Thru-neck 5-String 

Soundroom
Elrick e-volution
active neck-through 5-string

List price: $3,950 ($4,300 as tested); approx. street price: N/A
Pros: Dreamy construction and delightful tone.
Cons: None.
Contact: Elrick, (386) 517-6823 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting(386) 517-6823end_of_the_skype_highlighting; www.elrick.com

BY JOHNATHAN HERRERA

When we reviewed the Cort Elrick JP-5 in June ’03, I dug the Korean-made instrument’s excellent playability and solid tone, but I was left curious as to what its aristocratically priced American-made cousin, the Elrick e-volution, was all about. The e-volution is a new model, but designer Rob Elrick actually intended it to be his first bass shape. After advice from friends, however, he eventually decided on the more exotically contoured “Classic” shape that has become his trademark. His deal with Cort to design the JP-5 led him back to his original concept, and he subsequently decided to add the e-volution to his U.S. lineup.

The e-volution reveals that, despite the recent trend towards low-priced designer imports, money still does matter. It is an impeccable piece of bass craftsmanship. Every detail was exquisitely rendered. The fretwork was exemplary, with perfectly filed frets and faultless attention to detail. The top-notch Hipshot and Dunlop hardware was solidly installed and performed perfectly. While some staffers didn’t appreciate our tester’s spalted-maple top, no one could deny the undeniably seductive quality of the Elrick’s artful woodworking. The neck joint’s contrasting wood colors are beautiful and its design is ingenious. Carved deeper on the treble side, the joint facilitates natural hand rotation in the upper register. The e-volution’s playability was slick, due in no small part to the well-balanced body contour, light weight, and wide string spacing. It arrived with a super-low setup that led to a few choked-out notes, but after a few minor adjustments, the bass felt superb.

In our Soundroom, through our Demeter/Crest/Eden rig, The Elrick’s Bartolini pickups and electronics displayed the warmth, punch, and alluring mid-range presence they’re famous for. Most of Elrick’s basses feature Bartolini J-style pickups, but Rob Elrick chose soapbars for our tester because he felt they better suited its wood combination. With everything flat, the Elrick is elegant and refined. The potent EQ is an able tone sculptor that’s enhanced by the three-way midrange frequency selector. I was particularly moved by the e-volution’s even response. The zero-fret makes open strings sound like their fretted counterparts. On a New Orleans funk gig, through an Aguilar DB 750 and Bergantino HT322, the Elrick had authentic tones for everything from all-out slap to greasy Meters-style grooves.

The Elrick is tasty, but like with food, super-tasy stuff like the e-volution will cost you, Its import counterpart is a solid bass that will perform competently on any gig, but if you simply must have the best, The Elrick e-volution should definitely be on your bass menu.

TECH SPECS

Scale length: 35”
Weight: 8 lbs, 8 oz
Body: Ash with spalted-maple top
Neck: Quartersawn maple with ebony fingerboard and walnut/padauk laminates at body
Options: Ebony fingerboard ($300); soapbar pickups ($200); Numerous woods and electronics

Made in: U.S.A
Hardshell case: Included
Warranty: Lifetime limited

5 String Gold Standard (click to download)

New Jazz Standard 5-String 

Hands-on Review:
The Elrick New Jazz Standard (NJS)
by Matthew Lux

I have to admit when I was first approached to review the Elrick New Jazz Standard (NJS), I was skeptical. I’m a Fender man. I’ve had my ’76 Jazz bass for 19 years.

Upon first opening the case, though, I was impressed with the beauty of the instrument. The thin and aggressively sculpted body make this bass look a little more modern than my J. Picking the instrument up, my neck and shoulder muscles were happy to find that Elrick has managed to shave quite a bit of weight from this bass. Eight pounds versus the eleven of my old Fender (and the Elrick is a 5-string!)

The NJS has a swamp ash body with a quilted maple top and matching headstock. The headstock is tilted like that of a classical guitar rather than straight with string retainers like the Fender. The quarter-sawn maple neck is set into the body all the way to the neck pickup and attaches with six bolts in an asymmetrical pattern. The Birdseye maple fingerboard has 21 frets plus a zero fret (a 24 fret model is also available.) The finish is hand rubbed oil and urethane.

The NJS comes equipped with Bartolini pickups and an active/passive 3-band preamp circuit with switchable mid-frequencies. Everything beneath the matching wood control cover was neat and well shielded. The tuning keys and bridge are Hipshot and the strap buttons are Dunlop Dual Design Straplocks, which are great even if you don’t like strap locks.

The neck was perfectly adjusted right out of the box. The frets were all nicely seated and crowned. I would like to take a second to talk about the zero fret. It really makes the open strings sound more musical. Having played a lot of double bass, I tend to use open strings quite often, especially when walking. The balance the zero fret brings to the sound of the open strings really makes a difference.

