Maruszczyk 2021?

[spongebob]

Part of my returning to playing, after a year or so off, I'm quite keen to change my approach to bass, tone, just go in a different direction.

I'm pretty much most probably going for something P-shaped.....had a few before, but always as backups. Now I fancy more of a plug and play idea, as before I spent years going for a sound I never quite found.

I know the Maruszczyk basses got a lot of love on here a while back....120-odd pages in the main thread! A lot of the content is far from recent, and it got me thinking.....are these instruments still held in high regard?

My dilemma has pretty much come down to a US Fender P, or a Maruszczyk.  Buying blind!

The US Fender comes in at less than £400 more, and that's my problem. It's pretty close....and I'm a little swayed by a name brand, rather than the unknown.

I've checked our some of Adrian's videos, and like the sounds he gets...Nice and growly!

 Any thoughts?

[chris_b]

Check out Bass Direct they have some nice used FSO's, Fenders, Sandbergs and a Sadowsky Metro. 

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Second_hand_Ex_demo_Bass_Guitars.html

[spongebob]

I do keep an eye on Mark's stock.....last few months, nothing has really come up that's grabbed me. I'd rather go used, but even on here, the right thing hasn't shown itself.

[Mudpup]

The Maruthingy basses got a lot of love a while back (possibly one of those brands of the moment  maybe?) but more recently there were a few quality issues that seemed to be dealt with poorly and I don't thnk they covered themselves in glory. It would certainly stop me buying one anyway. Try a Sandberg...... 

[Woodinblack]

I still love my Maruszczyk and if nothing goes wrong with your order all is good. They aren't quite the bargain they were if you just want a P or something, but if you need customising they are good, for instance, mine is effectively a PJ but with ibanez neck spacing and lighter weight, not something I could get from fender.

If what you want is something you can get from fender it is a trickier choice.

[spongebob]

Pricing is definitely a factor. They still represent a saving, but not that much overall. Factor in a supplied hard case with Fender, and the difference is even less.

[TheGreek]

I congratulate you on narrowing it down to M -v- Fender.

There are so many great brands out there currently that it's a nightmare choosing what to go with.

To muddy the waters for you, have you considered G&L, Spector, Lakland and Yamaha? I've owned one or more of each and all have been excellent bits of gear - I'd be hard pushed to own just one.

[spongebob]

I did look at Lakland a while back.

A a bit of a traditionalist - for years, it was a Ricky or nothing. However, I never really got what I wanted from them (on the whole), and if I were to go down that route again (and the prices are just mad at the mo), I know I'd end up with the same results.

 

[fretmeister]

I'd get a Sandberg VS4 passive.

[6feet7]

There's two more Maru's for you to look at at Bass Direct - both Jakes (a P/J and a P/MM), both 5 strings and weigh just over 3Kg. I've just part exed them for a Yamaha TRB5P. Great basses but the Yamaha was on my bucket list and I couldn't afford it without getting rid of them both

[spongebob]

10 minutes ago, 6feet7 said:

There's two more Maru's for you to look at at Bass Direct - both Jakes (a P/J and a P/MM), both 5 strings and weigh just over 3Kg. I've just part exed them for a Yamaha TRB5P. Great basses but the Yamaha was on my bucket list and I couldn't afford it without getting rid of them both

Many thanks - but I get confused with anything over 4 strings!

[adamg67]

I can't help choose between the two you're looking at, but I do think that second hand Maruszczyks are good value, and if you get one from BC (I've had a couple) you've got a decent chance of an honest report of any issues, and as it's second hand you probably wouldn't be sending it back to Adrian anyway.

I can compare Maruszczyk and Sandberg a little bit, my current basses are 2 Maruszczyks and a Sandberg, and they're all great. They all play equally as well, and I don't think there's much in it for quality, but still based on reported experiences you'd have to say Sandberg are a safer bet that way. Sandberg's probably lose a bit less value from new (probably because of this, and being better known) which is good if you're buying new, less good if you're buying second hand - there are a few bargain Maruszczyks about but not so many bargain Sandbergs. I paid nearly as much for a used Sandberg 48 (fair enough it was barely used, and high spec and exactly the spec I wanted, and from a dealer) as I did for a brand new custom built Jake a few years back.

That's probably not far off the choice you've got with Maruszcyk and Fender, not many bargain Fender Ps around.

[spongebob]

Very true......been browsing the classifieds for a while, nothing has really turned up.

[Bleat]

If I was in the position of affording an expensive bass and was looking at "P-basses" , I would go straight for the originator of the instrument, in this case a US made Fender. Unless you are after something specific like a particular finish, or wood type that Fender don't use, anything else is just a copy no matter what its made from, what fancy name appears on the headstock, or how much money you throw at it.. it's always going to be a copy of an iconic instrument. If you can afford "the real thing"  I would get the real thing! Just my opinion.

