With the flattened neck joint, I assume reaching up to the 24th fret shouldn't be too difficult. But not my bass, so can't tell for sure.
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The Official MARUSZCZYK CLUB!
- Thread starter ulasengin
- Start date
With the flattened neck joint, I assume reaching up to the 24th fret shouldn't be too difficult. But not my bass, so can't tell for sure.
How do you know it is the same manufacturer? You could also change the perspective and say that Harley Bentons are actually equipped with pretty decent hardware.
I'm just looking at the cutaway. It's deceptive because there's two colors of paint there but if you look I cut away only goes to the 21st or 22nd fret
Yes, but the area is flat and if your fingers aren't extremely short, I am confident that the reach will be fine.
You could well be right. The description says
- Bridge: WSC SK5
It's just a bridge. A lot of expensive basses just have a bent plate... I have two basses with hipshot bridges, and I'm probably the only person on earth that doesn't like them. To me, they look good, and that's about the only advantage.
I hate the bent plate bridge. It's an engineering afterthought. I understand that Leo Fender was very interested in keeping things cheap to make, but many manufacturers since then have upped the ante on Leo's designs yet kept that stupid bent metal bridge. It seems daft to put as much work as it takes for a craftsman to make a high quality bass and then put that cheap bridge on it.
You don't like Hipshot bridges, and you're certainly entitled to that opinion, but there are certainly other advantages besides just looks -- for example, the ability to change strings quickly. It's a better engineered piece of hardware with advantages, as are bridges made by Schaller, Gotoh, Babicz, KSM, Ray Ross, as well as the ETS and WSC used by Maruszczyk.
Yup, looks like the same one that Kiesel uses for many of their basses. I had two with those. Fwiw, it is locking, it is sturdy, and the parts are cheap if you have to replace anything. I did have to replace a couple screws that I had lost when I sold one of the basses, and I just bought a new bridge and used the parts I needed.
5-String Bass Bridge Chrome w/Locking Zinc Saddles Dual Load 19mm Sung-il BB405 685646948833 | eBay
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I'm just saying I wouldn't sweat the bridge. Not saying bent plate is better than anything, but it truly does the job just fine, and since it does, you see them on a lot of really nice basses. The one on the Maru is better than a bent plate in at least a few ways, so I can't imagine being bothered by it.
The hipshot on my Maru is brass, and functions fine, for the most part. It's a through-body, so I've never noticed the easy string changes, so there is that. I guess it's an option ;-) My biggest beef is that the practical range of adjustment is less than on my bent plates (I don't know exactly why). And, I have been unable to find the right size hex to adjust the saddles (TB threads vehemently say they are two different sizes, so I bought both, and neither fits). Why so small? No good reason.
I also have a black aluminum one. I have NEVER been able to hear any difference between the about 10 different bridges i've had on stuff--except for this one. It makes the bass sound like it has reverb on it or something. Swapped a Gotoh 203 on it, and sounds way better. It could be something else, but I don't think so. Plus, the black anodizing is super cheap. It pock marks if you look at it wrong, and the saddle screws have dug holes. The cnc is rough. It's just not that nice. I'm really into cnc'd aluminum parts as I love bicycles and cool parts, so I can tell you, the finish is not as nice/durable as it should be.
I would take a Gotoh 203 any day over a hipshot, all considered. And I bet the ones on the Maru's and Harleys are just as good, if not better.
I think the Maru's are exceptional values at every price point, so if they spend a little less on a bridge, that's probably a great place to save a little. And if you want different parts, you can get them for a little more, and you're still getting value that is hard to match.
The hipshot on my Maru is brass, and functions fine, for the most part. It's a through-body, so I've never noticed the easy string changes, so there is that. I guess it's an option ;-) My biggest beef is that the practical range of adjustment is less than on my bent plates (I don't know exactly why). And, I have been unable to find the right size hex to adjust the saddles (TB threads vehemently say they are two different sizes, so I bought both, and neither fits). Why so small? No good reason.
