Italia Maranello-Z

This is a cool bass, nice look. I have the blue sparkle one. Made is Korea. Kool F Holes. Feels like it's made in korea. I have a Dearmond jetstar guitar that was made in Korea that has similar materials and feel. Fretboard seems like a plastic wood hybrid. The neck is nice. A little to wide and thin. I like the fretboard to be a little rounded and not be completely flat on a bass, this one is, which makes the action a little stiff. It's good if you do not need to move too fast around the fretboard. Pick up is an active (battery 9V) hidden piezo in the bridge which makes this thing sound amazing when plugged in. I have yet to open up to see the wiring. It is a little hard to play while seated without a strap. I changed the strings, Nice tuners. Cool wood bridge with metal tips that keep your strings snug. No sliding strings.

I play pretty hard music usually, I have a Fender Standard Jazz Bass as well which I have come to the conclusion is a more comfortable playing bass. The fender outclasses the Marenello in construction. The Maranello is more ascetically pleasing and more fun to think about. I think it sounds better when plugged in. The Piezo really gives you the clarity a bass deserves. It bellows. I put Dean Markley Misfits Strings on it. They were the fattest I could find at the store near me. Pretty cool.

Looks like the bass was made with care. No glue marks. The only problem is the F holes could have been sanded a little better. I don't think that the manufacturer thought you would be able to see the inside through the F holes. The interior is a bit scratched up. Inlays on frets have slight indent. Barely noticeble when playing, not perfect under examination. I hope the Maranello label does not fall off. It is raised slightly on one side.

I think with care, this bass will last for a really long time. I mmight change the strap buttons to strap locks. I would use it at a show, I play mainly hard music so this doesn't really fit the look. But I like it and will not sell it

NA

I enjoy this bass tremendously, I think it is a little overpriced for what they sell it for new. I like the Italia line of guitars. They may not be the best playing, but they make playing fun with their character.

what an unusual axe this is....korean made-silver sparkle top with funky f-holes. has a cool vibde about it. 1 vol/2 tone controls, jumbo frets and active piezo pick-up built into bridge. kind of a down sized les paul shape. chrome-enclosed tuners and super heavy duty strap locks. nice and light.....easy action rounds out this full feature bass.

play all types of music and this baby covers them all. unique acoustic tones ring with bell like clarity. played thru a peavey tko 80 watt amp sounds killer even with-out effects. beautiful sounds are easily dialed in. havent used it live yet, but im sure it will hold up just fine....treat it like a girl....be nice to it and you will have years of trouble free rock-in

set up was fine, will change to flat wound strings, dont care much for the stock originals. fit and finish are flawless done to the nicely finished frets-not seen on guitars in this price range. striking silver sparkle top will really get noticed in any venue. nice hardware.....nice quality thru-out

havent had it long enough to comment on reliability...but it seems pretty solid. finish seems tough...strap buttons are the finest around...no im not kidding ! only time will tell if its dependable.

nice co. web site...havent had to deal with them yet...not sure about the warranty...this was an '03 model bought new in '05. cant believe it hung on the wall for 2 years. it really is that COOL

playing about 15 years and also own a peavey t-40 which kix ass but weighs 11 lbs. this bass is a relief. i would replace if stolen. finally...these italia basses/guitars are the sleeper buys of the new millenium...get 'em now while prices are low...these are a lock to become collectables in the future......kinda like some of the danelectros....cheap...but most of all really COOOOOOOL. oh yeah!

2004 Korean made.

22-frets.

Maple neck Mahogany chambered body w/maple top.

1 Vol + 2 Eq knobs

Piezo bridge pick up

Active electronics

Cream colored finish

Modified Les Paul styled body with great looking F-holes.

Trapeze bridge

Custom mini gotoh style tuners

34" scale

Allen wrench included.

Here we go.....
This bass suits my playing style (avante guard to space rock) perfectly. I play both with pick and thumb and it really shines with the pick.

I run the bass into a P.A. via either a Korg PX-4 bass pandora or a Sans amp bass D.I.

Having a piezo pick up you get the piezo sound which is really what makes this bass unique. No hum or hiss to speak of.

It has one of the most unique sounds I've ever heard on a bass. It's hard to describe, it sounds clear, cutting or you can fatten it up with the EQ controls for a wide variety of sounds.

You could use this bass in either the studio or onstage.

I love this bass!!! The trapeze style piezo pick up is the perfect match for this instrument. You can get great slap sounds or articulate picking sounds due to the set up of the bridge. It has a battery box in back with a nice pop up lid that is very convenient. The sound was a wonderful surprise from the moment I plugged it in. I dig the front control panel.

Set up is mundane. Has some string buzz which is easily rectified. Action is on the high side.

The pick up is in the bridge, an odd looking set up but very effective and unique sounding. Pick up needed no adjustments.

I noticed no flaws on this bass. It is Korean made but as we all know this is the rule with bargain basses. Quality IMO is not an issue here. The bass is solid and well put together. I was actually impressed with the quality as this is a "retro italian" model.

This bass will certainly stand up to live playing. Of course you treat the bass like crap eventually it will become crap.

The tuners have plastic Gotoh style buttons, I would imagine that if you dropped or hit them with something hard enough they would break.

Finish is thick and durable looking. Time will tell if it will last.

Strap buttons are a unique style, I'd go to strap-loks if I were to gig with it. Nevertheless they seem solid enough.

I do depend on this bass. The neck looks straight and can be adjusted. Nothing negative to note about it. Neck is bolt on.

I would use this bass on a gig, never without a back up though.

Never dealt with the company, hopefully never will.

Bass is new, no repairs needed. Don't know about a warranty. The retailer is reputable and I trust would honor returns if need be.

I have been playing bass for a few years now and have acquired several in that amount of time. I have high end and cheap Korean models.

I could ask nothing more in regards to this bass, what you see is what you get.

I would replace it if stolen, and it is a nice enough bass that it would be stolen if not guarded.

I love alot about this bass. First of all it is a looker. It is one of the most tastefully designed basses I've seen to date. You will get noticed if you play this bass.

Secondly the piezo pick up and the trapeze bridge gives this bass a most unique sound. The fact you have two EQ knobs for sound tailoring makes it all the more flexible.

There is nothing I have found to dislike about this bass, my favorite feature is the piezo pick up.

I don't know what to compare this bass to. I have a Rob Allen bass with a piezo pick up but it's fretless and a totally different bass altogether. I bought a DiPinto the same time as I got the Maranello-Z and there is still nothing to compare as the design of the Italia bass is unique.

I chose this bass for looks at first but was pleasantly surprised at the unique sound that goes along with it.

All guitars and basses should come with hardshell cases. I ordered the hardshell seperately from the bass.

You can't go wrong with this bass. It's something unique and very, very interesting and inspiring to play.