2021 Marleaux Diva # 069 5-String Fretless Bass

We have been fans of 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. 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. 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’s got a fantastic lightweight Swamp Ash body w/a stunning “Signature” Poplar Burl Top. Its ebony fingerboard is over a very smooth 3 piece maple neck. 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. 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. It was completed in June 2021. Its truly near mint overall, comes w/a ton of case candy w/hang tags & owners manual all ink its original factory padded gig bag.