Naetharu

That is VERY nice - what is the technical name of that colour?

Well after some thinking about it I've contacted the seller with a view to returning this one and paying some extra money to get a new one made up for me. Despite the cosmetic issues with this particular bass I am totally taken with the instrument's sound and feel. No doubt in my mind that they're amazing instruments, let alone for the price they go for. I've no doubt it'll all be sorted without issue - cheers for the advice folks

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1439489876' post='2843361'] If it's 'used', you should expect a [i]bit [/i]of wear. Not sure what I'd do to be honest, without seeing the bass. Maybe keep it - after all, you usually have to pay over the odds for that kind of mojo... If it plays really well and sounds as good as you say it does and the 'wear' isn't threatening the playability or the structure of the bass then I'd probably hang onto it and ask for a partial refund. Just my 2p of course - I don't really like shiny new basses. [/quote] Hehe, aye, if only I was into relic work then its a great example

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1439488139' post='2843348'] That's surprising and a shame, but IMO you should always go back to the vendor and give them a chance to put things right before going public. I hope you get sorted. [/quote] Just to be clear, this post is not intended to be a criticism of [i]the seller [/i]or Maruszczyk instruments at all. All my dealings with [i]the seller[/i] have been excellent and this experience in no way puts me off dealing with him again, nor should it worry others considering going there. What's happened here, at least from what I can see, is a case of miss-communication between myself and the shop. I'm just genuinely torn about what to do and was looking for a bit of advice.

EDIT: Hi folks, I decided to add this at the top since there seems to have been some confusion over the purpose of this post. My reason for asking about this bass was because i really liked how it played, but that it was not in as good condition as I had hoped and so was torn about whether to keep it or not. In no way is this post a complaint about my experience with the seller (which has been great all around) and it should not be taken in that way at all. This was the result of a simple hasty purchase and a little bit of miss-communication and nothing more - and I really appreciate all of the great advice people gave me which helped me make up my mind. The issue was resolved yesterday and the seller was very helpful and I have a lovely new bass on the way. Hi folks, Last week I purchased a 2nd hand Maruszczyk. Its a Jake model, and suited my need perfectly. I had a bit of a chat about it via email before paying, as I wanted to know the neck size, weight etc and some stuff about possible changes to pick-guard. At no point was there any mention of this bass being beaten up pretty bad. Now its partially my fault here since I never expressly asked, because perhaps naively I expected anything significant to be declared up front. Upon arrival today the bass has some MAJOR mojo that was not visible from the images on the site. It appears to have been badly knocked around where the input jack is, and is missing a big chunk of finish and has major cracks though the finish around that area. There more more cracks in the finish between the bridge and the hum-bucker, as well as chips around the horns and the heel of the neck. Also, the hardware is corroded quite badly and the two of the pots feel off - they are very stiff and seem to lack the clear click that should indicate the neutral position for the eq. Now I paid a reasonable price for the bass, around £400 including shipping and for that it came with a new gig-bag, a great quality strap and a replacement scratch-plate (for atheistic reasons since I don't much like tort and so wanted a black one). So my question is, what would you do in this situation? The bass plays like a dream, its well balanced on the strap and it sounds great. It utterly blows away anything else I have played. However, I can't help feeling a bit annoyed that I was not told the poor condition of the instrument at the time of purchase - I expect some reasonable ware but this feels more like its been on a world tour or two in its time. I'm torn between just shrugging my sholders and keeping it, since its for gigging anyhow and so its bound to get beaten up a bit as time goes on, or on sending it back and adding some extra cash to get a new version. Part of my worry is that when I come to move it on Its going to be pretty hard given the state that it is in. I'll try and take a few pics but I don't have a good cam to hand for the moment.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1439456287' post='2842939'] I would concentrate on getting a good case and keep pedals etc in a separate bag/case. I'd vote for a Hiscox, but do you need a hard case? IME you only need a hard case when you're storing the bass in a van, someone else is going to carry it or you need to send it through the post. Otherwise a Mono Vertigo, for example, is a good lightweight all rounder for carrying and protecting your bass. [/quote] I like to have a hard-case since (1) I travel quite a bit and have to store it in friends houses where there is not always a good safe spot and (2) I have a very excitable staffordshire bull terrier (see my profile pic) who I prefer to keep separated from my bass by a good quality bit of hard-shell casing. He's always been very well behaved but it only takes a moment of madness for him to decide that this funny bit of alder and strings makes a wonderful chew toy.

