The Official MARUSZCZYK CLUB!

[xbud]

Hey guys! I am thinking of getting a Jake and throwing a vintage P pup on it, and I want to have it setup with low action such that I get no buzzing when playing normally, but that nice sort of "pop" when digging in on high octaves for example.

I have noticed that in the demo videos, there is almost always a decent amount of fret buzz happening. What is going on here, is it the player (please note that I think he is fantastic), or do most clients want that kind of buzzing? It makes me a bit worried about being able to achieve the sound I described above, without having constant fret buzz during normal playing.

I think this is highly dependant on how low the action is and how aggressive the playing will be. Seems these two factors are what causes most buzzing. I play pretty hard, so my action is a little higher than ideal, but I can avoid buzzing most of the time.

 

[Oliver Stein]

The buzzing is the videos is also a matter of taste. Some (as I) like the fretnoise as part of the sound. When I was visiting the Public Peace showroom in Aldenhoven I had a chat with Adrian where he explained to me, that he sets the action always very low (thus creating some fretnoise depending on the playing style). If it annoys someone the action can be raised a little. In the end you can't have super low action without any fretnoise when playing louder then soft. This is not a design problem, this is pure mechanics/physics.

 

[Barticus]

It's a combination of two factors action and playing style. Playing style when you dig in may potentially cause some buzzing… and how the action is set up. I keep my action super low, and generally don't have any buzzing because of my playing style, which is a floating thumb and more flamenco-ish. Although if I do dig in with just my three fingers, I can get buzzing. It's possible to get low action on nearly any instrument with proper set up techniques.

So it really depends on you, since all of these basses have a zero fret very low action is achievable without buzzing.

Take a listen to Victor Wooten, you'll always here buzzing.

 

[nerol333]

Thanks for the replies folks. I guess I just got this weird idea into my head that I've heard other basses/players where there was the best of both worlds (minimal fret buzz, but the option of a nice clank when digging in), and that I couldn't quite hear that from any of the Maru demo videos. While I do trust my ears (to an extent) here, it also seems quite irrational, and I'm sure I could still get my desired sounds on a Jake.

In a sort of similar vein, does anyone have any clips of their Maruszcyk P basses that sound especially vintage (a-la pre-CBS Fender)? I made a separate thread about it but it hasn't gotten any hits

 

[2ndBassGuitar]

Just wondering how many on here are waiting for a custom bass and when did you order it. I ordered mine 23rd May so a bit to go yet.

and it isn't ready yet? ;-)

I have a Joker B ordered late January that is waiting for the string sleeves from ETS and am waiting for the bridge for a clients Paddock that was ordered early February.

 

[BassmanM]

Thanks for the replies folks. I guess I just got this weird idea into my head that I've heard other basses/players where there was the best of both worlds (minimal fret buzz, but the option of a nice clank when digging in), and that I couldn't quite hear that from any of the Maru demo videos. While I do trust my ears (to an extent) here, it also seems quite irrational, and I'm sure I could still get my desired sounds on a Jake.

In a sort of similar vein, does anyone have any clips of their Maruszcyk P basses that sound especially vintage (a-la pre-CBS Fender)? I made a separate thread about it but it hasn't gotten any hits

I saw your other thread too. Personally, I am not sure whether there is anything like a pre-CBS Fender sound that can be clearly identified as such by many people. You even mentioned a 1965 P specifically in your other post. I seriously doubt that anyone can identify a 1965 P by ear. If such an expert exists, him or her owning a Jake as well would have to be a huge coincidence. Hence, nobody has answered your other thread.

I am afraid you will have to get the Jake and perhaps try a variety of 60s voiced pickups to get the sound you are seeking. There are a lot of them available. Fwiw, I own a Mr Tee with a Häussel p pickup, which Adrian recommended when I asked for a pickup with a 60s vibe. You could also send Adrian an email and see what he has to say about your requirements.

 

[nerol333]

I saw your other thread too. Personally, I am not sure whether there is anything like a pre-CBS Fender sound that can be clearly identified as such by many people. You even mentioned a 1965 P specifically in your other post. I seriously doubt that anyone can identify a 1965 P by ear. If such an expert exists, him or her owning a Jake as well would have to be a huge coincidence. Hence, nobody has answered your other thread.

I am afraid you will have to get the Jake and perhaps try a variety of 60s voiced pickups to get the sound you are seeking. There are a lot of them available. Fwiw, I own a Mr Tee with a Häussel p pickup, which Adrian recommended when I asked for a pickup with a 60s vibe. You could also send Adrian an email and see what he has to say about your requirements.

That all makes sense. I have found one or two pickups that I love the sound of, but I guess a whole other can of worms is how much they will work towards the sound I want vs. other aspects such as bass size, shape, woods used, etc. on the Jake. I am sure there are many other threads on that topic, so I will go investigate, but ultimately I agree that at some point I'll just have to dive in and go from there!

 

[twangcat]

Messing with the configurator this evening

Dangerous . But I'm doing the same

 

[2ndBassGuitar]

Dangerous . But I'm doing the same

As was I this morning

 

[TK4261]

I've pretty much decided to order this configuration. I'm going to sit on it for a week and if I don't change my mind I will place my order with Randy after the 4th of July.
30" Cazpar Trans Black matte with Joker headstock.
Alder body with Ash top
Birdseye Maple neck & fretboard 12" radius
Haeussel JazzBuckers with open birdseye Maple covers.
Delano 2 pre with 2x 3 way switches
Hipshot B bridge and Ultralite tuners
Going to request just the Mensinger flower logo on the headstock without any words. Hoping Adrian will accommodate the request.

