mcnach

a Polish colleague explaining to me how to pronounce this... (the 'y' was some kind of hybrid between i/e, closer to 'e' actually)

[quote name='krispn' timestamp='1433369052' post='2790593'] I'd have swung by your gig this weekend but I'm off up north but keep me posted when your playing again and I'll come have a listen. It's a fine looking bass and judging by the sheer quality of the two NBD threads these guys are worth checking out! [/quote] They are!! Next week we have a weekend off , but we're back on Friday 19th, Whistle Binkies, midnight-ish till 2.30am. Come say hi if you can!

That looks even better than the first picture! 7.2lbs!!! wow!!! Mine is less fancy than yours, but like you, I'm amazed at the level of workmanship, and the cost... it just doesn't add up. It's not just a lot of bass for the money, it's just a lot of bass, at any price. Taking it to a gig soon? Mine is out on Friday and Saturday, no doubt!

Well, I had a 2h rehearsal tonight with the Jake. AND I LOVE IT!!! Very comfy, the neck is a little nicer than my Classic 50 even. I don't know what it is... I think it may be just as wide and perhaps a tiny bit deeper on the first frets, but further down is a bit shallower... I don't know, it is just a nicer profile than I expected. Very pleased with the result. Sound-wise... that bridge pickup is a beast! I am still not 100% sure about the P pickup... but it sounded better than I expected after my test at home. They're not bad pickups at all. The P actually reminds me of the Wizard Thumper I used to have... I also felt it was a little scooped in the mids for my liking. I used mostly the P on its own, and sometimes both on. We have one song that calls for a bridge pickup funky kind of sound, and the bridge alone with the tone rolled off a bit was just perfect... This bass is going to be used this weekend, for sure! It cost just a little more than the Classic 50 Precision... and I was able to choose finish, colour, neck dimensions (and I could have changed a lot more things, like pickup placement of types of pickups... for not much more). These basses are fantastic value. I suppose it'll be harder to sell on than a Fender, if it came to it... but who in their right mind would want to sell it? Also, I had not noticed at first that the headstock is slightly tilted back. Just slightly, enough to ensure a nice break angle over the nut. Nicely done. I'm not in a hurry to buy another bass... but I suspect that I'd think of another Maruszczyc if I want something else. Highly recommended!

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1433359017' post='2790481'] I like the maple/ash natural look, the neck looks like a nice bit of quartersawn wood and it all looks very tidily built. If you gig it on Friday I might be around to hear it, though I think my Saturday gig clashes with yours. [/quote] I will most certainly use it on Friday, so if you're around you're welcome to lay your hands on it

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1433358594' post='2790476'] Really nice. The black hardware looks particularly nice. Is the body a bit more 'offset' than the P? I like it [/quote] I think the lower horn cutaway is a bit lower, yes, because of the extra fret.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1433358098' post='2790470'] Very funky! Have you taken the plastic off the PG yet? :-) [/quote] Not yet! I didn't have much time before rehearsal tonight, so I didn't want to waste time (I like to remove the pots so that I can get to all the plastic). But it'll happen tomorrow. How about yours?

That looks fantastic, WoT! I unpacked mine too But I cannot get the light right...

The two "contenders" for this weekend's gigs

Although this was "custom", I didn't go for anything very extraordinary, at least visually. It's essentially a PJ, passive, where instead of the usual J I have two J pickups in a humbucking configuration. The zero fret is a feature of all Maruszczyc instruments. I always liked the idea. I initially wanted a more yellowish finish, kind of "vintage" Fender, if you know what I mean. The neck is lacquered, gloss. I emailed back and forth about this... Adrian said it might be difficult to get the exact colour I meant and he showed me a picture of one of his yellow tinted necks. I felt it was a bit too much. It might have been ok, it's hard to photograph correctly and I've seen other instruments that look just right... but I played it safe and told him to not worry about it. The actual colour is more "alive" than the pictures above suggest. I should take pictures on a sunny day. What I wanted was a PJ type, replicating in a way the neck of my Classic 50 Precision. This is considered by most people as "chunky" but I think it's a wonderful neck. I specified nut width and depth at 1st fret, to get in the ball park. The result? GREAT! I love the neck, I feel at home instantly. It's a *tiny* bit narrower perhaps, but it could be my perception, as the strings are indeed closer together than on my Precision. You see, I indicated the width at the nut, but not the inter-string distance! The nut appears to be cut just as if it were for a narrower neck instrument (his stock Jakes seem to be about 40mm wide while the Classic 50 is about 43). Not a biggie, especially in a zero fret instrument! But I'm not in a hurry to change that, and I probably will leave it as it is. It plays beautifully, really comfy. The pickups... I'm not so crazy about. They're just the standard ones, I decided to just go stock and see... and I'm not sure. But I'll give it a try before deciding to change them. I had to play a little with the pickup heights to make it sound right to my ears... The bridge pickup was a bit overpowering. The output of these pickups is enormous, both of them! So I ended up bringing them down, away from the strings a bit, and angling them a little. Now they're more balanced, and with both pickups on it sounds pretty meaty, whilst originally it was too scooped. Usual Jazz bass tricks balancing the pickups. The bridge humbucker is nice. It's my kind of sound: fat, good definition, lots of mids... this cuts through like nothing else. The neck pickup is ok, but when played against my Precision, my Precision wins, no question. It sounds ok, but it's a little dark. Now, I am not sure how much it is because of the pickup, and how much because of the position of the pickup. It's about 1cm closer to the neck than in a standard Precision. Adrian said it made little difference, but I'm not entirely certain. Again, I could have placed it anywhere I wanted, but in the end I went for their stock placement. It certainly is a Precision, no doubt... but it doesn't make me smile the way the Precision does. Still, early days. Let's try it with the band and judge then. So... that's my Maruszczyk Jake 4! It feels wonderful. It's very very well balanced, better than my Precision. Not particularly light, yet definitely on the light side. The build and finish is flawless. 2h till rehearsal! Let's get something to eat and take this baby out edit - I forgot another feature of these basses: the angled headstock.It's is slightly angled, enough to do away with the string tree on Fenders and MusicMan basses. I don't have anything against string trees and I think that a straight headstock is probably less prone to damage (falling flat, hitting headstock first, etc)... Not a huge consideration, but there it is.