Hi folks, Just felt like sharing my going crazy with anticipation here. My new Maruszczyk Jake is on its way to me this morning via Fed Ex - could be here any time between now and 6pm this evening. I fear I am going to spend the whole day sat by the window doing an impression of my dog when he is watching out for the postman Anyhow, pics to follow shortly once it arrives! James

Hi folks, I've got a Maruszczyk Jake (pretty much a Fender P-Bass) and I would like to get a decent hard-case for it. I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good aftermarket case for a bass of this style. I have a generic 'Black Rat' ABS case from PMT at the moment, which is fine for storage at home, but the fit is pretty poor and so the bass had a tenancy to slip around inside the case when carried. Ideally, I would like a case that is fitted, reasonably light weight, and that has space for a few extras such as my compression pedal, strap and cables. Any suggestions would be really appreciated. James

Cheers folks, that's really interesting. Its one of those things that if I didnt ask about it I would be wondering forever more.

Hi folks, Just seen a few bassists playing with a thick cloth band around the top of the neck and I'm curious as to what this is about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjhfh4PYFjs shows an example of what I mean. Cheers! James

Hehe, well I think I am going the other direction. Started playing back in April, with a little squire. Then up to two with an Ibanez...and now the third is on its way from Germany...

[quote name='2x18' timestamp='1439121105' post='2840134'] I had its big brother the WTX500 for a while -- Loved the tone but found it very underpowered, way less volume than my TC RH450 and even my old Kustom Deep End 200 watt Bass head,and that was through very efficient cabinets ( BFM Omni 15 and Fearful 15/6 ) Not enough power for gigging with my covers Band! Will. [/quote] Cheers bud, I'm having this same issue with my Ashdown Mi-Bass so sounds like I need to avoid the Eden too!

Most of the time gold hardware is a major negative for me - its the one thing I HATE about the high-end Ibanez basses. However, I must admit to rather liking this one: Its got a sort of Larry Graham vibe going on.

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1439216362' post='2840930'] I like it. But I am wrong in the head. [/quote] To be honest I don't hate it. I think that it comes down to context for things like that. I could actually imagine it being quite cool in a classic funk band. However, its not a look that is good in and of itself, at least to my eyes.

Relic finishes for me - I just hate it. I have no trouble with a bass that is showing lots of actual use but I really don't get the idea of battering some new bass to make it look like it has been played. Also, most of the relic work I have seen is pretty dubious - way too much wear and rust etc.

