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Maruszczyk basses
- Thread starter milo
- Start date
Check out Luthiersaccessgroup.com who often has a couple.
Here's my Frog. Fantastic bass.
Here's my Frog. Fantastic bass.
Just a question for any of you who own a Jake, how thick are the necks. My 2 main basses are Stingray 5ers and I'm considering the purchase of a Jake 5 (Delano equipped, active with coil tap, 17mm spacing). I love how they sound from demo videos around but it definitely MUST meet 2 fundamental criterias for me: neck must be thin enough (and play SOFT) and must have a articulate and defined B string (as in not dull/lame). Do they comply in these departments? Thanks so much for any comments.
Nevermind. Just yesterday I pulled the trigger on a Jake 5a+, trans red ash body and maple neck + fingerboard, used but in 100% new condition for some 2/3 it's new price (Maruszczyc gigbag and strap included, as well as a cute little black velvet bag with the 2 allen wrenches needed for bridge and truss rod setup). I knew the bass was capable and would sound great but was concerned about low B and playability. Not 100% right with the strings it had (not too worn out, just hard to play for some reason) but once I put mine on (Warwick Reds nickel) and added just a tad of neck relief it all came to life and played delicious. Great bass, the most resonant and sustaining 4kg I've played. The P sound is WAY more convincing when switched to passive IMHO. I'll eventually rewire the single coil position on the coil tap switch so that it uses the other coil in the bridge pickup (furthest from bridge) to get closer to a Musicman single coil sound (the combination I use the most -tightest low B sound-, single is closest to bridge but the whole pickup is further apart from the bridge than in the Jake). In fact, Delano's website has a Invalid Link Removed available with wiring schematics for several tap coil switch combinations on 4 wire pickups (I'd probably go a step further and wire it coil1/series/coil2 -don't dig this humbucker's parallel sound much-). Also the neck is just a tiny little bit thicker than that of a Stingray 5. Thickness (front to back) is 21mm at 1st fret while it's 20mm on my SR5s, but the main difference might not be thickness itself but the fact that it looks more D (very flat) than C compared to my rays (as flat a C as they come, altho' more radiused fretboard -Jake's is definitely flatter-). All in all great playability with VERY low action possible. Slap sensation is also very similar, felt home to me. Body is ash, I could tell as I swapped the strap buttons for some locking ones and I really tightened them hard to the point the screws wouldn't turn anymore. This doesn't happen with poplar nor alder (and is a real problem with basswood -just not serious for a bass body IMO-), if you force them once all the way in wood gives in. Amazed at how light this is, yet won't neckdive at all. Just wish the bridge (17mm spacing BTW) was simpler, too many Allen screws to move for any adjustment, not sure it's a good (durable) thing for a fiddler like me. OTOH quick string release is a big + in my book. Tuners will get a drop of molykote grease ASAP, they feel too "new" when turning right now.
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Just did the rewiring (acording to Delano's precise instructions -pickup manufacturers should take notice of the WELL CONCEIVED and EASILY AVAILABLE support material, thumbs up for Delano!-) to rear coil/parallel/front coil switching for the humbucker and WOW! The front (neckside) coil setting sounds exactly as my Stingray 5ers in single coil mode (center commuter position). There is a reason, I took a minute to measure some distances and distance from saddle to rear coil in Stingrays (the one used for single coil operation) and it's exactly the same distance you have from saddle to front coil in the Jake (8.5cm). So I can use rear coil when doing the P/J sound, front coil for single Musicman sound (the one I use the most in my rays) and the parallel position which is not quite like that of a Musicman, yet can sort of mimic it by dialing in some bass with the EQ. Most versatile bass I've owned (out of the usable ones, I've just sold a Peavey T40 that, altho' flexible in tone, was defintely NOT INVITING to play -and "wear" at some 5.6kg-). SO COOL!
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (great bass for metal BTW)
EDIT: BTW, haven't seen this mentioned anywhere but on a Maruszczyk video about instrument setup, the truss rod on my Jake is BACKWARDS THREADED. Took me some tries to figure it out (luckily before producing any damage) then that video confirmed so (big onscreen warning). It adds bow when turning clockwise and straightens when turning counterclockwise. Weird.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (great bass for metal BTW)
EDIT: BTW, haven't seen this mentioned anywhere but on a Maruszczyk video about instrument setup, the truss rod on my Jake is BACKWARDS THREADED. Took me some tries to figure it out (luckily before producing any damage) then that video confirmed so (big onscreen warning). It adds bow when turning clockwise and straightens when turning counterclockwise. Weird.
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