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Marleaux Consat 20th Aniniversary Bass Limited Edition w/ Spruce top in Old Violin Aged finish, 5 string fretless (lined)

We have been dealers for Marleaux basses for years and we've always been amazed by the sheer quality of these handmade basses so obviously we had to get these. We have sold lots of Marleaux basses over the years and each of them was fantastic. 

There's simply nothing in the market with this quality within this price range, period. Best value for money.

The fact that Gerald has been building to perfection his basses for more than 30 years is an added value. He will only use perfectly dry and stable tonewoods. This means that these basses are far more than the sum of its parts. You are also buying Marleaux' expertise as well as the luthier's painstakingly attention to detail.

All Marleaux bass models are simply amazing but our best selling model ever is the Consat bass. It is a really well proportioned, comfortable, balanced and lightweight bass.

2025 marks our 20th Anniversary as a bass specialist shop and we have ordered a small batch of special basses to celebrate it.

We asked Gerald Marleaux to come up with a special finish just to make them even more special and he chose our absolute favorite: the strikingly beautiful"old violin" finish over a worn out spruce top. Unbelievable!It's an electric bass for sure but you get that old violin/cello/upright bass look to it and we just love it.

Apart from great sound and playability, we really dig the incredible string to string and note to note consistency. This is just perfect and it is really hard to find on many basses as you know

Electronics are top notch and ultra quiet . These include a pair of tried and tested Delano SBC humbuckers and Marleaux own circuit board (probably the quietest in the world and super musical).

Top of the line ETS bridge and knobs as well as  Schaller tuners and straplocks complete a really amazing bass that actually is made using exclusively German woods (except for the ebony board), hardware and electronics. The whole idea is to reduce the carbon print while using at the same time only the best parts in the market. This really works and we love it.

These basses have some really special specs such as:

- Spruce Top

- Old Violin Aged finish that resembles an old string instrument

- Matching headstock

- Fretless Ebony fingerboard with lines (2 octaves) + zero fret

- Matt finish throughout for a smooth feel and 100% organic look

- Passive Tone in Passive Mode (Treble Pot)

- Very limited units available

- And subjective as this might be, we really think these basses are dead gorgeous!!

This is the 5 string lined fretless model.

It is feather light (just 3.75kg), allows for an ultra low action and sounds amazing.

Responsive, dynamic, clear and full bodied.

Any technique you may think of can be played on this bass with ease.  It's one of these instruments where everything seems easier to be played. Super comfortable and responsive to your touch.

The 34" scale, 45mm nut and 18mm string spacing at the bridge are simply perfect. So easy to play...

We love Marleaux' own preamp made in house. There's no other preamp in the market with such low noise operation. Even with the Treble boosted to the max there's no audible background noise, incredible. And of course all 3 bands are super musical.

Of course when you grab a fretless you want it to be super responsive and this one is exceptional. You can get as much "mwah" and growl as you want.

This is especially true when you solo the bridge pickup. With the Tone wide open you get that voice like quality in the sound that's just irresistible. Trim the Tone down and you get that great Jaco tone.

When you use both pickups you get an all round sound that's perfect for just any style and technique. Actually if you don't make any glissandos or vibrato, you can make this sound sound 90% like a fretted one (slapping sounds cool actually but of course a little bit different) so it's like having two basses in one so to speak. It all depends on your decision to make it sound like a fretless or like a fretted bass. It's all at your fingertips.

The neck pickup has that throaty P bass sound to it but with added bite and clarity and we love it for soloing too. It reminds us of an acoustic instrument in a way.

The low B is always great in these basses and this one is no exception. It's loud and clear, just as it should be.

It comes with a heavily padded gigbag, tools and certificate.

We can honestly say that these basses are a bargain. If they were made by some American big name price would be 2-3 times as much for the same quality.

An instrument for a lifetime, a collector's item and a continuous source of inspiration.