Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
The Official MARUSZCZYK CLUB!
- Thread starter ulasengin
- Start date
I'm finalising my new frog build.
I had one build with the birth of my son 3 years ago, so now that there's a second baby due in march, it's only fair to buy another bass
.
Still in doubt if I should go for maple or ebony fretboard (since I already have 2 frogs with ebony and none with a maple fretboard) and if I should stick with one pickup, or 2 (with the bridge pickup in MM Stingray position for sure)... Anyone got any input?
Has anyone steen the turquoise on quilted maple on a real Maruszczyk before? I'm hoping it's not as light looking in real life as on the configurator.
I had one build with the birth of my son 3 years ago, so now that there's a second baby due in march, it's only fair to buy another bass
.Still in doubt if I should go for maple or ebony fretboard (since I already have 2 frogs with ebony and none with a maple fretboard) and if I should stick with one pickup, or 2 (with the bridge pickup in MM Stingray position for sure)... Anyone got any input?
Has anyone steen the turquoise on quilted maple on a real Maruszczyk before? I'm hoping it's not as light looking in real life as on the configurator.
Very nice! I have trans Turquoise on a recent swamp Ash Elwood build in gloss and it does seem to come out a bit darker in real life it seems. The config pic of mine was quite a bit lighter. not sure about the quilted Maple but still should come out a little darker i would think.
Am I correct in understanding from your avatar that you have three, soon to be four, Frogs?I'm finalising my new frog build.
I had one build with the birth of my son 3 years ago, so now that there's a second baby due in march, it's only fair to buy another bass
That's a good looking Elwood! The Turquoise looks better in your pictures than in the configuration (imo offcourse). That's the color I had in my mind when imagining my next bass.
You're absolutly right. I thought about going for another model, but I just love the ergonomics and the playability of a frog, though I've always been tempted by a Joker...
I've got a 2011 blue fretted frog (my no 1 for over 10 years now), a 2013 green fretless frog and a 2018 natural eye poplar fretted.
Dang! I'd be jealous if those weren't 6-strings, and if I didn't have one of my own now.
(Nothing against 6-strings, I'm just at home on four. I can play a 5 sometimes, but I get lost on a 6.)
(Nothing against 6-strings, I'm just at home on four. I can play a 5 sometimes, but I get lost on a 6.)
Hi all,
I don't know if you remember, but my Jazzus (the one in the couch shot for my profile picture) was shipped in August.
After a number of attempts by Adrian to locate the shipment with FedEx in Germany & numerous attempts of me trying to get information from FedEx UK, I received absolutely no communication from the FedEx investigation team. Each time I contacted FedEx UK, all I was told was that it had been passed to the FedEx investigation team.
Fast forward to the end of October & I received a tracking update from FedEx, informing me that my parcel was out for delivery & that import charges were due. On the same day, I received another FedEx notification stating that my parcel was delivered. I was out all day at work & nobody else was home & when I returned from work, guess what? No bass!
Since then I have received an invoice from FedEx for the customs charges with the request that payment be made within the next 14 days (despite the fact that I had informed FedEx that I hadn't received the package on the day it was supposed to be delivered). As usual, I have received no further communication from FedEx about my missing bass.
Coincidentally, the following day was my day off work & I received another FedEx package that had shipped from Italy 2 days before, for which I paid the customs charges straight away. I was so excited after buzzing the FedEx driver into my apartment building as I thought that my bass had turned up, only to be disappointed to discover that it wasn't my bass but an IK Multimedia Axe I/O that I had ordered with Amplitube 5 a month before which was out of stock at the time.
Meanwhile, Adrian had started building my bass again from scratch & he filed 6 claims with FedEx for the missing bass.
FedEx - what a company, eh?
Anyway, as we all know, the configuration options before placing an order establish a level of indecisiveness that only we can understand. So when Adrian said that he was making me a new bass, I succumbed to making some changes.
To cut a very long story short, my new bass was shipped last Wednesday (by DHL at my request) & arrived first thing on Monday morning. Strangely enough, as it currently stands, I haven't received any notification from DHL about UK import charges.
I went for a red burst quilted ash top (I chose the top from a selection Adrian said that he had) & an ebony Fingerboard. Everything else is the same, except for the fact that I left the roasted 3 piece hard rock maple neck natural this time. Pictures to follow in the next post.
