Maruszczyk Thunderbirds!!! (Phoenix)

[krispn]

Got a reply today having emailed yesterday.

[BigRedX]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have sent [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Maruszczyk another email this time from the address I use for my work and which has no problem reaching all my customers/clients, so hopefully it will reach [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Maruszczyk as well![/font][/color]

Email is my preferred means of communication in situations like this. It ensures that there is a full record of all the questions and answers. As a supplier I have been badly bitten in the past with a misunderstanding between myself and a customer on an order that was only conducted via telephone conversations, and I ended up doing lots of work that was both unnecessary and unbillable. This would not have occurred if there had been a full permanent record of our "conversations".

I can understand that maybe a lot of the questions I have asked are at this point in time still unanswerable as [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]Maruszczyk don't actually appear to have made a 5-string version of the Phoenix yet. But if that is the case a simple "we can't answer these question yet, but we will do as soon as we can" email in return would be fine.[/color][/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]I'll wait and see.[/color][/font]

Edited November 8, 2017 by BigRedX

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1510048050' post='3403419']
Nancy will be along in a minute to say Maruszczyk should go down the tubes for doing that...
[/quote]

Ack. At least it hasn't got two big bites out of it. I'd never buy one, mind.

[Edit] If (as indicated on an earlier reply), he's offering these in custom colours too, then credit to him, because Gibson certainly missed the boat there. He needs to build them with long-stem cloverleaf machines as well. That said, I'd never buy one, mind.

Edited November 8, 2017 by NancyJohnson

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 25, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[ZilchWoolham]

Wait, the Lull T4 is BOLT-ON?!

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 25, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[ZilchWoolham]

It is! Don't get me wrong, my favourite basses are all bolt-on, but I'd expect a £4k copy of a neck-through bass to have a neck-through construction.

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1510139203' post='3404193']
Ack. At least it hasn't got two big bites out of it. I'd never buy one, mind.

[Edit] If (as indicated on an earlier reply), he's offering these in custom colours too, then credit to him, because Gibson certainly missed the boat there. He needs to build them with long-stem cloverleaf machines as well. That said, I'd never buy one, mind.
[/quote]

They do build a few basses for general sale through their site and dealers, but I'd say that most of their basses are custom orders. If you wanted it in pink with double P pickups and gold lollipop tuners, I'm sure anything could be done!

[BigRedX]

I finally got a reply from Adrian.

Unfortunately the 5-string version is currently just an idea for the future. He's still trying to sort out how to design the headstock for 5 tuners in a way that isn't ridiculous. So I think it will be a while before we see any let alone be able to order a custom version :-((

[Woodinblack]

Shame they are not doing it now. Maybe if it was a custom order though, I know I got my tuners move round to be a 3+2 on a fender style neck with ultralight tuners

[colleya]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1510328801' post='3405669']
Unfortunately the 5-string version is currently just an idea for the future.
[/quote]

My wallet just heaved a sigh of relief. Looks like the kids will be getting Xmas presents this year after all

[Conan]

On 10/11/2017 at 15:46, BigRedX said:

 5-string version is currently just an idea for the future. He's still trying to sort out how to design the headstock for 5 tuners in a way that isn't ridiculous.

Shame G&L didn't undertake that thinking process before coming up with this monstrosity...

 

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 25, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Woodinblack]

I prefer the L2500 headstock to any of the fender 5 string headstocks

[charic]

To me the L2500 seems almost cartoons for some reason.

 

Maybe I'm weird

[Cosmo Valdemar]

On 10/11/2017 at 15:30, dannybuoy said:

NancyJohnson said:

 

 He needs to build them with long-stem cloverleaf machines as well.

.

This. They were doing so well up to the machine heads! Of course they could probably fit the machine heads you asked for when ordering.

The Haussell pickups on the blue bass demo sound fantastic.

Edited November 16, 2017 by Cosmo Valdemar

[Sibob]

On 10/11/2017 at 15:16, ZilchWoolham said:

It is! Don't get me wrong, my favourite basses are all bolt-on, but I'd expect a £4k copy of a neck-through bass to have a neck-through construction.

Plenty of people much prefer the sound of bolt-ons to neck-throughs, you get a much more present attack with Bolt-On's (arguably a preference for the type of music typically played on Thunderbirds).

It's why plenty of boutique companies offer both options, because one is not 'better' than the other.

Si

Edited November 18, 2017 by Sibob

[NancyJohnson]

On 10/11/2017 at 13:42, ZilchWoolham said:

Wait, the Lull T4 is BOLT-ON?!

Great isn't it?

Honestly, don't see what the issue is though.  In a blind test, no touchy, could you tell the difference between a bolt-on, set neck or neck-through tonally?

[charic]

20 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Great isn't it?

Honestly, don't see what the issue is though.  In a blind test, no touchy, could you tell the difference between a bolt-on, set neck or neck-through tonally?

Finally no, by feel yes

Better question though, who buying a third goes past the 12th fret?

[NancyJohnson]

 

3 minutes ago, charic said:

Finally no, by feel yes

Better question though, who buying a third goes past the 12th fret?

I know I have considerable monetary investment in Lulls, but cost aside, the JAXT4 is the best bass I've ever played, bar none.  I'm hoping the new one is equally as good, or better.

