Pricing

Let’s get this straight out of the way: the model (i.e. the body shape) you choose has no impact on the final price of your dream bass. And it shouldn’t - there is hardly any difference for me making a Merlin body or a Shorty body. There is hardly any difference making a 30” 4 string neck or a 35” 6 string neck.

Instead I’ve broken up the final cost into two components: material cost and labour cost. What does that mean? Let’s have a closer look.

Please note that all monetary figures are in $AUD and subject to change without notice. Included in the final price is a gig bag to the value of about $50. Shipping is NOT included and will depend on the final destination and the carrier.

You can find a real-world example at the bottom of this page.

Important update (September 2022): Inflation and current economic situation have forced my hand. Unfortunately I will have to increase the labour cost by approximately 10% for all orders from September onwards. I do apologise for this but hope that you understand and appreciate that you will still receive a 100% hand-made custom instrument. The pricing listed below is the new pricing.

Material

I’m sure you have some sort of idea what features your bass should have. Or maybe you don’t but you and I work out, in a totally free (cost and obligation) consultation process, a list of specifications. This list will include:

• timber: there is no base spec with upgrade options - you pay for the timber you actually choose;

• hardware: includes tuners, bridge, strap lock, knobs, truss rod - again, you pay for what you choose;

• pickups: getting a little repetitive - you pay for what you choose;

• electronics: I may have mentioned this before but you pay for what you choose - unless you choose the default Polaris BP-3 onboard preamp which you can have at no extra cost.

While I am able to get certain things at OEM pricing other items may be at retail cost. And shipping will be added as well.

On top of that there is a fixed $100 “miscellaneous” cost (which includes things like carbon rods, frets, threaded inserts, bolts and screws, Luminlay side dots, consumables like glue and the finish) and a fixed $50 workshop maintenance cost.

All that means that a very basic instrument (4 string, inexpensive timbers, one pickup, passive) will have significantly lower material costs compared to a 6 string bass with 2 pickups and high-end active preamp. Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a “real world” example.

Since prices fluctuate I can’t give you a definitive example but please contact me for a free quote - just make sure you include all the details.

Labour

This is a little easier. There are different options for the neck-body connection, and I take that as a measure for the labour cost. As mentioned above the body shape etc. really doesn’t matter - the neck-body connection is where the main difference in time is, at least for me. There are four options:

Standard

Nothing special - what you would normally find on a main stream mass-produced bass. Of course I will always try and use threaded inserts with proper bolts but neck plate with wood screws is possible as well. Couple of examples below.

This will set you back $1,300.

“Long neck”

The neck extends further into the body than the board, potentially up to the neck pickup. Can be visually appealing with a laminated neck and increases the contact area between neck and body. Two examples below.

I’m charging $1,550 for this approach.

“XTend”

A fair bit trickier to make. The neck “extends” under the top right up to the neck pickup - you can tell by the location of the bolts compared to the end of the neck. Like the “long neck” option this provides an increased contact area between neck and body but retains the visual impact of a nice top.

This option is $1,850.

Here’s a little video that makes things a lot clearer:

Disclaimer: I’m fully aware that Brubaker (check them out - killer instruments1) have been using a similar approach for literally decades. I was not aware of this until well after I convinced myself that this was a great way to have a large contact area while retaining the visuals.

Neck-through

Now we’re talking. This is the most labour-intensive option. The neck (for visual impact and increased stability generally a multi-timber laminate) is visible all the way to the end of the body from the back but covered in the front by the top.

$2,200 will get you there.

How to order

I’m a single person operation. There’s no configurator or order form on this web site, and there won’t be. So how do you get your hands on a Polaris bass, ideally one made to your specifications? Easy.

Simply contact me directly via email (polarisbasses@icloud.com) or use the “Contact” page. If you know which model you would like and have a fair idea of your ideal specs please include all that in your communication - the more detail the better.

Once we agree on final specs (see above) I write you a quote for the material (plus misc. and workshop maintenance fee). The total of that will be your deposit, and I start ordering and building as soon as you transferred the deposit. It’s very hard to put a time frame on completing a bass but you should expect completion within 6 months. I will give you regular updates on the progress, with photos, and will alert you to potential issues in a timely manner. For me it is very important to keep you in the loop.

When the bass is completed we will have to organise the shipping. Final payment is due on delivery and covers the labour component (which, as explained above, depends on the construction).

I may have some demo models “in stock” so feel free to contact me about that. I also make some basses available through the Bass Workshop here in Melbourne. Have a look on their web site for available basses.

Pricing example

Let me give you one real world example of how this all works out. This is the most expensive build I’ve done so far. The pricing of components is correct as of the time of quote which was December 2019. The pricing of labour is correct as of September 2022.

Materials (wood, pickups, preamp, bridges, tuners, switches) added up to $AUD 1,340. Add $AUD 100 for miscellaneous (including truss rod, carbon rods, frets bolts, inserts etc.) and $AUD 50 for “workshop maintenance” and you end up with $AUD 1,490. That would be the deposit due before I start ordering the hardware and electronics, and before I start building.

Since this is a neck-through construction the balance (due on delivery) for this particular bass was $AUD 2,200 for a total of $AUD 3,690.

If this was an “Xtend” construction the balance would work out to be $AUD 1,850 for a total of $AUD 3,340.

Hope all that makes sense but - I can’t say it often enough - contact me if you have any questions at all regarding the pricing.

Like I mentioned above these figures are subject to change without notice.