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Thanks for reading, and as always, don't hesitate to contact us with any questions. We love hearing from you!

Josh
Upton Bass String Instrument Co.

Check out this fabulous 'making of' and mini-documentary of a new video for The Infamous String Dusters' song "Night on the River". It follows the band during their six-day adventure on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. There's some great footage of our old friend, 'Dusters bassist Travis Book (front and center in the above photo) and some cool shots of his UB Laminate. What an adventure!

I discovered this awesome video recently when perusing Hylia's Youtube page and had to post this. It's not only an superb display of Tyler's skill as a bassist, but a fantastic example of how the UB Karr sounds when played pizz. Incidentally Hylia is a wonderful band- click here for another video link (a more orchestral piece) from their 80 Gladstone Session in Toronto. And click here for more info on how to commission your very own UB Karr Double Bass.

Currently we have two double basses in our workshops which closely resemble each other- one (pictured here) is an Abraham Prescott from about 1840, the other a Moses Tewkesbury (who worked in Prescott's New Hampshire workshop) from 1844.

Both are 4/4, both were built entirely in New England, and both bear striking resemblances- from the scrolls to the ribs, to the sheer large size. Though they are near twins from the same era, they do have their differences. The Tewkesbury has a Low B extension (you read that right- LOW B!), while the Prescott is a normal four-string with a larger playing length (a C# neck!).

We often get asked about Prescott- the history of his shop and so forth- as well as what a 4/4 bass looks like. Here's your chance to find out!

The well-preserved label identifies it as being built in Chester, N.H. (thirty miles from Prescott's Concord locale) in 1844, one year before Abraham Prescott sold his bass making interests to the Dearborn brothers, also long-time apprentices. This instrument may represent the end of an era of Prescott shop basses as one of his finest craftsmen struck out on his own and continued in the Prescott style.

And finally...an Upton Bass Bow
in the Works!

 

 A quick sneak peek of our first double bass bow being made entirely in the Boston shop! I'll be blogging about this as I go and will post pics on the Upton Blog. Excited to be underway at last on this highly anticipated endeavor!