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The Official MARUSZCZYK CLUB!

#9,461
BassmanM said:
I sold the Elwood a few years ago, mainly because I had another jazz bass that I liked better at the time. I should have kept it, as it was a perfectly made instrument with a very elegant walnut top. The other two are not perfect, but very well made. The Mr Tee is built like a tank, I think the neck has barely moved in the past 11 years.
Click to expand...
thank you for your reply!

when you say 'the other two are not perfect', are you referring to Maruszczyks? if so, how are they not perfect in your opinion?
 
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#9,462
sonic boogaloo said:
this thread has given me some serious GAS.

i lowballed on a used maruszczyk which met around 70% of what i wanted and which had a very unique custom colour that was a bit out of my comfort zone. the seller declined, which in someways was a relief, because i still would have had quite a difficult decision to make.

so off i went to the configurator and came up with what, on paper, is my dream bass at €2500 (no hidden extras such as import taxes since i live within the EU). i didn't scrimp on extras on the short scale jake bass. string through and tone chambered body (i suffer from back problems, so weight is an issue) being the main upgrades. my thinking behind this is that i don't want to have any after buyer regrets about upgrades which i wish i had made at the time.

i realise that such a bass is never going to hold its value so it needs to be a keeper.

i've managed to read through about 30% of this thread and it seems that bar delivery delays, everyone who has purchased a maruszczyk is extremely happy with what they received. that fills me with confidence. having said that, there are still quite a few used maruszczyks on the market, which given how much they depreciate in value, is a cause for concern.

i'd appreciate feedback, both positive and negative, from maruszczyk owners and former owners before i bite the bullet.

for example: are there any upgrades you wish you had/hadn't made? any issues which couldn't be rectified...

thank you.
Click to expand...

I have had my 30" Jake P for about 3 years now and it is my favorite 30" short scale that I have owned thus far. I ordered this one when they were still offering Swamp Ash as a body wood so there was no need to chamber it as it weighs 7.1 lbs and it is very balanced. I stayed away from ordering it with Maruszczyk in house hardware and pickups. I chose Hipshot USA hardware with the string through option. Fret work is perfect on mine. The neck is stable and it always stays in tune well. It just all around feels great IMO. Be careful when ordering a full Ash body as European Ash tends to be heavy not like light weight Swamp Ash. I would go with a chambered Alder body with the Ash top for your two-tone paint.

My 30" Jake specs:
Body - Swamp Ash
Top - Koa
Neck- Flame Maple
Nut Width - 1.5" (38mm)
Fretboard - flame Maple
Bridge -USA Hipshot A style aluminum with string through option
Tuners - USA Hipshot Ultralite Lolipop
Pickup - Nordstrand NP4A (I have since then swapped it out for a EMG PAX pickup paired with a LHZ (Spector HAZ clone preamp as I love that Spector growl and it delivers)

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Here is a current pic below with the EMG's and LHZ Preamp. The Nordstrand NP4A sounded great though for that old school P bass sound. :thumbsup:

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#9,463
TK4261 said:
I have had my 30" Jake P for about 3 years now and it is my favorite 30" short scale that I have owned thus far.
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thanks for your reply. it was seeing your 30" Jake P which led me to Maruszczyk basses in the first place!

as i mentioned upthread, i've always wanted a short scale p-bass with a maple neck.

this is what i've come up with using the configurator:

Jake C.png


it has a hipshot A bridge, nordstrand power blades and hipshot ultralite lollipops.

it's fairly conventional looking, but i really want a short scale p-bass that resembles a 55 stratocaster finish.

i'm still undecided on the power blades. i play mainly with a pick and really want to get a tone similar to Dave Richmond's playing with Scott Walker and Serge Gainsbourg. basically a vintage tone. i watched a video comparison with the N4Vs thinking that i would prefer them, but the power blades sounded better to my ear...
 
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#9,464
sonic boogaloo said:
thank you for your reply!

when you say 'the other two are not perfect', are you referring to Maruszczyks? if so, how are they not perfect in your opinion?
Click to expand...
Yes, I am referring to the Marus. They have one or two minor imperfections. For example, the neck pocket of the Mr Tee could be tighter, which is by no means a major flaw.
 