I plugged into my main amp, a Walter Woods with a Harry Kolbe 1×1 2″ speaker. With the controls on the bass set flat, the sound was even, clear and full. Soloing the bridge pickup achieved a true “Fender” sound. Boosting the bass and cutting the treble shook the room with dub power. Cutting the bass and boosting the treble made a nice tone for chording or tapping. Next, I plugged into an old Ampeg B-18 Portaflex. That sound can only be described as being crushed by 1000 pounds of rich dark chocolate.

This instrument really plays well. The B string speaks well and isn’t flabby. The light resonant body creates a deep warm bass response that is focused and articulate, while the maple/maple neck makes the upper register sing. In addition, the heel-less body design makes reaching for even the highest frets a breeze. The neck is slightly wider at the nut than a Jazz bass, but not so much as to be awkward. The rest of the proportions of the neck and body, though, are very similar. With my eyes closed, I still felt like I was playing a Jazz bass.

All in all the NJS is a great instrument. It is completely handmade by one man, Rob Elrick, and as much as I hate to admit it, that means that the quality and attention to detail is far greater than anything that ever came out of the factories of the 60’s and 70’s. The bass as tested brandishes a list price of $2900 (including a hard-shell case), but with a base price of $1995 for a 4-string and $2295 for a 5, it enters the market well below most other high end Jazz style basses. So, if you are a “Jazz man” in search of a 5-string, or if someone steals your trusty old Fender, don’t shell out a pile of cash on some vintage lumber until you’ve tried an Elrick New Jazz Standard with all the modern conveniences.

Reprinted from Bass Frontiers Magazine,
Volume 6 Number 1, February 1999

Thru-neck 4-String 

Product Profile:
Elrick Neck-Through 4-String
By Scott Malandrome

There’s something about a handmade bass. Maybe it’s the specially selected timbers, the custom-tailored electronics, or just the extra attention that adds up to a unique instrument. If you’re one of those bassists who’s into hand-crafted wood, you’ll dig the work of Chicago luthier Robert Elrick. His 35” scale Neck-Through 4-string incorporates several species of fine hardwoods into an extremely well-built bass. The Neck-Through isn’t just another ”butcher’s block,” though—it produces some of the finest tones we’ve ever heard.

The center of the Elrick neck is a 1/4” wide stringer of the African hardwood bubinga. It’s flanked by two 1/8” wide strips of Wengé (favored by luthiers for its stiffness), while the shoulder strips are quartersawn rock maple, which displays nearly vertical grain for extra stability. (The neck is also beefed up with inlayed graphite bars.) A heel block of bubinga and walnut hugs the portion of the neck that runs through the body; the body wings consist of two 1” thick pieces of swamp-ash adorned with a beautifully bookmatched, 1/4” figured-maple top and back. Elrick says wood suppliers often call this type of maple “crazy quilt,” and we can see why: there’s a distinct flame to the top and back, but there are also spots that look a bit quilted and slightly burled. (Especially nice are the bookmatched “angel wings” that surround the bridge area.) All of the laminations on the body are accented with a 1/32” piece of dyed-black ash. A tung-oil-and-urethane finish, which feels smooth to the touch, protects the body and the neck—but as with most oil finishes, the bass is easy to scratch and dent. (Several areas on our test instrument also showed sanding marks.)

At the other end of the bass is a 12 degree angled back headstock; it sports a piece of dyed-black ash sandwiched between a 1/8” “crazy quilt” cap. In the fingerboard department, a 1/4” billet of bubinga holds 24 jumbo frets—nearly all installed flush to the board on our test bass. The fret ends were rounded over nicely, the crowns were round and smooth, and the fret kerfs were filled in. We did find a few high spots with our precision-ground straightedge, but they didn’t cause any string buzzes.

The neck wears a zero fret with a micarta string retainer. Some builders use a zero fret for a more uniform sound between open and fretted notes; that’s because the string sits on the same material as the frets (because it is a fret), rather than lying on a piece of bone or other material. The open strings on our test Elrick did exhibit the same snap as a fretted note. We wish more builders would use this method—although all such basses must have an angled-back headstock for proper string pressure on the zero fret.

Special woods deserve special electronics. The Elrick boasts custom Bartolinis; the single-coil-size pickups are actually humbuckers with a 2 + 2 coil arrangement to cancel out 60-cycle hum. This system works well, as you can solo the bridge or the neck pickup without that annoying J-Bass-like hum. (The copper-foil-shielded cavity also helps.) A Bartolini NTMB-3 active preamp offers three bands of EQ; the midrange control teams with a mini switch for three different mid frequencies. Since there’s no compartments for the preamp’s 9-volt battery, the addition of the active/passive switch is very nice, although it produces a loud “thud” through the amp when switching preamp modes. (Robert Elrick informs us that he’s since fixed the problem by adding a resistor to the switch.) Surprisingly, the Elrick is a very lightweight instrument, especially considering its amount of laminated wood. (Glue adds weight, too.) All of that wood isn’t just for looks, though-the Neck-Through has one of the richest, most organic tones we’ve ever heard. (There’s no denying the Elrick’s sustain.) Playability-wise, the instrument feels a lot like a P-Bass in the lower registers—but it’s much faster past the 12th fret, because there isn’t much neck taper at the higher positions. Our only design complaints is that the lower horn digs into your leg when you play the bass in a sitting position.

