rasher80 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I've now enough money to splash out on the lefty 75RI Jazz bass i've always wanted. The lowest price i can pick one up from new is £999 @ Guitar Emporium. It's a pain seeing as the price was only around £700 a year ago, but the pound's weak and all the other recession-y stuff isn't helping! I stumbled across the Maruszczyk website [url="http://www.public-peace.de/"]Maruszczyk Instruments[/url] and after a brief chat with Adrian, i found i could have a custom-made option with well known pickups and hardware such as EMG, Delano, Schaller, Gotoh etc at no extra cost, as well as a bound/blocked rosewood neck and colour matched headstock for less than the Fender. It's just that i don't know many people who have heard of them, let alone played them. I was concerned about re-sale value but i'm pretty certain that i'm going to keep this bass for a hell of a long time. I know Fenders are known the world over and i might not be able to command a decent price against the Fender should i wish to get rid of it, but it will be built to my specs so i should in theory have my dream bass! Anybody have any experience with the basses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bythesea Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 GreeneKing has one of these and will no doubt be along later - but meantime [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=53761"]here's a thread[/url] about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Ive heard of them....Nearly bought one...."AREA" on here has had a few of them....he has sold a couple on here..drop him in line... You got me thinking now!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasher80 Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 They look pretty amazing from the pics on the website - thanks for the link to the other thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Indeed they are amazing. I'm more than pleased with mine and I've owned a Sadowsky Metro and a US Lakland to compare them with. Mine is passive and I've plans afoot to put a Sadowsky pre in too. These are serious contenders for a great price. 'Marooshchick' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I've played one of his lefty Elwood J's Adrian Maruszczyk had brought with him to a Dutch bass players meeting where some luthiers and Dutch amp builders were also invited to show off their goods. It was this one: It is the very bass pictured on Arni's website in his giveaway to celebrate 10 years of leftybass.com: And to be honest, I didn't like it. It looks great, but the black blocks on the fingerboard were painted on and will wear over time, and the overall feel of the bass was rather... wel, cheap, actually. It was set up very low and played very easily, but it sounded overly bright to my ears and required me to turn the tone knob way back. Don't know the specs, but it looked like an ash body with a maple neck and fingerboard, I prefer my JB75-US over it, it looks and feels much more authentic and sounds bigger and fatter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 [quote name='GreeneKing' post='547648' date='Jul 22 2009, 02:58 PM']'Marooshchick'[/quote] You've given up on the 'T' sound in the middle, then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 [quote name='LeftyJ' post='547657' date='Jul 22 2009, 03:00 PM']It looks great, but the black blocks on the fingerboard were [b][size=3][color="#FF0000"]painted on [/color][/size][/b]and will wear over time ...[/quote] Good grief ... really? That's very disappointing. I love these basses and came very close to buying one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasher80 Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 i asked Adrian about this and he said that the black blocks on the maple necks are painted on. He does offer MOP inlays for rosewood necks but it's EUR 100 dearer than the standard model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='547670' date='Jul 22 2009, 03:07 PM']You've given up on the 'T' sound in the middle, then? [/quote] It's a polish pronunciation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) I'm surprised that you had the impression that the overall feel of the bass was rather 'cheap'. What does that mean exactly I wonder? Could the painted blocks have 'coloured' your impression? Mine is well put together and well finished and uses top quality hardware. The wood is worked cleanly and there's no rough edges or areas of finishing that disappoint. The fretwork and neck are pretty perfect to my eye and feel. It's a one piece Northern ash body and isn't light. The passive electrics are behind a sumptuously chromed plate and the pickguard is a better quality than most. I'd be surprised if the guy brought a dodgy one to a bass gathering. If anyone's around Kendal and interested in these they're welcome to give it a 2nd opinion. Peter Edited to add: I agree that painted blocks isn't very inspiring though Edited July 22, 2009 by GreeneKing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 [quote name='GreeneKing' post='547881' date='Jul 22 2009, 06:38 PM']I'm surprised that you had the impression that the overall feel of the bass was rather 'cheap'. What does that mean exactly I wonder? Could the painted blocks have 'coloured' your impression? Mine is well put together and well finished and uses top quality hardware. The wood is worked cleanly and there's no rough edges or areas of finishing that disappoint. The fretwork and neck are pretty perfect to my eye and feel. I'd be surprised if the guy brought a dodgy one to a bass gathering.[/quote] It was the overall feel of the bass and especially the neck that gave me that impression. The finish of the neck mostly. I generally like high gloss finished necks and have quite a couple, but this Maruszczyk really felt like plastic to my hands, I didn't like the feel one bit. The fretwork was impeccable, the woodwork was nice and the finish had been applied very tightly and neat, but it was the feel of the neck that disappointed me. The look of the black blocks has in no way influenced my opinion for that matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 [quote name='LeftyJ' post='548520' date='Jul 23 2009, 01:58 AM']It was the overall feel of the bass and especially the neck that gave me that impression. The finish of the neck mostly. I generally like high gloss finished necks and have quite a couple, but this Maruszczyk really felt like plastic to my hands, I didn't like the feel one bit. The fretwork was impeccable, the woodwork was nice and the finish had been applied very tightly and neat, but it was the feel of the neck that disappointed me. The look of the black blocks has in no way influenced my opinion for that matter.[/quote] Hmmm... my Elwood has a vintage tint high gloss neck that I've never thought of as 'plasticky' it just looks good and plays well. The headstock goes to satin which is interesting. As a contrast the nitro cellulose finish on my new P is similar but a bit 'sticky' at the moment. I'm hoping that will go as I use it. Interesting stuff, I'd still recommend them as I don't 'see' any of the 'cheap' and 'plastic' characteristics myself but it a very subjective thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 [quote name='GreeneKing' post='548546' date='Jul 23 2009, 07:50 AM']but it a very subjective thing.[/quote] Absolutely. I also know a lot of people who'll tell me 'Did this really cost as much as 1500 pounds?' in utter disappointment after playing my Rickenbacker . But I love that bass! It's just one of those instruments you either love or hate. And I must admit I haven't played the Elwood J through my own Ashdown rig but only through that Maruszczyk amp you can see in the picture. I wonder how I would have liked the tone through my own amp. Still though, I wasn't quite as impressed with that bass as I am with my MIJ '75 Jazz reissue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tischbein Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 The basses Adrian produces in Poland are quite good... but think about the resale value... 7ucker alway sells better and you won´t hang on to a bass 4ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I'm not sure that resale value is a good enough reason that we should stick to the big F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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