Pino Palladino Signature Stingray

[Stub Mandrel]

23 minutes ago, GuyR said:

Is that image taken outside Bass Gallery?

Not sure.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

My Facebook feed showed me a picture of the new member of the Palladino family. Confusingly he has arms, legs and no strings...

[Beedster]

3 hours ago, Wolverinebass said:

I'm surprised the normal one is actually less than 4 grand

 

Perhaps it's not an especially good bass?

 

Of all the FL basses I've owned, ranging from Squiers through MM (both pre EB and EBMM), Fender Ps and Js up to the Custom Shop Jaco Relic, Ric, Status, Modulus, and Wals, I'd rate the 'Rays as those I liked the least, the baked-in tone works on fretted for me, but much less so on FL. I might be wrong but given EBMM have pretty much stopped producing factory FLs over the last few years suggests I'm not alone? 

[GuyR]

18 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Not sure.

 

You know which Stingray it is though?

[Beedster]

Thomann also offering both, some inflation....?

 

[Terry M.]

50 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Poplar? Like on a cheap Harley Benton? 

You made me check them on Thomann out of curiosity. Yep indeed. Saw they have a short scale one for £85 made from it.

[Kev]

53 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Poplar? Like on a cheap Harley Benton? 

To be fair, maple necks? Used on the very cheapest and the most expensive instruments money can buy.

[Beedster]

I'm guessing that Pino's original was poplar hence the choice for this signature bass. I've always thought of poplar as an utterly characterless wood visually and tonally, but the species of wood makes far less difference than the characteristics of the piece(s) of wood in the instrument in question    

[deepbass5]

We haven't got used to being a third world country yet, depending how far we sink, we will all have to get used to not buying foreign goods. (Lovely Basses).  Still mustn't grumble,  Nail Bars and coffee shops are still full. 

 

Do you think these basses have Pino flat wound strings on them, could save a few bob there.  

[ezbass]

11 minutes ago, deepbass5 said:

Do you think these basses have Pino flat wound strings on them, could save a few bob there.  

The fretted version does, but not the FL, so no savings.

[snorkie635]

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

Thomann also offering both, some inflation....?

 

Good Lord, it gets worse! £8000! 🤣

[snorkie635]

2 hours ago, Kev said:

Obviously varies but around £6k or so?  Expensive, yes.  Increased in line with the Far Eastern basses, not even close.

Nurse! Nurse! 🫨

[Hellzero]

Big Pino Palladino fretless player fan here, and for those who are astonished by the use of poplar as body wood, CLF who were building the Music Man instruments up to very late 1979 (November), when Leo Fender left (CLF), have been using poplar intensively back then, just like they were finishing the instruments in nitrocellulose, polyester and polyurethane finish upon what was available...

 

So a quite ugly multi pieces unmatched poplar body was the norm and Pino's signature model has it ... sadly.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I'd like to try one. I'd be interested to see what the asymmetric neck feels like.

Bit of a cheek not supplying a hard case for that price.

[drTStingray]

12 hours ago, Beedster said:

So that’s why they’ve not been making FLs for a while 🤔

Actually, “they” have - available via the configurator on the Custom Design Experience for a year or more!

 

However…… only as a Stingray Special. The Pino Palladino one has the 2 band preamp, of course. 

[drTStingray]

6 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

Six grand?  Mother of god.  

 

Wouldn't a genuine one from that period cost less?  (Checks Reverb, and yes.)

 

Six grand?  

I would hate to contradict you but an ex Pino signature Stingray fretless (his spare one) sold via the Bass Gallery for getting on for that figure. I think they’re only making 15 of the exact copies of Pino’s bass.
 

The other ones (fretted or fretless) are not relicked but are to the exact same spec as Pino’s bass, as it was when new and at the lower (£3700) price. 

Edited 17 hours ago by drTStingray

[tauzero]

10 hours ago, fretmeister said:

But if they've sold 6 already they are clearly making something the punters investment bankers want to hang on their wall.

 

FTFY

[tauzero]

9 hours ago, tegs07 said:

We are not. We are talking about labour costs, energy costs, global supply chains and money supply as well as a whole heap of other complex issues.

