This is not a museum piece. It is a working instrument built for modern players who need articulation, balance and authority in dense arrangements. Classic lines, block-inlay elegance and vintage-correct switching meet refined hardware and carefully voiced pickups, resulting in a VI-Style bass that feels authentic but performs with clarity in contemporary studio and live environments.
Designed to sit between guitar and bass, without getting lost beneath either.
Body
Two-piece, centre-joined alder forms the foundation. Alder remains the classic choice for Bass VI-style instruments: balanced lows, present mids and a sweet, open top end that responds beautifully to dynamics and effects.
Finished in Candy Apple Red nitrocellulose lacquer, lightly aged with fine lacquer checking and subtle edge wear, the look is unmistakably mid-’60s without drifting into caricature. Vintage contouring ensures comfort, while routing is correct for vibrato, pickup and slider switch layout.
Material: Two-piece centre-joined alder
Finish: Candy Apple Red
Lacquer: All nitrocellulose, lightly aged
Pickguard: 3-ply parchment
Neck
A one-piece maple shaft with slab Rio rosewood fingerboard delivers warmth and authority across the full 30” scale. White celluloid binding and pearl block inlays bring the unmistakable late-’60s aesthetic.
The neck profile is carved to the client’s preference using a profile gauge, ensuring the instrument feels as personal as it sounds. A vintage heel-adjust truss rod, hand-cut bone nut and lightly aged tinted nitro finish complete the package, with rolled edges and a worn-in feel from day one.
Scale Length: 30”
Radius: Vintage-correct 7.25”
Frets: 21 medium jumbo
Nut Width: Approx. 43mm
Profile: Medium C, custom carved
Fingerboard: Rio rosewood, white binding, pearl blocks
Truss Rod: Vintage heel-adjust
Finish: Tinted nitrocellulose, lightly aged
Nut: Hand-cut bone
Pickups – Eternal Hand-Wound Single Coils
Three hand-wound Eternal J-style single coils form the tonal core.
Built with Alnico 5 magnets and 42 AWG plain enamel wire, the set is carefully calibrated, with a slightly overwound bridge unit for added midrange focus and clarity in a mix.
The voice is articulate and balanced, engineered to coexist cleanly with guitars and traditional bass in layered arrangements.
Configuration: Neck / Middle / Bridge
Magnets: Alnico 5
Wire: 42 AWG plain enamel
Bridge: Slightly overwound for mix presence
Covers: Aged white
Electronics
Vintage-correct switching gives you total control over pickup combinations and tonal shape.
Three on/off sliders allow independent pickup selection, while the fourth slider introduces the classic “strangle” bass-cut — essential for tightening the low end, adding snap and pushing the instrument toward baritone or guitar territory when required.
High-quality components throughout ensure reliability and consistency.
3 x On/Off pickup slider switches
4th slider: Vintage-style bass cut (“strangle”)
Master Volume
Master Tone
CTS brass collar 250k pots
Vintage-style 0.033µF tone capacitor
Cloth-covered hook-up wire
Switchcraft output jack
Vintage-style control plate
Hardware – Modern Stability, Vintage Spirit
Where appropriate, discreet upgrades enhance performance without compromising the aesthetic.
A Halon bridge provides rock-solid intonation and resonance, paired with a Mastery vibrato for smooth, reliable operation. Gotoh/Kluson vintage repro tuners and aged nickel appointments maintain period-correct appearance with modern dependability.
Bridge: Halon
Vibrato: Mastery
Tuners: Gotoh/Kluson vintage repro
String Tree: Butterfly-style
Strap Buttons: Aged nickel
Output Jack: Switchcraft
Finish & Ageing
This is ageing with restraint — elegance over excess.
Supplied in a vintage-style hardcase.
Price & Lead Time
£4,500.00
Completion approximately six to eight months from commission.
Please contact to discuss build options.
