The 1990s: The Upright Revived

Christian McBride arrived on the scene with a tone and technique on the upright that stopped everyone in their tracks. Still in his early twenties, McBride was recording with Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, and Pat Metheny, and his full, singing upright sound made clear that the instrument was in extraordinary hands. His 1994 debut album Gettin’ To It announced a major voice.

Ron Carter, while not a newcomer, remained the most recorded bassist in jazz history throughout the decade — playing exclusively on the upright and serving as a living link between the bebop era and the present. Every serious young upright player in the 90s was studying his recordings.

The 2000s: The Upright Returns to Mainstream

Esperanza Spalding emerged as one of the most exciting upright bass voices of the decade — a bassist and vocalist who moved fluidly between jazz, Brazilian music, R&B, and classical, always with her upright front and center. Her self-titled 2008 debut introduced her to a wide audience, and her 2011 Grammy win for Best New Artist (beating out Justin Bieber, among others) put the upright bass on the cultural radar in a way it hadn’t been for years.

Ben Allison and Larry Grenadier represented a quieter strain of innovation — deeply rooted upright players whose work in small group settings showed how much emotional range the instrument could carry. Grenadier’s upright work with the Brad Mehldau Trio remains some of the most celebrated bass playing in contemporary jazz.

The 2010s: The NXT Generation Takes Over

The 2010s brought a new generation of upright players who had grown up with the internet, approached the instrument with a freedom and fearlessness that was genuinely new.

Linda May Han Oh brought a compositional intelligence to the upright that was striking. A Malaysian-Australian bassist based in New York, her work as both a sideperson and a bandleader showed a generation of young women that the upright bass was absolutely their instrument too.

Bridget Kearney took her upright bass training — she double-majored in jazz bass at the New England Conservatory of Music, right here in Boston — and brought it into pop and indie rock without losing any of its depth. As a founding member of Lake Street Dive — named by Rolling Stone as the year’s best new band in 2014 — Kearney’s upright became the rhythmic and melodic anchor of a group that sold out theaters worldwide. She proved that the upright doesn’t have to stay inside jazz to be powerful.

The Electric Upright: A New Direction

The idea of an electric upright bass is actually older than most people realize. The first production electric upright basses were developed independently in the mid-1930s by Regal, Vega, and Rickenbacker. The technology of the era couldn’t quite deliver on the promise, and the instruments never caught on widely.

In 1990, instrument designer Ned Steinberger — already famous for his revolutionary headless electric basses — founded NS Design, producing a sleek, minimal-body electric upright with a sophisticated pickup system portable enough to travel with and powerful enough for any stage. Johnson String Instrument carries the full NS Design line, and we’d love to help you find the right fit. Here are some of the influential players who play NS Design instruments today:

Les Claypool, the singular force behind Primus and one of Rolling Stone’s greatest bassists of all time, has incorporated the NS Design CR Series electric upright into his live performances and recordings for decades — most famously on tracks from Pork Soda, including live performances of “Mr. Krinkle,” and on Frog Brigade recordings where he bowed the instrument in the studio for an otherworldly effect.

Mohini Dey, the Mumbai-born bassist described by Forbes India as the most successful musician under 30, is one of the most in-demand players on the planet right now. She was onstage at age ten, and by her teens was working with A.R. Rahman. She has since collaborated with Steve Vai, Zakir Hussain, Quincy Jones, and Stanley Clarke, and plays the NS Design CR Series electric upright as part of her arsenal. She is the only female bassist to rank in Music Radar’s Top 10 Bassists of the 21st Century.

If you're curious what the electric upright can do in the right hands, browse the full NS Design CR and NXT Series at Johnson String Instrument at the link below:

Shop NS Design Electric Upright Basses

Explore the Bass at Johnson String Instrument

Whether you’re a lifelong jazz fan picking up the bass for the first time or a developing player ready to upgrade your setup, Johnson String Instrument carries a full selection of upright basses, strings, and accessories. Our education representatives are happy to help you find the right fit.

Shop Bass Instruments Shop Bass Strings