All user reviews for the Marceau Guitars JB-S

In What Country was it made?
In France ! In the small village of Gévezé

What type of Bridge?
It is a Hipshot A Style bridge

What type of neck?
On this bass, the neck is made of maple and the fretboard is made of Pau Ferro, it is very to get used to it and it does the trick very well...

How many frets, Pickup Type and Configuration?
This beautiful bass has 22 frets (but thanks to the advantages of handmade custom bass, you can choose whatever you want)
The pickups are actually Tom Marceau's pickups, so you just have to ask what sound you want on your bass and you have it ! On that bass, we choose to set a handmade Jazz Bass "Classic" pickup for the neck and a handmade Soapbar "Classic" pickup for the bridge. These pickups are very responsive, awesome to get all the nuances you want !

What are the setting controls (volume, tone, pickup selector position)?
Regarding controls, there are 4 knobs including 3 double knobs.
The first one is a double knob with pickups fader + master volume.
The second one is a double knob for bass boost only, treble boost/cut and a push/pull option to get even more brightness (around 7kHz which is ideal for slapping).
The third one is a double knob (again!) for parametric medium. You choose the frequency you want to modify and you cut it or boost it.
The last knob is a simple knob to modify the tone and there is also a push/pull option to switch your bass in passive mode !
The pre-amp model is a John East U-Retro Deluxe.

UTILIZATION

Are the drivers stable?
Yes they are! The oiled/polished finish allows us a very fluid play without sticking to your hand as a varnish does. I asked for a shorter gap between the string than a classic Jazz Bass and it fits my playing very well!

Is it's design ergonomic(in terms of the shape, weight...)?
It is a healthy baby of 9.7 pounds (4.4kg) but with a good strap I don't have any weight problem, it is also very well balanced. Concerning the shape, I love it, straightforward but so efficient !

Easy access to the top notes (last frets)?
Thanks to the neck-trough option, it is very easy, now you can play with all yours fret without being blocked as a bolt-on neck usually does.

Can one easily get a nice sound?...
Without playing with all the possibilities of the pre-amp, one can have a very good sound, try one moment to imagine with the pre-amp... One can have a very clear sound which allows us to play either fat reggae or aggressive metal and even bright slap! In passive mode, it is also very good, I have nothing to say about it even if I don't use it that much since I have an brilliant active mode.

SOUNDS

Do they suit your style of music?
Because you can do everything you want with the pre-amp, it does sound good in any case! One can roughly play whatever one wants.

What kind of sounds do you get and with what settings(clean, distorted,...)?
Playing with all the settings - which I won't explain since it can be very different according to the different amps - This bass has a very cool growl when you ask for it, but it can also provide clear trebles or fat bass, as you like it!

With what amp(s) or effect(s) do you use it?
I play mainly on two amps, a Hartke A100 at home and an old 300W Laney 4x10'.

What are your favorite sounds and/or least favorite?
I appreciate a lot, clear and precise sound for slapping with a scoop in the mids, a growly sound for metal, a more vintage sound for Jazz. All that in with the same bass, the JB-S Tom Marceau
What do I dislike? Muddy sounds without soul (impossible to get with this bass of course)

OVERALL OPINION

How long have you played with it ?
I have owned it for about one month now and I will use it for decades!

Did you try many other models before getting this one?
I mainly own a Cort Bass but I think I try dozens of model before getting this handmade custom bass.

What is your opinion about the value for the price?
In fact, I never thought I could have this kind of bass at that price before meeting Tom Marceau.

Knowing what you know now, would you make the same choice?...
I'm already thinking to the next one, but I'll have to wait several years I think!