The Upton Report
Volume 152
May 8th, 2015

In This Issue
Bernice Hembree
Article Headline
Standard Hybrid
UB Archives

Upton Bass Barn
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$500 OFF!


Have you noticed that Gary has kept the $500 off Standard Laminated & Hybrid basses in place?  With fast lead times...you could be playing an Upton faster than you think!

Accessories to Complete
Your Sound


Pirastro Obligato: A "Do-It-All" Set with a Reasonable Price

Thomastik Spirocore: THE Classic Jazz Double Bass String.


Rev Solo: Aesthetically and Tonally True to Your Double Bass.



Upton Bass is a family business, and we tend to think of each one of our customers as an extension of our family. We check in on them occasionally, and they like to keep us up to date with their goings-on. It was an interesting discovery when we found that two of our "extended family members" with no connection other than that of their bass lineage, will be on tour together! While checking-in on our friend Bernice Hembree of Smokey & The Mirror, we found that not only does she have a newly released album and an exciting upcoming tour, but that her tour coincides with that of our newest UB endorsee: Christopher Merrill of Birds of Chicago. That's right, two Upton Basses, reunited!

 

Give Gary or myself a call and let's talk about building a custom bass for you. We love what we do, and we'd love to do it for you!

 

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Eric
Upton Bass String Instrument Co.
Smokey and The Mirror - Video
SmokeyAndTheMirror.com

Smokey & The Mirror is husband + wife duo Bryan and Bernice Hembree of Fayetteville, AR. The Hembrees spent 7 years touring nationally as members of folk/bluegrass trio 3 Penny Acre. Building on the critical success of 3 Penny Acre, Bryan and Bernice leaned back towards their early rock & roll, country, and R&B influences to create Smokey & The Mirror. 

On April 15th, they released their new album "Thin Black Line," which was tracked live to 2" reel-to-reel tape during a 3-day session. Smokey & The Mirror are currently on tour; follow this link to find a venue near you. And if you happen to be in the OKC or Fayetteville areas, be sure to catch them with Birds of Chicago!

 

Click on the photo link above to listen to their track " Broken Smile." You can order or download their album from iTunes here.

"The thing I love most about this band...is not only the powerfully beautiful voice of bass player, Bernice Hembree, or the well-written songs of Bryan Hembree, sung with his rustic, true American voice - it's the energy they bring on stage and to the audience! You can tell when they are performing; they truly treasure what they do. They feed off each other to the point it's sometimes hard to tell where the guitar stops and the bass starts!"  - Chris Roberts, Red Arm Music 

 

More on FayettevilleRoots.com and SmokeyAndTheMirror.com...

 

Chris Merrill & Birds of Chicago
CCMerrill.com

Christopher Merrill is one of the most recent endorsees of Upton Bass. His UB Travel Bass is in the queue for production, and he's very excited to get his hands on it.

Christopher is an American session musician & bass player who can be seen most nights on stage, holding down the low end for an array of artists. Everything from Hip-Hop & Reggae to Folk & Jazz. Club gigs in Chicago, to festival stages around the world...the foundation is skillfully supported when Christopher is behind the bass as he strives to create a perfect line for each composition.

Christopher attended University of North Texas and was lucky to study with Lynn Seaton & Jeff Bradetichis. He is currently touring internationally with Birds of Chicago.

Read on at CCMerrill.com and BirdsOfChicago.com... 

 

UB Standard Hybrid
UptonBass.com

The UB Standard Hybrid is our back-to-basics hybrid bass for players who are discerning in tone but on a budget. It's also the bass of choice for Bernice Hembree. The hybrid design gives her everything she needs in a bass: the laminated back is sturdy enough to withstand the bumps and bruises associated with touring, and the hand carved spruce top allows for optimum tone.


The UB Standard Hyrbid is a round double bass with a carved spruce top and plywood back and sides. All of our plywood is made in-house from our own tonewood veneers, and the top is carved by the same guys who make all of the custom Upton basses! Its design is based on the gamba pattern of the Upton Bohemian Model. The UB Standard Hybrid is hand built in Mystic, CT and features top grade ebony components, German tuning machines, our best quality bridge, and more. These specifications allow us to offer a double bass at tan entry-level price with the same acoustic design and ergonomics you'd expect from the best of the Upton Bass lineage.

 

Continued at UptonBass.com...  

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