And, you would have some complaining that BETTER pictures should have been taken....
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The Official MARUSZCZYK CLUB!
- Thread starter ulasengin
- Start date
And, you would have some complaining that BETTER pictures should have been taken....
You know, I'm nervous right now. Having never seen a Maruszczyk bass previously, I placed my order for an Elwood 5a in December. It's the first time that I have ever gone the route of having an instrument built. I also purchased an Elwood 4a that was in stock at the same time that my order was placed. Getting the 4-string has helped to alleviate my concerns over build quality but that "unknown factor" regarding the 5-string build still has me a little shook! 
Will the options that I selected get me the results that I am seeking? I had no experience with Delano electronics before ordering. Will it be love?
Will the options that I selected get me the results that I am seeking? I had no experience with Delano electronics before ordering. Will it be love?
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Obviously, nobody knows the answer to that but I'd be more willing to bet money on the affirmative rather than the negative...You know, I'm nervous right now. Having never seen a Maruszczyk bass previously, I placed my order for an Elwood 5a in December. It's the first time that I have ever gone the route of having an instrument built. I also purchased an Elwood 4a that was in stock at the same time that my order was placed. Getting the 4-string has helped to alleviate my concerns over build quality but that "unknown factor" regarding the 5-string build still has me a little shook!
Yeah, this is another important point.
What you will experience, though, is that he will always Reply to your questions within a fairly short time and also seemingly major changes might still be possible, as stated above.
What I also like a lot: since they are being built in Poland, workforce is cheaper... I asked Adrian about the pay for the luthiers. He Didn't give Details, but He said that they get a fair pay, compared to the standard in Poland, that was an important factor for me in the end,
Obviously, nobody knows the answer to that but I'd be more willing to bet money on the affirmative rather than the negative...
Exactly! Even with the unknowns, I'm more inclined to be patient and let the process play out. I can accept slight delays as long as I'm confident that they are doing their best to complete my order to the best of their abilities. Getting pics and such would likely only have the effect of causing me to question/second guess things more.
I think some, like you, have placed a few orders before so you may be more confident about the outcome. This is a new way of purchasing a bass for me and with other options that I was considering, which would have most certainly required a more significant financial commitment plus longer build times, I can only imagine where my head would be right now.
In the end I decided to go with the Elwood 5a primarily because I felt good about what my due diligence revealed about the Maruszczyk line. Cost was definitely factored in but it wasn't my primary concern. I wanted a place that I could be content about dealing with on more of a long term basis. I may have found that....Exactly! Even with the unknowns, I'm more inclined to be patient and let the process play out. I can accept slight delays as long as I'm confident that they are doing their best to complete my order to the best of their abilities. Getting pics and such would likely only have the effect of causing me to question/second guess things more.
I think some, like you, have placed a few orders before so you may be more confident about the outcome. This is a new way of purchasing a bass for me and with other options that I was considering, which would have most certainly required a more significant financial commitment plus longer build times, I can only imagine where my head would be right now.
My Jake was the first time I'd done the custom order thing or paid anywhere near that for a bass. Adrian has gotten overwhelmingly good reviews, so I wasn't concernd about the quality or him flaking out on the build. I was concerned that it just wouldn't be what I expected and that I wouldn't bond with it. You just never know how its gonna feel until it's in your hands. I can seriously say there is nothing about the Jake that I would change. I may never buy another bass, unless I start gassing for a fiver, in which case a 5-string Elwood may be in my future.
My Jake was the first time I'd done the custom order thing or paid anywhere near that for a bass. Adrian has gotten overwhelmingly good reviews, so I wasn't concernd about the quality or him flaking out on the build. I was concerned that it just wouldn't be what I expected and that I wouldn't bond with it. You just never know how its gonna feel until it's in your hands. I can seriously say there is nothing about the Jake that I would change. I may never buy another bass, unless I start gassing for a fiver, in which case a 5-string Elwood may be in my future.
My only real concerns about quality were due to the fact that I'd never seen or touched a Maruszczyk. I had no baseline to draw from. I'd feel the same about any bass in that situation. I've paid more for a few basses but they were off the rack products. I've only had too wait a few days for gratification.
