Gary Upton's Personal Five String Double Bass

Curious what Gary Upton has been playing lately? In this video, he breaks it all down. Gary pulls his personal bass out of the bag and walks through every detail: A five-string plywood round back Mittenwald-pattern bass with a low B. Hickory endpin, lightened tailpiece, bridge adjusters, and a high setup for a dry, punchy response from the Spirocores. Custom sound-port holes inspired by Arnold Schnitzer Gary talks about his thoughts on tension, growl, fingerboard relief, and the acoustic tone he’s chasing. Gary also shares why he stepped away from his Rubner bass, why this instrument works so well for his current music, and the nerdy luthier ideas he’s experimenting with inside the shop. Later, we’ll demo this bass with Gary's bluegrass band so you can hear what it does in context, but for now, let's find out what makes his personal five-string tick. If you’re into setup philosophy, acoustic tone, or just love hearing a builder talk about his own instrument, this video is for you.