I am so happy with my new bass, which was well worth waiting for. As you can probably imagine though, managing my impatience & frustration with FedEx was a major issue, as I had originally placed my order in May. I'm already thinking about a second one - addiction has seriously set in!
My next one will be a 4 string & I will go with the same finish as the missing bass. However, I can't decide on whether to go for a Frog or a Paddock.
Can anyone enlighten me as to the difference in playability & tone between Joker, Frog, Jazzus, Paddock & Sputnik? I'm also considering a guitar to accompany my Strat once my budget can accommodate it.
I don't know if you remember, but my Jazzus (the one in the couch shot for my profile picture) was shipped in August.
After a number of attempts by Adrian to locate the shipment with FedEx in Germany & numerous attempts of me trying to get information from FedEx UK, I received absolutely no communication from the FedEx investigation team. Each time I contacted FedEx UK, all I was told was that it had been passed to the FedEx investigation team.
Fast forward to the end of October & I received a tracking update from FedEx, informing me that my parcel was out for delivery & that import charges were due. On the same day, I received another FedEx notification stating that my parcel was delivered. I was out all day at work & nobody else was home & when I returned from work, guess what? No bass!
Since then I have received an invoice from FedEx for the customs charges with the request that payment be made within the next 14 days (despite the fact that I had informed FedEx that I hadn't received the package on the day it was supposed to be delivered). As usual, I have received no further communication from FedEx about my missing bass.
Coincidentally, the following day was my day off work & I received another FedEx package that had shipped from Italy 2 days before, for which I paid the customs charges straight away. I was so excited after buzzing the FedEx driver into my apartment building as I thought that my bass had turned up, only to be disappointed to discover that it wasn't my bass but an IK Multimedia Axe I/O that I had ordered with Amplitube 5 a month before which was out of stock at the time.
Meanwhile, Adrian had started building my bass again from scratch & he filed 6 claims with FedEx for the missing bass.
FedEx - what a company, eh?
Anyway, as we all know, the configuration options before placing an order establish a level of indecisiveness that only we can understand. So when Adrian said that he was making me a new bass, I succumbed to making some changes.
To cut a very long story short, my new bass was shipped last Wednesday (by DHL at my request) & arrived first thing on Monday morning. Strangely enough, as it currently stands, I haven't received any notification from DHL about UK import charges.
I went for a red burst quilted ash top (I chose the top from a selection Adrian said that he had) & an ebony Fingerboard. Everything else is the same, except for the fact that I left the roasted 3 piece hard rock maple neck natural this time. Pictures to follow in the next post.
I am so happy with my new bass, which was well worth waiting for. As you can probably imagine though, managing my impatience & frustration with FedEx was a major issue, as I had originally placed my order in May. I'm already thinking about a second one - addiction has seriously set in!
My next one will be a 4 string & I will go with the same finish as the missing bass. However, I can't decide on whether to go for a Frog or a Paddock.
Can anyone enlighten me as to the difference in playability & tone between Joker, Frog, Jazzus, Paddock & Sputnik? I'm also considering a guitar to accompany my Strat once my budget can accommodate it.
Last edited:
I haven't played a 4-string, but the necks on my Jazzus and headless Frog 5ers feel very similar, even with the 22 vs 24 fret difference. I'm guessing from photos that the Paddock will be very similar to the Frog, but single cut--so mainly an aesthetic difference. Tone can be similar if you build with the same woods and pups in a bolt-on. Or, you can change to set-in or neck-through and use a different top, fretboard, pickups and maybe go headless. Then you have a different animal.
First of all, congrats on your new gorgeous bass!
If you're seriously thinking about ordering from them again, I would recommend trying to find a Maruszczyk dealer in the UK. Partly because you might save some money, and partly to let the dealer be the buffer between you and the delivery company & customs. The bass comes to the dealer, you pay the dealer for the customs, and then it's just arranging the delivery. And given your history, I'd have them deliver it to somewhere local where you can pick it up. (In the US, it would be a UPS store or FedEx/Kinkos. I don't know the UK equivalent.)
Oh, and I can highly recommend the Frog!
If you're seriously thinking about ordering from them again, I would recommend trying to find a Maruszczyk dealer in the UK. Partly because you might save some money, and partly to let the dealer be the buffer between you and the delivery company & customs. The bass comes to the dealer, you pay the dealer for the customs, and then it's just arranging the delivery. And given your history, I'd have them deliver it to somewhere local where you can pick it up. (In the US, it would be a UPS store or FedEx/Kinkos. I don't know the UK equivalent.)
