mcnach

The festival got cancelled, but an impromptu gig was arranged at another venue in town. It was touching to find venues offering to wake up their sound engineers and get a team to clean the place up quickly and to provide all backline just so that we could play In the end we went with one of the smaller ones (we were not sure we could fill the bigger nicer one at such short notice), and we had a good turn out, it was good. I used the new bass again. This time with a Peavey 1x15 combo that had seen much better days in a very boomy stage... The sound was awful onstage. So, again, I did not have a good feel for the new bass onstage, but they tell me it sounded nice out front, so it worked... But, I'm really getting a little frustrated with the P pickup. It's going, for sure. I love the way the bass feels, and the JJ pickup is great... but I'm in a mostly P-mood, and it's not cutting it at the moment. So, it's back to the Fender until I get the right pickup for this bass.

By the way, check the QR10PA in amazon, it's cheaper there, I think around £140-150

The QR10PA is pretty light as it is. The Roland is nice, but volume can be an issue. I've been using the QR10PA for a couple of years now and I'm very happy with it. I've also just bought a tiny battery operated mixer from Maplins (they have several, from £10 to £30 depending on features), so that I can put a few more things through it. When I checked the Roland, I felt that it would not be enough volume for me. With the QR10PA I have always had a lot more in store than I needed, even when I played with a trumpet player, sax player, three guitars through mini Roland amps (the guitar versions are good for busking, plenty loud if needed) and a drummer playing either a cajon, or a small snare and hi-hats. Playing out in the park, it's noisy, it can be windy... the Roland would have been drowned after a few feet. If you're always playing with a quieter band in quiet situations, then the Roland might be ok, but I thought the QR10PA was more versatile for not that much more weight (it's still light and easy to carry - but forget about the built-in wheels, they're rubbish, I just grab it by one of the side bars, they make a better handle than the actual handle). I've used it busking in quieter places, and busking in places we were allowed to be louder, like by the beach. We also played in pubs, "open-mic" style, where we can turn up a bit more. It just works, and battery life is good, so far.

[quote name='Fisheth' timestamp='1433603504' post='2792468'] I'm having this dilemma also, the Arry bass looks lovely, but it seems overpriced from my perspective. I'd love one though. But since there's a lot of other options out there, I just think it's a bit much. That's all. [/quote] The Classic 50 Precision, MIM, is fantastic and substantially cheaper. The colour range is limited, I think it's only sunburst, honey blonde, red and black. But if you like any of those colours... it's a hell of a bass. The SH might be very nice, but I'm not sure it's much better (if at all!) than the Classic 50, which also has a wonderfully thick yet comfortable neck.

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1433598849' post='2792424'] Totally agree with you but at the price they are charging, I would be wanting it spot on. [/quote] Oh, absolutely! But, if I want something that's hard to find, I'm willing to compromise a bit when I do find it. The fix is not much harder than changing the strings. Would you pass on a bass you really wanted because the action wasn't set to your liking? Of course, you can use it as a bargaining point and might save some £££

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1433587082' post='2792294'] [/quote]

[quote name='SH73' timestamp='1433575839' post='2792175'] Well if the bridge or neck is out of line on a big name such as Fender especially signature model I see it as a massive issues. [/quote] chances are it's just a minor neck misalignment, easily sorted. It's not uncommon, and all it takes is loosen up the neck screws a bit, realign, and carefully tighten the screws again. A very minor shift can look terrible and make it seem the bass is all wrong.

I played my first gig with it last night: I'm in love. It's really comfortable, I love the neck (of course, I did indicate its dimensions... but it's still reassuring to find I didn't make a big mistake somewhere, as Adrian thought I was going for too chunky a neck at first and I had to convince him that I like it like that ) Sound-wise... huge. It wasn't the best venue, regarding sound, and I used my Streamliner 900 into a provided 410 that was all lows and little midrange, so my experience *felt* good but I didn't hear it as well as I hoped, although outside at the front I was told it was good. I went for their stock pickups and... I'm not convinced about the Precision one. The bridge JJ is good, meaty, fat, I really like it. But the P is a bit... wooly, a bit too scooped. It makes me miss the Classic 50 P-bass. So I'm definitely replacing that to see. I ordered already an Entwistle PBXN, the neodymium one. I installed one in a Squier Mike Dirnt and I like it very much, although it's not a "classic" Precision sound, it has good presence and sounds really good. I think it could be a nice match for the JJ. I was meant to play it again at a festival today but the weather is being a dick, and the strong winds means it's been cancelled

I played my first gig with mine yesterday. It's the most comfortable bass I own. I guess that's what you get when you are able to indicate the neck dimensions you want. Only, if I could do it over again, I'd have chosen some other pickups. I went for their standard offering and I'm not convinced at all by the Precision pickup. The double J, however, is pretty cool.

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1433498506' post='2791507'] A couple of weeks ago, I traded my cheap Chinese double bass for a Fender Modern Player Jazz via one of the bass player groups on Facebook. No problem, both were valued around £300-£350, met up and swapped instruments both seemed happy. Now I see my bass is being traded again but he's valued it at £850! I don't even think they were that much new! Should I be annoyed that even if he gets £500 for it, [color=#0000ff][b]he's made a healthy profit from my bass[/b][/color], or should I just chuckle and think "good on him"? Generally when I see adverts on Basschat where people buy stuff then realise it's not for them, they usually just try to get their money back when they sell it on and I would see this as polite, but a £500 profit? [/quote] I see how it may sting a little, but... it's NOT YOUR BASS. You agreed to a deal, so presumably you were happy with it. So what it the next owner manages to make a profit? Sorry if it sounds a bit harsh

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1433324387' post='2790046'] It sounds to me like a mix-up in terminology. It's inconceivable for bands to provide PA in such circumstances, both for technical and financial reasons. Could it mean 'supply your own backline', that's to say the individual amps and cabs that the musicians play through..? That would make (a bit...) more sense, I think. Confirmation of requirements is the next step, I'd suggest. [/quote] yes, this makes more sense, if it's a misunderstanding.

[quote name='DorsetBlue' timestamp='1433320039' post='2789966'] Okay, this is for a colleague of mine. His son (14) and friends are in a band and they have been picked to play on a minor stage at a small local festival in a 'Battle of the Bands' kind of format. They have been told that they will need to provide their own PA, as last year some of the bands claimed they were not very good because of the provided PA. Now I have never used a PA and neither has my colleague (both Brass players historically) - so we are not sure what level of equipment this would entail. Does anyone have any experience of this kind of thing and could suggest what type of kit (possibly with examples) that they should be looking at? [/quote] The organiser should have arranged for a PA to be brought in and used. It is not reasonable to expect each band to bring and set their own. Battle of the bands? Just don't... It sounds like a disaster. Let the organiser "organise" the event, including PA, or pass.

[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1433332467' post='2790141'] I much prefer the micro tilt three bolt on my 75 reissue. Wish it was on all my basses tbh [/quote] same here

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: