the maker of the new instrument in full and started the waiting game. It took longer than anticipated to receive the new instrument, but in the meantime i was able to play several of his basses that were being built for other players and they were very promising. After a close to 16 month wait, i received the bass in may of 2012 and I was very excited. Unfortunately , the excitement was soon replaced by disappointment. I put over 100 hours on the bass in the first 2 and a half months and the bass would not open up to my satisfaction. I started looking at new instruments.

    About this time I decided I needed an interim bass that was better than what i had at my disposal while the second bass search started. I was getting ready to go to Door County, Wisconsin to go sailing and camping with a tenor playing friend of mine when I happened across an Upton Hybrid bass made in 2008 being sold by a guy in Appleton , Wisconsin. I negotiated a ridiculously fair price and on my way to go camping, bought it after playing it for 10 minutes. I then proceeded to Door county and the second night I owned it, used the backpack straps on the case to pack the bass 2 miles into a campsite where the collected musicians proceeded to play jazz standards around the campfire. The violinist in the group commented that the new little bass with the plywood back and sides and carved top sounded as good or better than the very expensive instrument I had recently purchased from another maker at roughly 10 times the cost. Ouch? I mean I was happy to have a rugged little instrument that I could haul everywhere and not worry about, but it really kind of stung that the expensive instrument didn\’t work out and the purchase of the Upton really solidified that in my mind. I sent an email describing this situation to Upton bass as a compliment to their bass building abilities. Gary sent me back the first reply and asked when the bass they built was made. I told Gary 2008 and he replied, \”You ought to hear our stuff now, that thing is nowhere close to what we are doing now.\” I also talked to Eric Roy, the other partner in the business. He said I should send the bass i didn\’t like out and they would sell it for me and build me a new killer bass. I decided to do so and this was really influenced by the number of Prescotts their team had restored. I decided they had the type of experience to find the sound I liked and went for it – in the angst-ridden manner only someone who is incredibly gun-shy from a recent instrument commission gone-wrong can go for it.

    I just picked up the bass 2 weeks ago at the ISB convention and have been smiling ever since. The bass they built me is exquisite. It is a 4/4 version of their popular Karr bass and is very, very, easy to get around. It has an enormous fundamental. It really has a much more profoundly pleasing tone than even my Prescott did and only being 4 plus weeks old at this point is displaying the kind of depth of sound that I really have only experienced with fine Italian and English instruments of the ilk of Homer Mensch\’s Galliano and Gofriller. These guys took what I told them and developed it into a fine, fine instrument. The things that they guessed at in building the instrument were more what I wanted than I even knew myself. Eric Roy and Gary Upton Birkhamshaw not only helped me out of a bind with instruments, but crafted a truly great instrument that is a joy to play each time i pick it up. They have really become great friends.

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