If you love your Upton fully-laminated double bass but are thinking of upgrading to a hybrid, we now have a new solution – have your existing full-plywood Upton upgraded to a hybrid with an Upton Bass top conversion.  Return your bass to the shop and we will remove the old top, carve and purfle a new bookmatched solid Deluxe Spruce top, install it onto your bass with a new bass bar and match the existing varnish. All work done by the same artisans who built your bass!

Your same bass, with the harmonic complexity and resonance of a solid top, with all the gigging strength and projection of a hybrid.

Turnaround times vary, usually under 90 days. This pricing applies to standard Upton fully-laminated basses, some additional charges may apply depending on condition of bass.

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Upton Bass String Instrument Co. specializes in building award-winning custom double basses and offers accessories for the double bass. Upton Bass also services all instruments and bows of the violin family with world-class restoration and repair, to view our online restoration portfolio visit stringrepair.com

Upton Bass is ready to offer advice and answer any questions regarding the Upton Double Bass Deposit or related bass topics. Please contact UB at sales@uptonbass.com or call the shop at +1 (860) 535-9399. Hours of operation Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 6 pm. The Workshop (The Barn) and showroom are located in Mystic, Connecticut conveniently between Boston and NYC.

Have the tuners on your Upton Bass antiqued for a vintage
patina! Our antiquing process is strictly cosmetic and does not affect tuner function or durability.

Some restrictions on tuner types apply.  Price varies with
complexity of the tuner machine.
$125 for antique finish on
standard Rubner keys (seen below)

An Upton Bass Deluxe Spruce Top begins with careful selection of domestic Sitka Spruce, brought
down to our standard thickness.  Each plate is further hand graduated by
our award winning head luthier, Eric Rene Roy, for optimum tone. The arching is
low and powerful with a strong recurve into the purfling, allowing for a plate
that can freely “pump” and produce wonderfully rich low tones on the E with a
balance throughout the register ending in a sweet, clear note on the G string.

Available as an upgrade option only, our angled end pin can be
custom made for your NEW Upton Bass with either a straight angle
(Vance) or a canted angle (Rabbath) style.

Our end pin blocks are unique in that it allows for a traditional end
pin to be used as well as the angled end pin. The assembly is not glued
onto the bass, so simply removing the two screws allows it to be
removed, leaving only two small holes that can easily be filled and
touched up and causes no damage to the end block!

Does not include carbon fiber endpin, this is the block unit only.
Please call to discuss various endpin choices.

The Upton Bass String Instrument Co. specializes in building award-winning custom double basses and offers accessories for the double bass. Upton Bass also services all instruments and bows of the violin family with world class restoration and repair, to view our online restoration portfolio visit stringrepair.com

Upton Bass is ready to offer advice and answer any questions regarding double basses or related bass topics. Please contact UB at sales@uptonbass.com or call the shop at +1 (860) 535-9399. Hours of operation Tuesday through Saturday 10am – 6pm. The Workshop (The Barn) and showroom are located in Mystic, Connecticut conveniently between Boston and NYC.

The standard pattern is a Rubner “Tyrolean” shape. Custom shapes may
cost more depending on complexity and manhours!

Also makes a fine addition to vintage instruments where a variety of
tuners have left their mark over the years!  (Plates added to 1907
Hawkes below)

The central aspect of the patent is the built-in handle tensioning system. The system is a simple nut and washer assembly at the base of the handle that not only allows for variable “feel” while tuning but also for quick and inexpensive handle replacement. But there is so much more to the Irving Sloane Bass Tuning Machines:

Irving Sloane Bass Tuning Machine Features:

• Cast Bronze with stainless steel worm gear
• Fine tooth Gearing (50:1) is precision-tooled for exceptional smoothness and accuracy
• Patented construction allows easy adjustments of key tension to equalize all four strings
• Available handle styles: Original “Cello”, English “Baker”, Italian “Winged” and Venetian “Key” styles. These handles are easily interchangeable.
• Available with two different core materials: brass or lightweight aluminum.

Please note: CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO COVID

Upton Bass String Instrument Co. specializes in building award-winning custom double basses and offers accessories for the double bass. Upton Bass also services all instruments and bows of the violin family with world-class restoration and repair, to view our online restoration portfolio visit stringrepair.com

Upton Bass is ready to offer advice and answer any questions regarding double basses or related bass topics. Please contact UB at sales@uptonbass.com or call the shop at +1 (860) 535-9399. Hours of operation Tuesday through Saturday 10 am – 6 pm. The Workshop (The Barn) and showroom are located in Mystic, Connecticut conveniently between Boston and NYC.

Some players, Gary Karr for example, opt for the adjustable neck simply to retain the tonal clarity of a solid bridge without adjusters. Others, like the perpetually touring Eric Revis, pack the instrument into a flight case 40% smaller than traditional double bass flight cases. The beauty of the Upton Bass system is that it can be installed in the instrument of your choice, from light travel builds to giant jazz cannons. And once on the gig, you have a real bass instead of compromising all night with a gimmicky substitute.

Price does not include travel case, call us as several options can be applied. If specified, your double bass can be built “ultralight” and weigh under 50lbs  with case for travel.

Call us today to discuss making your next double bass at +1 (860) 535-9399

PLEASE NOTE: This is an upgrade option to a custom bass build and not an
actual bass.

• Bass bar and soundpost are reversed
• Fingerboard arch is directed to the left handed player as we would do with a typical right handed bass.
• Tuners are reversed in a direct mirror of a right handed bass
• Endpin key is reversed
• For our advanced carved basses, our proprietary graduation patterns are inverted in a mirror-image of the graduation patterns we use for a right handed player. Where else can you get a fully carved upright bass truly made as a lefty?

Upton Bass has set up scores of left handed basses. We aren’t a shop that just says, “Yeah, we’ll do it.” We know what we’re doing and we’ve done it before. Our head setup luthier is a Southpaw himself, and understands what you are looking for in a lefty bass.

Want more information about the lefty upgrade option? Call us at 860-535-9399 to discuss how you can get the lefty bass you’ve always wanted!