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Marleaux Diva 20th Aniniversary Bass Limited Edition w/ Spruce top in Old Violin Aged finish, 5 string

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.

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.

The DIVA is a 100% original model by Marleaux and it has been designed from scratch to be the PERFECT FRETLESS BASS and we think he has succeeded. This is not just the fretless version of another bass. Actually it's not possible to order it with frets.

It combines neck thru body construction with a continuous first grade ebony fingerboard that extends from the bridge up to the headstock, providing a lot of sustain. The 3 Octave + fingerboard is only interrupted by the custom Delano X Tender Quad Coil that has been specially designed by Delano for this bass in collaboration with Gerald Marleaux. The result is an ultra sensitive bass that just begs you to play and play. You can dramatically alter the tone using your right hand's position and dynamics, and it responds effortlessly to the subtlest changes.

We were lucky enough to visit Marleaux's shop some years ago when the prototype of this model was being developed, so it is very special for us having been able to witness the creation of what we really believe is one of the best fretless basses in the world.

The name of the bass really fits such an elegant and expressive bass.

Top of the line ETS bridge and knobs and Schaller tuners (with small pegs) 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 the idea.

These basses have some really special specs such as:

- Spruce Top

- Old Violin Aged finish that resembles an old string instrument

- Fretless hard Rosewood fingerboard with side lines and dots (2 octaves)

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

- Single/Parallel/Series operation and Passive Tone

- Very limited units available

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

This instrument quite lightweight at just 3.9kg, allows for an ultra low action and sounds amazing.

Responsive, dynamic, clear and full bodied.

The 34" scale, 45mm nut and 19mm string spacing at the bridge are simply perfect. So easy to play...

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.

Single Coil mode offers a pure sound with lots of definition. Trim the Tone pot  down a tad and you'll get a more traditional sound. Cut the tone completely and you'll get that trademark dark growly tone.

Parallel mode yields a more open and bright sound and again the Tone control proves to offer a lot of variation.

Series mode is darker and offers stronger low mids, making it ideal for band use with drums or lightning fast 16th notes.

Harmonics seem to jump off the fingerboard.

You can set a ridiculous low action and get a million of great tones just by changing your dynamics.

If you play over the pickup (it features a thumb rest) you'll get a great staccato tone, but if you move it towards the neck you'll get as much growl and "mwah" as you'll ever want.

The side of the neck has both dots and lines making it very easy to play in tune while leaving the gorgeous hard rosewood fingerboard clean and elegant.

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.