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#9,465
sonic boogaloo said:
thanks for your reply. it was seeing your 30" Jake P which led me to Maruszczyk basses in the first place!

as i mentioned upthread, i've always wanted a short scale p-bass with a maple neck.

this is what i've come up with using the configurator:

View attachment 7341148

it has a hipshot A bridge, nordstrand power blades and hipshot ultralite lollipops.

it's fairly conventional looking, but i really want a short scale p-bass that resembles a 55 stratocaster finish.

i'm still undecided on the power blades. i play mainly with a pick and really want to get a tone similar to Dave Richmond's playing with Scott Walker and Serge Gainsbourg. basically a vintage tone. i watched a video comparison with the N4Vs thinking that i would prefer them, but the power blades sounded better to my ear...
Click to expand...
Nice! Check out the Nordstrand NP4A also since it has Alnico magnets in it. :thumbsup:
 
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#9,468
Rocket Queen said:
@micguy is a very knowledgeable source of information about Nordstrand pickups.
Click to expand...
I'm not familiar with the P blades. I have used the NP4A's (the ones with the angled pole pieces). They have a bit less inductance than most P pickups, which will get you a bit more "snap" in the attack of a note. If you're a flats and foam person they wouldn't be your cup of tea, but if you often have your tone on 10, and would like to "go to 11" tonewise at times, those pickups would help that.
 
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#9,469
I bought this Jake in 2023. I didn’t know as much about P basses then as I do now, so I may not have gone this route now. However, for the price at the time this turned out as good as anything I could have bought. I chose Hipshot tuners and Aguilar pickups. The only thing I didn’t like was the bridge and I did change that. Overall, it’s my favorite bass. It’s super light and plays wonderfully.
IMG_1690.jpeg
 
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#9,470
Another happy customer here.

My first frog (6 string) was finished in March 2011 and its still my favourite bass of all time that gets played nearly every day.

I got another in 2013, a passive 6-string fretless frog, but I never really played tot much, due to it being fretless, so sold it in 2023.

I got another frog 6-string in 2018 to mark the occasion of my son's birth and another in 2022 to mark the occasion of my daughter's birth.

Build quality is good, maybe not great, but it's absolutely fine, definitely similar to some American fenders I played.

I'll admit that though the honeymoon phase is definitely over for the 2011 frog, my view might still not be entirely neutral, due to it being my first "good" bass (I just had an Ibanez ATK400, sr500 and GSR180 before). The bass feels like an extension of myself at this point.

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#9,471
I’ve owned 2 headless Maruszczyk’s and both were impeccable build quality and great playing instruments, no issues. I custom ordered a 3rd headless/fretless and the pickup position was not to my spec, that one went back to them.

About resale value… I sold one for about what it cost me to custom order it and sold the other for more than I paid.

Did I go to them for an FSO?
No.

Is that market saturated with a ton of high quality alternatives?
Yes.

That’s my positive experience.
YMMV
 
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#9,475
Question about the configurator options:
I'm looking at a 35" Jake 5-string. I'd want 17 or 18mm string spacing, but I'm wondering if their neck construction is altered to accommodate narrower spacing, or is the neck the same regardless (thus moving the strings further away from the edge)?
 
#9,477
Barticus said:
I’ve owned 2 headless Maruszczyk’s and both were impeccable build quality and great playing instruments, no issues. I custom ordered a 3rd headless/fretless and the pickup position was not to my spec, that one went back to them.

About resale value… I sold one for about what it cost me to custom order it and sold the other for more than I paid.

Did I go to them for an FSO?
No.

Is that market saturated with a ton of high quality alternatives?
Yes.

That’s my positive experience.
YMMV
Click to expand...

Agreed. I have one of your "cast-offs"....32" Mensinger 5 string....which is my Kubicki killer.

Riis
 
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#9,478
sonic boogaloo said:
this thread has given me some serious GAS.

i lowballed on a used maruszczyk which met around 70% of what i wanted and which had a very unique custom colour that was a bit out of my comfort zone. the seller declined, which in someways was a relief, because i still would have had quite a difficult decision to make.

so off i went to the configurator and came up with what, on paper, is my dream bass at €2500 (no hidden extras such as import taxes since i live within the EU). i didn't scrimp on extras on the short scale jake bass. string through and tone chambered body (i suffer from back problems, so weight is an issue) being the main upgrades. my thinking behind this is that i don't want to have any after buyer regrets about upgrades which i wish i had made at the time.

i realise that such a bass is never going to hold its value so it needs to be a keeper.

i've managed to read through about 30% of this thread and it seems that bar delivery delays, everyone who has purchased a maruszczyk is extremely happy with what they received. that fills me with confidence. having said that, there are still quite a few used maruszczyks on the market, which given how much they depreciate in value, is a cause for concern.

i'd appreciate feedback, both positive and negative, from maruszczyk owners and former owners before i bite the bullet.

for example: are there any upgrades you wish you had/hadn't made? any issues which couldn't be rectified...

thank you.
Click to expand...
I’m still on honeymoon with my jazzus fretless. The only thing Ive noticed so far is that one of the preamp knobs is not quite square to the body. Probably not noticeable to a crowd but I notice it looking down. It doesn’t bother me but at the price ($3,000+) I would expect near perfection. Love everything else about it including neck, walnut pattern, tuning pegs, everything else is quality.
 
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