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This model is called ELWOOD  and it is one of Maruszczyk's most successful designs. It is based on a classic bass but with a lot of different appointments.

As you can see in the pictures this is a 4 string Multiscale bass and one of the most striking features is the "Goldfinger" finish. We love it.

The use of a bolt on maple neck on an alder body is the perfect base for sustain and punch.

The neck sports 21 frets and there's unrestricted access up to the end. A 40mm nut and 18mm spacing at the bridge create an incredibly comfortable feeling.

Instead of the usual bridge this instrument comes with 4 individual bridges. This helps to transmit more of the string's vibrations to the body.

The whole multiscale or fanned fret system consists of giving each string the proper length and tension for optimum performance. Physics dictate that you need thicker AND longer strings in order to get lower notes on a stringed instrument. That's the basic principle that pianos and harps are built on. On an electric bass this is achieved by using the same method as on a piano: using individual bridges for the strings and placing them in a "fan" arrangement. Of course the frets on the instrument need to follow that pattern, hence the "fanned fret" arrangement. In practice each string has the right ticknes and length for it to sound full and clear but without having extra tension. It is simply perfect and it works.

Despite the unusual look of this system, you actually don't have to do anything to accommodate to this arrangement. It feels completely natural and ergonomic. Actually some lines are easier to play than on normal basses.

Following the German Tradition (Höfner, Framus, Marleaux, Sandberg, etc.) there's a zero fret. There are two main advantages for using this: first of all, open strings will sound the same as fingered ones. But most importantly, a zero fret means perfect string height at the nut. A poorly cut nut can either damp the string's vibration and even cause buzz if the grooves are too deep or it can make the notes up to the 5th fret (aprox) sound sharp if the strings sit too high on it as you have to press harder than needed to make the note ring. An added advantage of the zero fret is that if you decide to use an alternate tuning such as BEAD you don't need to change the nut.

Maruszczyk basses always use top notch electronics. In this case we get two Delano Singlecoil pickups. These pickups are really clean and deep as well as absolutely noisefree. As you can see the pickups are slanted to capture the full vibration freely. We chose passive electronics as we felt that it was the best option in order to keep a pure vintage sound and it really works in this case.

String to string balance is exceptional. The E string is strong and clear as you would expect from a bass with an extra long scale. But the good news is that the other strings don't suffer from excessive tension because the scale is different in all of them. The Multiscale concept really works.

To sum up: a very nice Multiscale 4 string bass that is gorgeous, versatile, powerful and has an amazing low price tag.

This bass comes with a quality padded gigbag, tools and documents.