[BigRedX]

On 11/18/2017 at 19:26, Sibob said:

Plenty of people much prefer the sound of bolt-ons to neck-throughs, you get a much more present attack with Bolt-On's (arguably a preference for the type of music typically played on Thunderbirds).

It's why plenty of boutique companies offer both options, because one is not 'better' than the other.

Si

Is there any proper scientific evidence that bolt-on necks make the bass sound different to neck through construction?

IME the actual neck construction of a bolt-on neck is completely different to that of a neck through, so how do we know that is is the neck joint that gives a particular sonic characteristic and not the overall construction?

Is there any luthier/manufacturer offering basses that are identical in every way (in so far as something made out of wood can be identical) except that one has a bolt-on neck and the other has a neck through. And do they offer sound clips that obviously demonstrate this sonic difference?

[Sibob]

55 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Is there any proper scientific evidence that bolt-on necks make the bass sound different to neck through construction?

IME the actual neck construction of a bolt-on neck is completely different to that of a neck through, so how do we know that is is the neck joint that gives a particular sonic characteristic and not the overall construction?

Is there any luthier/manufacturer offering basses that are identical in every way (in so far as something made out of wood can be identical) except that one has a bolt-on neck and the other has a neck through. And do they offer sound clips that obviously demonstrate this sonic difference?

If you google 'Bolt-on vs neck-through', there's a LOT of discussion about the subject.

My personal experience is that NTs offer more sustain, more resonance, whereas BOs offer more attack and of course the benefit of not having to replace the whole bass if the neck becomes irreversibly damaged (extreme case of course).

I've owned both and love both, including set-necks. I'm simply trying to suggest that a boutique builder using a BO technique over NT means nothing further than it's a construction/tonal choice, not a compromise.

Edit: Looks like Fodera ran this exact test:

"The theory goes, a neck-through construction has the most sustain, and a bolt-on construction has the least sustain. The dovetail construction lies somewhere in between the two. In the summer of 2012, we decided to put this theory to the test and built three virtually identical instruments with one distinct difference: the neck construction! We then lent them to our friend and Fodera Artist, Matt Garrison to record with all three so we could actually listen to the differences. You can listen to these recording for yourself here: https://soundcloud.com/fodera-guitars/sets/neck-joints "

 

Si

Edited November 20, 2017 by Sibob

[BigRedX]

Interesting. Unfortunately for me (and anyone else with an interest in proper scientific methodology) one sample of three different instruments does not prove anything. Now if they made 100 sets and got consistent results across each set then I might be convinced. 

Also if the photos that accompany the sound clips are of the basses in question, there are extra pieces of wood in the set neck and through neck constructions, which could be skewing the results. 

And finally TBH the difference between the bolt-on and through neck to me was close to imperceptible and would be even more so in the context of a band mix. 

[Sibob]

5 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Interesting. Unfortunately for me (and anyone else with an interest in proper scientific methodology) one sample of three different instruments does not prove anything. Now if they made 100 sets and got consistent results across each set then I might be convinced. 

Also if the photos that accompany the sound clips are of the basses in question, there are extra pieces of wood in the set neck and through neck constructions, which could be skewing the results. 

And finally TBH the difference between the bolt-on and through neck to me was close to imperceptible and would be even more so in the context of a band mix. 

We all know that such methodology is simply not going to happen in the context of musical instruments, the testing of a cohort of 100 identical instruments with one difference, and so there will never be any definitive proof. If that's what you need, presumably you're happy that you'll never have a preference between rosewood, maple, alder, ash, active, passive etc etc because there are simply too many micro-variables each time you try a different bass for you to know what the contributing factor is to you liking or not liking it. Fair play if that is the case.

I can definitely hear differences in the Fodera test, but completely agree that those differences are more than likely going to get lost in a band mix.....but then so does the whole rosewood, maple, alder, ash blah blah blah thing....but we don't just play in band mixes do we :). Then there's the question of aesthetic preferences, and the above-mentioned issue of repairs on through-necks etc.

Si

[ZilchWoolham]

On 2017-11-18 at 20:26, Sibob said:

Plenty of people much prefer the sound of bolt-ons to neck-throughs, you get a much more present attack with Bolt-On's (arguably a preference for the type of music typically played on Thunderbirds).

It's why plenty of boutique companies offer both options, because one is not 'better' than the other.

Si

Again, my preferred basses are all bolt-ons, so I've nothing against the construction at all. That being said, it is the cheapest way to attach a neck to a body (that's why Leo Fender did it). I don't think any bass should cost £4K, but if it does I'd expect, apart from top level craftsmanship (which I'm sure Mike Lull provides), expensive tonewoods and an elaborate construction. Something like the neck joint on a Warwick Thumb NT, which is the most gorgeous joint I've seen on a bass. Neck-thru but without the neck being visible from the top, yet without veneers, and with a fretboard that seems to be growing out of the body itself. 

Great initiative from Fodera, and good samples, too. In the first few clips they definitely go from brighter to darker to darkest (perhaps more like deepest). Once they started fiddling in the upper register I couldn't really hear a difference though. I couldn't really tell the slap clips apart either.  

Edited November 21, 2017 by ZilchWoolham