[Woodinblack]

12 minutes ago, Bleat said:

If I was in the position of affording an expensive bass and was looking at "P-basses" , I would go straight for the originator of the instrument, in this case a US made Fender. Unless you are after something specific like a particular finish, or wood type that Fender don't use, anything else is just a copy no matter what its made from

So is not that also true of mexican or chinese fenders? They are made by fender. I mean there is no real connection between the original P Bass, made by mr Fender and mr Fullerton in Fender Drive in fullerton other than the company name that has been shlepped through a few owners. So a modern P Bass by fender is no less of a copy than other companies, just they have the right to do it.

In fact you could say that a G&L P bass is more original, as it was made by the same people in the same factory in the same street many years later!

[FinnDave]

I have a few Fenders, as well as a Sandberg & an Ibanez - both of which are good basses but I rarely play them, whereas the Fenders get played every day (well, not all of them, but at least one a day). Fender is a known quantity, you can get parts for them anywhere & any guitar tech can set them up correctly in minutes. Fender are also much easier to sell if you change your mind. I had my Sandberg advertised on here for over a year with no luck at all. It is now cased and forgotten - a £2,000.00 waste of space!

[Woodinblack]

Agreed, fenders are easier to sell due to the brand recognition and people who want a fender as either they like them or it is the thing to buy. THere are normally more of them for sale and the prices tend to be a bigger drop on the list price*, so I am guessing they change hands fast.

And ultimately, it should really come down to what you like most (unless resale is very important to you). I still think if what you want is something fender make, it seems a no-brainer to get a fender, especially if the other options are the same sort of price.

 

*a bit hard to tell as the list price is very variable.

[spongebob]

I've got the chance of a good discount on a new US Miami Blue P......

[Bleat]

13 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

So is not that also true of mexican or chinese fenders? They are made by fender. I mean there is no real connection between the original P Bass, made by mr Fender and mr Fullerton in Fender Drive in fullerton other than the company name that has been shlepped through a few owners. So a modern P Bass by fender is no less of a copy than other companies, just they have the right to do it.

In fact you could say that a G&L P bass is more original, as it was made by the same people in the same factory in the same street many years later!

I get your points about Mexican/Chinese made instruments, and Fender in general , which are valid and could be part of some bigger more meaningful discussion somewhere, the op is in US Fender Precision territory financially, and wants something that looks and sounds like a P-Bass, so my response is based on that really. I just don't see much point in looking at something that is nearly the same cost,  unless he's really after something very specific that the Mcdoodlywhatsit  has or does any better than a US Precision, which doesn't seem to be the case. 

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Bleat said:

I just don't see much point in looking at something that is nearly the same cost,  unless he's really after something very specific that the Mcdoodlywhatsit  has or does any better than a US Precision, which doesn't seem to be the case. 

Agreed. As I said the only reason for getting a Maruszczyk (or something else) is fender don't do what you want, which it doesn't seem is the case.

[adamg67]

23 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Agreed. As I said the only reason for getting a Maruszczyk (or something else) is fender don't do what you want, which it doesn't seem is the case.

This is a good point. My Maruszczyk Jake was not really bought to do the P bass thing, and has a fair few non-fendery features anyway, like monorails for the bridge, and the usual Maruszczyk zero fret and angled head. It's really more of a neutral good quality platform for a set of Thomastik flats and some Nordstrand pickups, and having it built meant I could get 35" scale and 17.5mm string spacing on a 5 string as well.

[Sibob]

I've owned a couple of Marusczyk's, and they're ok, if you pimp it out with decent Hipsot hardware, then it'll be on the way. But I didn't really get the feeling from those basses that they're doing anything particularly special.
Fender, yeah fine, their QC has gotten WAY better over the last 5 years or so. But I find their new basses just a little bit uninspiring, I couldn't tell you why.
Sandberg, similar deal, clearly got a lot going for them, lots of love, but they have just never done anything for me really.

Where I settled was Lakland, in my opinion, their Skylines are on-par with US Fender stuff, and if you have the budget to move into their US Custom stuff, the necks are wonderful as well as a full pallet of custom options. You said you've checked them before, but was that one of their active models? Worth bearing in mind that they do make straight P and J passive models too. Still a family-run company too.

I think the only place I'd go after Lakland would be G&L, they seem to be very decent for the price, even if they are a mild deviation from the 'Fender' aesthetic.

Si

[Lozz196]

3 hours ago, spongebob said:

I've got the chance of a good discount on a new US Miami Blue P......

Got to be worth checking out

[spongebob]

48 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Got to be worth checking out

Hope so.... praying the colour is OK! I'm trying to keep the cost down.

I think the trouble with the Maruszczyk is the price is just too close.....

My problem has always been I like the classics. Had Jazz basses, loads of Rickys, and a couple of P's. Nothing else has ever grabbed me!

Just need ease of maintenance,  easy to EQ, passive....hence looking a P shapes. 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

+1 @Sibob’s comments. I don’t know your budget, but I would be looking at Lakland Skyline’s or if the budget allows, USA Lakland.