The Upper Bout opened up its doors about a year and a half ago in Champaign, IL, spearheaded by long-time industry pro Ricky Bright. At The Upper Bout, it’s all about sincerity and connecting with musicians in the community, giving them the tools to expand their passion. As their shop continued to grow, building or finding a website to sell on became paramount, but Ricky found it difficult to translate the warmth and passion in the aesthetic of his store into an online environment. That’s when he found Reverb.
The functionality and unique aesthetic of our site was a huge draw for Bright, so he decided to give us a shot. Reverb allows him to bring musicians searching the site from California to Connecticut into his shop and, consequently, his world. “I always photograph things in my shop so you can see my walls, you can see my pre-existing inventory, you can see everything that we are. That invites you into my home and my world,” Bright explains.
Now selling gear across the country through Reverb, Ricky and The Upper Bout have been able to share their avid love for guitars and connecting musicians with the perfect instrument with thousands more people. Knowing that his goals and passions align with ours, he’s continued to use the site for research, sales, and helping musicians bloom country-wide.
Bright expresses, “Our goal is to create this community of players that love to engage in music and create music for everybody. Music is a wonderful thing, you know, and that’s why we do this. I don’t want to do anything else.”
The Upper Bout Official