 

[Bartrinsic]

Hey guys! I am thinking of getting a Jake and throwing a vintage P pup on it, and I want to have it setup with low action such that I get no buzzing when playing normally, but that nice sort of "pop" when digging in on high octaves for example.

When you find the holy grail, send me the coordinates! Every wood neck is unique in both tone and action. Unit-to-unit variation of basses with identical specs is an issue. Excellent fretwork can help, either at time of purchase or later if necessary. The only near-guarantee for minimum-buzz with low action may be a graphite neck, but I have preferred wood for tone, so that's not an option for me.

I prefer buzz to be well controlled--so only hard attack on certain notes generates a predictable light buzz. This requires medium-low to medium action on A,E,B strings on every bass I have ever played. I think you have to find another universe with different laws for vibrating strings to solve that problem. 'Technique' is a word for playing softly so that your strings don't vibrate as much (e.g. I try different tricks for direction of attack with the plucking hand, but all are limited under hard attack when notes are held). E, B especially need room to breathe when holding many notes.

I go for the lowest possible action on the G and D strings, then set A-E somewhat higher than 'normal', listening on offending frets (e.g. open, 1, 5, 9, 13) until I get the buzz quotient right. With that approach, 2 of my 3 Maruszczyk's have action practically as low as I can get on any of my other basses, regardless of price. The third is on the next tier down (i.e., good but not great), but I love the tone on the Paddock so I've come to terms with the best I can do on that one.

You have as good a chance at getting a great neck from Maruszczyk as from most any builder, but no guarantee. If low action is your main priority, custom may not be the best way to go. It might be better to try 5 identical production basses and pick the one with the best neck. I've had success doing that once--I asked the shop tech to select for me based on low action for G,D and minimal dead spots/wolf tones on the G string. That worked out well.
Bart

 

[Bartrinsic]

Hey all, I'm a tall man that makes a Jazz bass look small. Are the Jake and Elwood bodies smaller in size to their Fender inspirations?
Thank you.

I think my Jazzus body is smaller than a Fender, but not overly shrimpy. Since my B string is 35" (33-35" multiscale), the neck is longer than a Fender. My string spacing at the bridge is 18mm so I think that comes with a slimmer neck, but heftier than an Ibanez SR (i.e., 16.5mm spacing). You could consider a 35" straight fret (if you don't like multiscale) Elwood build using 19mm spacing (if allowed) and heavier woods for a more solid tone. My Jazzus has a mahogany body and a birdseye maple neck, which brings the weight to 9.7lbs, not a beast but not a featherweight either.

 

[BassmanM]

Hey all, I'm a tall man that makes a Jazz bass look small. Are the Jake and Elwood bodies smaller in size to their Fender inspirations?
Thank you.

I believe the Jake and Elwood are similar in size to their Fender counterparts. The Elwood L has a slightly smaller body.

If you are looking at Maruszczyk instruments, you should consider a Frog or, if you like single cut basses, a Paddock. They won't look small on you.

 

[Rocket Queen]

Might anyone here have, or have experience with, a Maruszczyk "Jake TB", or any other model featuring the Haeussel TB (Thunderbird) pickups? I'd really be interested in a brief assessment of that set. Thanks.

 

[jb90]

My today "tweaking in configurator" Probably those will be my 2 main basses. I distinguish them in that way:

"Vintage, passive, well-known sound"

"Modern, what vintage-passive can't do"

 

[BlackWolf]

My Frog is ready.

 

[eude]

My Frog is ready.
View attachment 5129019

That's a bit tasty!
Congratulations!

 

[scott sinner]

Hey guys! I am thinking of getting a Jake and throwing a vintage P pup on it, and I want to have it setup with low action such that I get no buzzing when playing normally, but that nice sort of "pop" when digging in on high octaves for example.

I have noticed that in the demo videos, there is almost always a decent amount of fret buzz happening. What is going on here, is it the player (please note that I think he is fantastic), or do most clients want that kind of buzzing? It makes me a bit worried about being able to achieve the sound I described above, without having constant fret buzz during normal playing.

Though I just have a sample size of one Maruszczyk Frog, I also go for the "no buzzing when playing normally," setup.

I set up my Frog with just a sliver of relief. I set the action to 1.25mm on the g and 1.5 on the e at the 12th. There is no fret buzz anywhere at those specs playing up to mezzo forte. Going full ff or fff, the fret buzz is nice and even across the frets. Nothing fizzling out. Though I strive to play lighter and let the amp do the work, I'm a generally strong handed human and get emotionally charged and I thus tend toward playing rather average heavily.

 

[scott sinner]

I've pretty much decided to order this configuration. I'm going to sit on it for a week and if I don't change my mind I will place my order with Randy after the 4th of July.
30" Cazpar Trans Black matte with Joker headstock.
Alder body with Ash top
Birdseye Maple neck & fretboard 12" radius
Haeussel JazzBuckers with open birdseye Maple covers.
Delano 2 pre with 2x 3 way switches
Hipshot B bridge and Ultralite tuners
Going to request just the Mensinger flower logo on the headstock without any words. Hoping Adrian will accommodate the request.

That's a nice marriage of subtle but eye-catchingly different.

 

[Mik Walker]

My Frog is ready.
View attachment 5129019

Awesome! I love Wenge...