I also have a black aluminum one. I have NEVER been able to hear any difference between the about 10 different bridges i've had on stuff--except for this one. It makes the bass sound like it has reverb on it or something. Swapped a Gotoh 203 on it, and sounds way better. It could be something else, but I don't think so. Plus, the black anodizing is super cheap. It pock marks if you look at it wrong, and the saddle screws have dug holes. The cnc is rough. It's just not that nice. I'm really into cnc'd aluminum parts as I love bicycles and cool parts, so I can tell you, the finish is not as nice/durable as it should be.
I would take a Gotoh 203 any day over a hipshot, all considered. And I bet the ones on the Maru's and Harleys are just as good, if not better.
I think the Maru's are exceptional values at every price point, so if they spend a little less on a bridge, that's probably a great place to save a little. And if you want different parts, you can get them for a little more, and you're still getting value that is hard to match.
Personally, I chose the Hipshot bridge made of steel, because Cary Nordstrand prefers steel and I wanted to try steel.
Since I had a say so regarding the custom build, I said why not try the steel Hipshot bridge.
I don't think the Maruszczyk proprietary bridge or Hipshot brass bridges are bad choices. I doubt that I won't like the bridge that I chose, and if I don't, no biggie, I will replace it!
P.S. - I've always liked the inexpensive Gotoh 203 bridge, so just because a bridge is inexpensive that doesn't mean that it isn't a quality bridge.
Never heard anything quite like this until I played it. I have Delano pickups on a Warwick $$, but I never would have guessed how well matched the multiscale Delano SBC pickups are to the ziricote top and macassar ebony fingerboard. The SBCs have a great-sounding P-like burp in the mids, but have a much wider frequency response than typical P pups (e.g. compare to Nordstrand Big Splits). The woody-wah sound of this combo is the best faux standup sound I've heard, without even trying (not a 'copy' of a standup sound but unique and evocative of standup tones). I've never played a better neck. Like a P, very little processing of any kind is needed. I boost upper mids a bit and cut the bass a bit (there's GOBs of bass, which can cover up the beautiful upper range). She actually as a little butt dive because of the substantial solid body, but its easier to manage than neck dive. I wouldn't change anything for fear of losing the magic sound. I've bought several other basses since this one, but they can't shake this Frog off the main rack. Damned Maruszczyk!
Attachments
For anyone with a headless Frog, if you've found that .130 B-strings tend to buzz on the zero fret due to the tight fit of the string retainer affecting the break angle (I suppose). Here is my patent-pending high tech solution. I can sell you one for $75 U.S. I call it a 'Black Zip Tie'. I hope no one else has thought of it. Anyway, no one has seen it, until I've pointed it out. Remove strings first before trying to cut the tie.
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Do strings really stick out the end like that?!? Holy crap, that looks dangerous. And I thought ends of strings sticking out of old tuners was bad...
I will see if I can find the link to the article that I read a few years ago. It was a question posed to top luthiers regarding bridges. Carey liked the tone of steel bridges best over bridges made from other materials.
I'm not saying Cary's word is Gospel, but I like what he said about steel bridges.
Invalid Link Removed
"Carey Nordstrand – I like steel.
I associate a thicker lower midrange with brass. And aluminum is "quicker" and more airy sounding to me. On our Nordy's, I like the bent plate steel bridges that Hipshot makes. They seem to have a really big and full low end, and sound more correct than the brass version. I also think the sound of them changed for the better when they made the back edge solid, instead of slotted for the quick string release setup. I guess all this means is that everything matters at least a little bit when considering the tone of our instruments."
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Kitty's claws are a little scary, heh! I have to blame the sloppy technician for this one. They can be sheared pretty close to flush if desired. Not dangerous unless I sharpen them! On a tight stage, headless gives me a 4-5 inch shorter bat--makes it harder to whack the drummer when I'm pissed--let's call that a good thing. It may be fair to say that string retainers aren't the favorite part of a headless bass for most who have them--you get used to them.
I wouldn't go that far, but any differences may be in the 'heard on recordings but not live' category. I went with the 2 piece brass ETS bridge (longer and heavier than one piece aluminum) because I thought it might lend something to the tone based on my experience with Warwick 2-piece brass bridges. But these are little matters, just for tinkerers to natter about on forums. Everything matters a little and eventually it adds up to a different sounding bass, even with identical pickups and strings. Those who don't care need not read the whimsical speculations of amateurs like me.