 

So why would a handmade bass from Alan Cringean, Jon Shuker, or Martin Petersen cost less than a CNC-made bass from a maker with enormous purchasing clout?

[tauzero]

6 hours ago, Terry M. said:

We don't have to agree that £3.4k for a US bass is normal. Something isn't normal just because it's become the norm. If consumers boycotted non-essential items like basses we don't actually need it would affect the market a great deal. Luckily for me I play 5s exclusively so even if these were at a price I liked I still wouldn't be interested. 

 

Interesting philosophical question - the non-limited edition One may be had in fretted and fretless forms. Seeing as any purist worth their salt will point out that Pino played a fretless, is there any reason why the Pino basses shouldn't include a 5-string if they can include a fretted 4?

[tegs07]

2 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

So why would a handmade bass from Alan Cringean, Jon Shuker, or Martin Petersen cost less than a CNC-made bass from a maker with enormous purchasing clout?

I don’t think any of those guys employ 200 plus people with all the associated marketing, shipping, infrastructure costs. Their exposure to import costs, supply chains and currency fluctuations will also be less severe. ( US importers will be dealing with the 10% plus import tariffs as well as 10% decline in the value of the $). This has to hurt.

 

I dont know the breakdown of Ernie Ball profits but I suspect strings (most likely made in the far east) are the most profitable items. 

 

I agree that US made instruments like Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Martin, MusicMan are expensive (there seems to be a thread a week pointing this out) but they have a long history of producing iconic and some really good instruments. I think it’s a challenging time and if price point is the main motivator then their future may be uncertain.

 

Personally I think that it’s a great looking bass and I would love to try one but it’s out of my price range.

Edited 12 hours ago by tegs07

[Sibob]

8 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Do you have to come into every thread and ruin it with financial strategies? Dude, come on. 

Seems to me that it’s a perfectly reasonable and on-topic response to the current thread, not ruined at all, let’s move on.

 

Si

[Sibob]

Personally I think the price is perfectly reasonable for what it is. Do I think it’s accessible to every player, of course not, do I think they’ve priced it towards Pino fans with a decent disposable income whose main hobby/business is ‘BASS’? Absolutely, especially at the quantity they’ve made.

 

Without having read about the release at all, I assume it’s 10 pieces of each of the fretless and fretted, if so, they’ll sell 10 of the fretless all day long at that price IMO. The only part I find odd is the fretted version. I get that more people buy fretted instruments, but it’s got nothing to do with Pino’s legacy on that particular instrument. Personally I’d probably have just made the fretless and increased it to 15 or 20 pieces worldwide. But what do I know 🙃.

 

I too found the mismatched body jarring, and it would be unforgivable at this price-point on any other bass. However, from an authenticity standpoint, it’s basically the same as relic’ing right?! You either love it or hate it 🙂

 

Si 

[Steve Browning]

I'm going to stick with having my SUB, sporting a Nordstrand pickup and Stinger preamp, converted to fretless with a new fingerboard. 

[Beedster]

14 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Personally I think the price is perfectly reasonable for what it is. Do I think it’s accessible to every player, of course not, do I think they’ve priced it towards Pino fans with a decent disposable income whose main hobby/business is ‘BASS’? Absolutely, especially at the quantity they’ve made.

 

Without having read about the release at all, I assume it’s 10 pieces of each of the fretless and fretted, if so, they’ll sell 10 of the fretless all day long at that price IMO. The only part I find odd is the fretted version. I get that more people buy fretted instruments, but it’s got nothing to do with Pino’s legacy on that particular instrument. Personally I’d probably have just made the fretless and increased it to 15 or 20 pieces worldwide. But what do I know 🙃.

 

I too found the mismatched body jarring, and it would be unforgivable at this price-point on any other bass. However, from an authenticity standpoint, it’s basically the same as relic’ing right?! You either love it or hate it 🙂

 

Si 

Agree, likewise Fender make fretted Jaco and Tony Franklin versions of their respective sig instruments, it’s a case of offering what is likely to sell I guess 👍

[Beedster]

6 hours ago, drTStingray said:

Actually, “they” have - available via the configurator on the Custom Design Experience for a year or more!

 

Exactly, custom, not a regular line 👍