[b]Intro[/b] This is a review for the 2.0 version of the Ashdown Mi-Bass head (400 Watts). No to be confused with the more common standard Mi-Bass with the five-band EQ. [b]Overview[/b] The Mi-Bass is a compact class-D amp with simple controls and a few neat features. I picked mine up as B-Stock from Andertons for around £160. The amp’s controls are very basic, with a Gain and Output controlling the bass’ volume. The Gain stage has a circuit that is supposed to mimic a tube-style overdrive when turned up past the 2-O’clock mark, and it seems to do this rather well. The EQ is a simple three band. Perhaps one of the nicer features, at least when it comes to a home practice amp, is that it has a dedicated volume control for the line in, making it very easy to get a good volume level when playing along to recordings and backing tracks. The amp also features a DI out (pre-EQ), a headphone socket (large style), and a choice of either regular or speakon connectors which is a nice addition. [b]Build Quality[/b] In respect to the build quality I cannot fault the amp. It feels very solid, with a nice matt metal casing and heavy duty plastic dials. All of the sockets are secure and the whole thing has the feel of being well made. Being a class-D amp its light but it still feels sturdy. It’s certainly more than capable of standing up to being taken to gigs/practice sessions and otherwise being run through the rigors that bass playing entails. It’s also worth noting that it comes with a very nice quality gig-bag that has a great thick fleece lining and fits the amp very snugly, making it easy to transport and adding to the security when taking it out and about. [b]Features[/b] As mentioned above, the features are quite basic but what is there is nice. The amp’s ‘Gain’ control features a pleasant sounding over-drive style distortion when turned up enough. The sound is very usable and produces a good tone which retains the bottom end. The EQ is a little disappointing. Its only three band and there is a very limited variation on offer. Even cranking the EQ dials fully sees far less movement in the sound than is the case in other amps I have used. As such, I would advise against this head unless you have either an active bass or a good EQ pedal that you are happy to use instead of those on-board the amp. Personally I use an active instrument and tend to dial in my sound that way, leaving the EQ on the amp flat. However, it is disappointing how in-effective the EQ on this amp is. The amp features a line-in with a dedicated volume control all housed on the front of the casing, which is very useful. It also has a headphone socket on the rear of the casing. Together this makes it great for practice sessions in my flat. Added to this is that, thanks to being a class-D amp, it can be used without a speaker load, thus making for a very portable and quiet means of playing in all situations. [b]Sound[/b] The sound of the amp is pretty much classic Ashdown – very close to that of my old MAG-300. It’s quite warm, and smooth and avoids some of the tinny treble that some amps have. However, due to the EQ discussed above, it is a little bit of a one-trick pony unless you bring in some outside means of shaping the sound. It’s also worth mentioning that the amp is quite given the wattage rating. It’s certainly enough to pull off a good practice session with a reasonable drummer when hooked up to a pair of 112 cabs, but I would say it’s noticeably less powerful than the 260 watt class D from Eden, and certainly less powerful than my old MAG-300. [b]Overall[/b] In conclusion, I find the Ashdown Mi-Bass 2.0 a nice amp for practice. If you can pick one up for under the £200 mark, you’re going to get a compact and well-built head that is great for using to play along with MP3/YouTube tracks and as a solid practice session amp provided you have a reasonable drummer. However, if you’re playing a passive bass be careful since the EQ here leaves something to be desired. Furthermore, don’t be caught off guard by the wattage claims, since the amp is not as powerful as its technical specs would suggest. I love the amp for what I use it for, but at the same time I find myself thinking about picking up either an Eden or Fender class-D amp in the near future to have something equally light and a little more gig-worthy.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1439110615' post='2839966'] There are free drum machines available, e.g. Hydrogen. [url="http://www.hydrogen-music.org"]http://www.hydrogen-music.org[/url] If you use a drum machine you can do everything from a click on beats 2 and 4 of the bar, up to sophisticated rhythm tracks. Programming in your own backing beats is IMHO a useful skill to have, and using a drum machine as a metronome gives you little and often experience of that. [/quote] Big +1 to this: Hydrogen is awesome - very easy to use and lots of flexibility.

Adrian at Maruszczyk is currently making me one for a P/MM (PJ but with an MM humbucker) - it's costing 45 euros including postage which seems pretty reasonable to me. Lead time is around 2 weeks since its being custom made in Poland and then shipped over. Might be worth contacting him to ask?

Do I win?

Hi folks, I'm in the market for a new bass amp head and I am considering this little Eden. I managed to find one in a local store today, but they only had a pretty crappy 4x10 cab to run it through (it was a pretty shabby looking TC Electronic cab). I liked the amp but found it sounded a little metallic for my taste, however, I suspect that could well be down to the cab in question. As such, I am wondering if anyone here has experience with these little amps and if so what you think of them? If I go for it I'll order via Thomman or Adertons so I can always return it if it does not work out, but I would like to avoid having to do that if at all possible, so any feedback or advice on this amp would be greatly appreciated. Best wishes James

Oh that is nice! I tried one of these out in my local PMT last month and I love the sound of the Nordstrand pups. Add that to the beautiful wood and this is one cracker of a bass.

Wow that is one nice looking bass! You're not doing my bank balance any favours showing off a beauty like that!

I'll be sure to post! Adrian tells me it should be here in three to four weeks...the longest month I have ever experienced I expect

Seems very expensive for what it is to me. Then I've never been much of a Gibson fan, but if I was going to spend over 3k on a bass I think there are a lot of other options that I would look toward before that one.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1438810510' post='2837692'] It's quite right and understandable that you want to try one first, but FWIW I ordered mine blind... and I absolutely can't fault it. The build quality is impeccable, and bear in mind you can spec it with pretty much any hardware you like... [/quote] Its all your fault that I ordered mine! I was doing fine with my little Ibanez until I saw your beautiful P/J in your NBD post a few weeks back and since then I've been fighting some major GAS