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I'm a Helix user (for my Bass VI) and most of the time I go direct into the PA. However my band tend to play places with decent sized PA systems and multiple monitor mixes so there's no problem if I need a different mix in the wedge directly in front of my (although I generally have the same mix as FoH). I always use a DI box for reasons mentioned previously. I don't bother tweaking my settings for individual gigs (as it would involve changing settings for about 40 patches for a typical gig), that's what the EQ on the PA desk is for, and for monitoring so long as I can hear that I'm in time and in tune with the rest of the band I'm happy. For the occasional gig where we know the monitoring is very poor or the PA is strictly vocals only I have an FRFR cab. Mine is an RCF745, which is complete overkill for what I need. If I had to replace it I'd be looking at something much smaller and lighter.

This thread should come with a NSFW warning, for that neck alone! Wow

Only echoing what @binky_bass has said, you certainly won't be disappointed with any of Alan's pickups, MC or B Series. I would also agree that if the 17mm spacing is what set you on the custom path in the first place, don't deviate, as you could end up with the perfect bass with one annoying niggle that would be a deal breaker. Alan's pickups are hand wound by Aaron Armstrong, to order, so you could engage a discussion about what's possible with him, or via Alan? I fell that the RFB pickups would be closer in sound to the MC pickups, purely just because of how the coils are arranged, side by side like a Musicman Stingray pickup, and you could have them under wound to focus on clarity rather than punch? The FB pickups are a stacked humbucker, sidewinder arrangement, and to my ear, they are like a more focussed, thicker Jazz Bass tone, and hum cancelling too. Depends what you are used to and what you really want to hear?

Thanks. I'm always interested in how manufacturers and luthiers deal with binding edges on contoured bodies. I suppose in this case it's a bit easier since it's not actually binding but simply a line with the colour masked off/removed.

While £6000 for a bass is not unusual, it's excessively expensive for what is essentially a CNC-made mass-produced instrument. If I had that kind of money to spend on a bass right now I'd be getting Gus Guitars to make me Bass VI based on their G3 Baritone design, an instrument that would be unique and personal to me and not something that to all intents and purposes is indistinguishable from any other Music Man fretless Stingray. Besides it's at least 40 years too late. Does Pino even use his original anymore?

I don’t think it’s possible to rationalise the collectibles or memorabilia market. It’s certainly not logical for grown men to get excited about train sets or wearing football shirts! It’s the eccentricity that makes the world a less dull place IMO so if you get your kicks from a pino replica bass or Hornby dining car (if that’s a thing) good on you. Keep the world weird.

Very true. It's a problem afflicting men far more than women though. Which rather suggests men should stick to things that require occasional anger ( war, sport, hunting wolly mammoths) and leave the complicated stuff (wiring music studios, designing aircraft, international geopolitics) to women.

It follows the contour, and it'a rolled off slightly.

I'm not talking about one of his actual basses. There's dozens of Stingrays from the 70s available for well under the price of this signature model. The thing I don't get to this day with signature models is that the ones PP has - minor tweaks aside - were all just stock/production line instruments. There's nothing unique about them and there's likely hundreds out there.

There is a local luthier I have used on occasion that fits this description. He used to have a bigger shop and employ people. Now retired and working out of his garage. Very reasonable and working as a hobby really.

Hurtsfall have been going in our present incarnation since October of 2021, although we had done a handful of gigs in 2019. The current sound and line-up is a result of the original drummer and guitarist leaving the band and us deciding not to replace them, instead with me switching from conventional bass to a Bass VI and alternating melody and bass parts with our synth player and using a drum machine to replace the drummer: We play originals in a post-punk/goth/synth-pop style, and while we are based in Nottingham will travel anywhere for the right gig. Currently we are doing on average a gig every 2-3 weeks. We've released 10 singles, the most recent of which is "Robert Smith's Eyes": We're currently working on our debut album for release later this year. We'll play anywhere that will give us a gig and pay at least enough to cover our expenses. Most of the gigs we've done so far have been supports or festivals. These are the sorts of gigs that we like since it puts us in front of audiences whom may not have seen us play before. Our singer who is good with people and social media sorts all of this out. Here's a short clip of us performing "Revelator" at a festival last year: Hurtsfall-Revelator.mp4

They only need to find 10 collectors or bassists out of the 58 million millionaires worldwide. Not a huge ask to sell those.

Yep - ten very happy dentists. 🦷

Hi. I think I found where the setup problem was. To get the neck and action setup I was nearly out of down adjustment on the bridge saddles and had that thing where the low F rattled, but the rest of the fretboard is ok. The saddles being low I suspected the neck had lost it's structural integrity. But, my mind thinks about stuff for a long time. It has to, to arrive at solutions others arrive at sooner. I put the bass face down on the bed and applied some force at the neck joint. After, on inspection, the action was now a little lower. I got a large screwdriver and tightened the neck screws. Now with the neck in a new position I could slacken the truss rod a tiny bit, raise the bridge half a squidge, and now low F plays the same as the others. That's two bass guitars I've fixed from the pawn shop now. I may advertise my apparent skills?

Exactly, it’s not as if they’re expecting to sell 500 of them at the Icon price. Honestly, it’s probably just a smart way to (partly?) fund Pino’s involvement. Let’s say he’s conservatively taking £30k for his involvement, that’s 50% of the RRP for the Icon series….which is now already paid for. He’s probably also on a royalty for the Artist series. So yeah, all good for everyone I’d say, he’s earned it! Si Ps (I understand that £60k is not the net profit, but you take my point).

If it's a one man band working from a home based workshop, their prices will be a lot lower. However, if other technicians in the area are a lot more expensive they'll probably find they're being overwhelmed and supply and demand being what it is, they'll put their prices up. Don't forget prices to import things has gone up a lot recently due to various factors.

OK so 10x6K. £60,000. And that’s not profit. It hardly seems like a cynical attempt at world domination and exploitation. Just a bit of a gimmick and marketing ploy. If it keeps some guys in a job then I am all for it. I am sure that there are 10 guys out there on this planet who can afford 6K in the same way I can treat myself to a cold cider after a hot day at work.

It's taking hero-worship too far in my world. I met Pino briefly once and he's a really cool guy and a monster player but I find it hard to accept the £6k price-tag just because of his association. He's human like the rest of us. Reasonable is not how I would describe that figure but to each their own I guess 😊