I'm used to buying without trying. Most of the gear that I own was acquired in that manner as a lot of what I'm interested in you just don't see in my area. I ask questions and solicit opinions from a great deal of people/sources to see if I can make myself comfortable with the idea of buying what is being considered. I got comfortable with Maruszczyk so I placed an order. Getting my Elwood 4a after I placed the order has made me a LOT more relaxed. I now have that baseline. I just hope that the ingredients that I requested for the 5a being built makes for a good soup....
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I agree with the idea that it's a little unsettling to buy a bass sight-unplayed. I've done that once, with a "cheapo" Ibanez that has its flaws but has been useful and solid as a bass I'm not afraid to fly with (TSA has broken my TSA-approved flight case clasps THREE separate times, so that now I have only one working clasp). If my expectations had been higher about that purchase, I would've been seriously bummed out, but it ended up aligning with my money-to-expectations ratio. With the Maruszczyk I just ordered, I did a lot of research, especially in this group, and paid close attention to the specs. There's still a really good chance that, through no fault of Maruszczyk instruments, the bass might not be for me, simply because it's configured a certain way. For example, I've been playing soapbar humbuckers for decades now. I haven't owned a bass with a single-coil Jazz Bass setup for ages. Where might this be an issue for me? It has a lot to do with how much pickup is under my fingers when I'm playing (I need something to stop me from digging in too much). Now, I've been concerned that the bass I ordered, in its "as-built" configuration, is going to feel weird simply because it's a physical configuration I'm not used to. The measure I took against that was to play someone's Jazz Bass a lot while I was back east for xmas. I discovered that the J-bass pups, however much they are narrower than what I'm used to, are perfectly fine. I also remembered that the first 5-string bass I bought, way back in the 1980s, was an Ibanez with slim J-bass-style pups. The other thing that worries me a little is playing single-coil pups. Haven't had those in years, and the hum drives me nuts (e.g., when I fiddle around on my cheap Strat). That said, I'm willing to consider that NOT a deal breaker, given the other qualities of the instrument I've ordered. Another example is string spacing. I've grown accustomed, simply through habit playing my Modulus and my Ibanez basses, of string spacing around 17 mm. I looked at a lot of killer basses with wider spacing, and I get why that's appealing, but it's not what I'm accustomed to, so the Elwood I ordered fit that need by having 17 mm spacing at the bridge. Again, haven't received it yet, but I suspect it's going to be a really excellent looking and well-built bass, and I suspect it will play nicely, too.
Folks
One solution to cure the stress of the unknown and to shorten the waiting duration is to order an "Exhibition" bass (for much less money), and so I did.
This one arrived today, and let me tell you (and certify you) that the quality is there.
Fretwork is fantastic, Woodwork is wonderful, in fact anything is great with this bass.
Just had few moments to play with (been busy with work) and it plays like butter (I understand now what it means). LOL
The Delano's are awesome very clear and well defined.
One solution to cure the stress of the unknown and to shorten the waiting duration is to order an "Exhibition" bass (for much less money), and so I did.
This one arrived today, and let me tell you (and certify you) that the quality is there.
Fretwork is fantastic, Woodwork is wonderful, in fact anything is great with this bass.
Just had few moments to play with (been busy with work) and it plays like butter (I understand now what it means). LOL
The Delano's are awesome very clear and well defined.
Yeah thats a nice bass man! A lot of the 5-string exhibition models have the 17mm string spacing though and they rarely have a shorter scale in there. But the prices are ridiculously low indeed!! Enjoy it!
Good for you! Congratulations.
But for heaven's sake get a tort guard for it...!
Ah Ah!! Thank you
Hell yeah, I'll add one to my custom build. Was also thinking about Cream Pearl one!! like this
Thank you
yeah I was hesitating getting a 5er, but I think I'll be better off building a new one later on this year.
Let's say that this one was a trial one. But I have to say that I'm very impressed
I had a guy on eBay years ago ask me to take very specific photos of a bass. Left side 3/4 tilt under natural light, right side level, back at a certain angle etc. etc. I asked him what he was specifically looking for to avoid having to take so many additional photos. He responded, "I'm going to be listing the same exact bass as yours and you are a much better photographer than me." Imagine that type of nonsense from a much broader customer base. Maruszczyk would only build a couple basses per month!
That eBay guy probably wouldn't have liked the response that he would have received from me!
That EXACT bass was just removed from Reverb.com ..... well, maybe not THAT exact bass, but a completely identical Jazzus to that one in your image had been on Reverb for months .... and now it's not. Hmmmm?????
Anyway ...
Congrats! I'm sure you will love her!