I forgot, it came with a nice leather strap too, as shown in the picture above. Really nicely padded... I'm not a fan of leather straps, I own a couple I never use... But this one is very nice. Another very nice touch. Ok, a few pictures:

Well... I got home and unpacked it. The ironing board came in a reasonable gigbag (it won't compete with my Fusion F1, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it), some tools in a pretty velvet bag (unnecessary, but I guess it adds to the nice overall cosmetics), and (terrible!) a booklet with a lot of drooling material and further info about what kind of custom work this company will do for you: everything you can think of! This is bad. It makes me want to design something really special for them to build! But I'll resist for now... and here it is... my Maruszczyk (spellchecker, go away!!!) Jake:

[quote name='Markolinni' timestamp='1433337576' post='2790204'] now.. UNWRAP IT ... and say out loud... mar.. marus.. marusxz... well, forget that! .. let's play [/quote]I I'm going home earlyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1433339203' post='2790226'] I would have had to open the parcel if it was me...would have sneaked an amp in with me in the morning too if I knew it was coming... [/quote] Well... as I was anticipating this moment, I prepared for it, and I have only about 15 left at work before I escape home. Rehearsal tonight as well... I was planning to use my Precision on the Friday and Saturday gigs, and tonight I get to use the backline that will be provided on Friday at rehearsal... But... It would almost be insulting to leave the contents of that box at home.

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1433338501' post='2790220'] I have no idea, but I have the same filing cabinet as you at work. [/quote] (turning around....) But I don't see you? Are you sure it's the same???

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1433336384' post='2790182'] I am also at work, but mine has been opened and plunked upon. More later :-) [/quote] Dang! You beat me to it! And? Looking forward to the inevitable NBD thread

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1433332235' post='2790138'] Ironing board? [/quote] You clearly know me and know the state of my shirts (I own an ironing board, and a nice iron... which gets used about 5 times a year )

[b]edit: finally revealed, I edited the title - Maruszczyk Jake[/b] This is just cruel... I have received this a couple of hours ago... and it's just sitting there looking at me while at work. Unopened...

Mine was scanned in Stansted at 16.15!!! Impatient? Not a bit, cool as a cucumber here... edit: estimated delivery... Wednesday 3rd, by 18:00 edit 2:

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1433243924' post='2789236'] Why would someone go to all the trouble of grafting a Korean Squier neck onto a non-Squier body to end up with a bass that is worth thrupence ha'penny? That's what I can't fathom out [/quote] I think it is most likely a Squier indeed. The bridge with the extra two screws.. yup, it's been used in some Squiers too. They've made so many different variations, that it doesn't surprise me to find a colour we haven't seen before. I don't see anything that screams "not a Squier", so I'd assume it is until proven wrong. Could be that someone use the neck to build something with another body, but it all looks pretty Squierish to me. I can't see anything weird with the shape of the horn either... I don't know.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1433165627' post='2788443'] I've not played one in person, but the demos suggest to me that Motown style is not it's forte. Best pedals for that (IMHO) are either a v1 Catalinbread SFT (older one with the white knobs) or a Bearfoot Blueberry. Both more expensive than the EHX though, granted! [/quote] The demos seem to show the more distorted/less smooth type of sounds. Don't dismiss it based on those demos!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1433154196' post='2788232'] Y'all have probably seen this on the other thread, but if not... this will be with me on Wednesday :-) [/quote] Mine too!!! I'll race you to unpack it!!!

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1433083825' post='2787654'] It doesn't have any letters proceeding the numbers [url="http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/markmojo1962/media/20150531_154200_zpsshd7cjst.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] ah! I have no idea, then

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1433079211' post='2787586'] It's just a six digit number and looking how close some of the pickguard screwholes are to the control cavity, I wouldn't say it's been 'crafted' by anyone [/quote] no, I meant the letters before the numbers, what are they?

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1433078872' post='2787581'] Groan. [/quote] Just "groan" or care adding a few more words?