Oh, and I can highly recommend the Frog!
Thanks for the advice.
I understand that the woods, especially the top & fretboard have more of a bearing on tone (along with the choice of pickups & strings) with a bolt on. I'm interested in how much the set in & neck through affect the tone comparative to a bolt on neck.
How is the sound on the headless Frog compared to your Jazzus?
Thanks for your kind words & the advice about delivery - it's not something that I had previously considered, as I automatically assumed that adding a middle man would add to the overall cost.
A package of such value should always be signed for. However, due to precautions over COVID-19, reputable delivery companies in UK have been taking a photo of delivered packages in the receiver's open doorway as proof of delivery (especially in light of the recent Amazon scandal regarding PS5 consoles being stolen by subcontracted delivery drivers who left empty boxes - a lucrative enterprise for thieving delivery drivers). In the event of nobody being home at the time of delivery, a calling card should be left & the package returned to the depot. I have done this job many moons ago & it was always standard procedure.
To be honest, after switching from FedEx to DHL, the previous issue was resolved without issue. However, I subscribe to the weekly newsletter from Bass Direct in UK & I believe that they are an authorised UK Maruszczyk dealer, so I will look into this option next time.
Ha ha, I knew that you would be an outspoken advocate of the Frog!
I ordered my Maruszczyk from them, and the courier seems to have lost my bass after dispatch from them, and there's a replacement being built - so it certainly isn't a guarantee!
I will say, they were easy to deal with when ordering, the all-in price was very consistent with the configurator, and it's nice to not worry about a customs charge.
So sorry to hear about your bass, I fully empathise with you.
In October, Adrian said that FedEx lost 6 basses over the past 6 months, are you sure that the delivery company used by Bass Direct lost your bass & that it wasn't lost between Germany & UK?
It seems as if Adrian is having problems with claiming back compensation for missing instruments & if I were him, I would look at changing the default shipping company.
Thanks for mentioning about the price being the same as the configurator when ordering through Bass Direct, that's very useful to know. At least it is less complicated if the package disappears within the UK. The lack of communication that I've experienced from FedEx appears to be just as bad internally as it is with shippers & recipients.
Did you share the configurator specs with Bass Direct from the Public Peace website?
I received a Bass from Europe via Fedex. Posted friday, duty paid monday, ETA wednesday.
Arrived mid morning.
Quite simple.
Sorry your experience wasnt great.
Arrived mid morning.
Quite simple.
Sorry your experience wasnt great.
That's how I did it with my dealer. When you get all finished with the configurator, there's a place at the bottom of the last page that allows you to email that configuration to someone else.
Here's the Frog video:
The Jazzus sounds very different.
--The JSBCs are more transparent, brighter and louder than the soapbar SBC HE/S in the Frog.
--The ASH top and maple neck bring out traditional jazz tones (along with the pups).
--It sounds like a Jazz bass
The Frog is more understated and subtle in tone, though equally beautiful (like a wanna-be stand up, fretless or acoustic/electric). Neck-thru can have fewer/less weak spots, which tend to be at higher frets (11-12 for neck-through vs 5-9 for bolt on), and can be faster on attack with longer sustain vs a delayed-like 'punch' with bolt-on, but these differences can be more or less subtle (e.g. more subtle with a 6-bolt bolt-on). Neck-thru and set-in can't be shimmed or replaced, so your stuck with the neck you get (I've had good luck so far with neck-thru action). Neck-thru replaces lots of body wood, so neck wood choices can contribute more to tone, though my Frog's tone seems to be driven by the Ziricote/Macassar/SBC HE/S Soapbar trio. The laminated wenge, maple and padouk neck and ash wings seem to be in the background to my ears.
I did share the specs from the configurator, with a few additions (second pickguard, a few minor things), which they provided a full quote for.
It was definitely the courier BD used. They received multiple basses from Maruszczyk, and unfortunately a mix up meant they sent me the wrong one (which was very frustrating). I posted the wrong bass back to them, which they received, and they contacted the courier and requested my bass back (which hadn't been delivered), which never arrived back with them.
99/100 orders are going to have zero problems, and they deal with such high end, expensive instruments that I know this is really a fluke. But not a fun one for me!
They sent via a courier called APC, who I've had zero experience with before. I believe they use local companies, which is an obvious failure point. They did deliver & collect the wrong bass from me fine, though.