Is a 35” scale length necessary for a 4-string? Elrick feels it adds definition to the bottom string while using the instrument’s Hipshots XTender Key, which is standard on all EIrick 4’s. He also feels it makes heavier-gauge strings feel lighter. We can confirm the former; our test bass came strung with standard .045-.105 gauge strings, but the E string sounded unusually clear. The extra inch also adds superb focus when dropping the E to D.

The Elrick sounds great through just about any amp. The bridge pickup is perfect for that throaty Jaco tone, while the neck has shades of Precision-ness. And blending both pickups together effectively combines elements of both worlds while producing a very musical, deep sound. At over three grand, the Elrick Neck-Through certainly isn’t a steal. Besides first-rate tone wood, a lot of what you’re paying for is the attention of one person tailoring an instrument for you. And like most custom-made goods, that kind of special work doesn’t come cheap.

Reprinted from Bass Player Magazine, August 1997

5-String Bolt-on Review 

Hands-on Review:
Elrick 5-String Bass
By John Dahlman

This bolt-on is the latest offering from Rob Elrick of Chicago.

The review bass arrived here at subsonic HQ ready to play. The set-up was perfect right out of the case, and the fit and finish is equally well done. The sides and back are sculpted in such a way as to make standing or sitting very comfortable. No slab o’wood here. The neck is executed in Wengé, inlaid with graphite rods, and topped off with a phenolic fingerboard. The neck is attached with five bolts; truss rod access is at the base of the neck.

Rob is a believer in using a zero fret. When done right, this can provide a uniformity of tone between open strings and fretted notes. He did it right! I do feel this contributes to the solid tone and feel on both finger style and slapping techniques. Frets are medium size c and well finished.

Pickups are custom Bartolini humbuckers. Signal is sent to the complete Bartolini pre-amp and EQ. This includes a mid control with switchable center frequencies. Finally, Rob includes an electronics bypass switch (I really like that). All this is housed in a very neat and well organized, shielded, control cavity. In electronics, neatness counts. With all this tonal firepower, I was never at a loss for that special tone.

The black hardware includes: sealed tuners, inlaid straplocks, and bridge, and gives the bass a sharp, refined look and feel. The quick change bridge has adjustments for intonation, string height and string spacing. The latter being very useful if you don’t happen to agree with Elrick’s choice of string gauges.

Enough already! So how does it sound? I think focused is the most accurate word to use. The Elrick went with me on the road with a country band, into small clubs with a blues and R&B band, and into the studio for a number of projects. It was played through various amps into my two way TAD reference speakers. I discovered quickly that this bass has a very carrying sound—just tight, focused, and full with a well defined center to the notes. On the country and blues gigs it was able to provide a full and supportive bottom end. At the same time it could climb over the guitars when needed and get funky. Slapping styles are a breeze with the instruments tonal character always in evidence. In the studio the Elrick again allowed me to get the job done with no fuss and a happy producer. What else do you want?

On the value scale, this latest bass from the fertile mind of Rob Elrick is hard to beat. If you happen to be looking for that great all around bass and a luthier you can work with, you’d be doing good to call Rob.

Manufacturers suggested list $2900; as tested $2900

Reprinted from Bass Frontiers Magazine,
Volume 4, Number 1, January 1997

Piccolo Bass Review, Modern Musician Monthly, 1996

The Elrick Piccolo Bass:
A Welcome Arrival
By Dan Cooper

The idea of a “piccolo bass” is not a new one. Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke, and others have long since ventured there. The particular instrument we are examining today is an Elrick, handmade by Rob Elrick in Chicago. It’s tuned BEADGC, or BEADF#B, if you prefer. One might describe the instrument as an octave above the Anthony Jackson six-string contrabass, or a perfect fourth below a guitar.

Whatever the perception, this is a most natural evolution in the instrument family. Vocal choirs and other instrument families, such as saxophones or bowed-string instruments, for example, fill out the range of hearing with an assortment of Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses, whose range overlap a great deal. The construction of the instruments (their different scale lengths, resonators, materials, etc.) give rise to varied palette of colors and sonorities to choose from in the creation of a music composition. As Igor Stravinsky knew the value of bass instruments on high (his modern music masterwork “The Rite of Spring” opens with a bassoon way up on middle C) so does the piccolo bass enrich our sonic palette in a range normally reserved for a guitar.

The Elrick piccolo bass is first-rate craftsmanship, a natural finished, neck-through construction, solid as a good bassist’s time sense. The body is a mahogany core with flame maple faces, and the neck is mahogany, striped with decorative paduk and laurel. The fingerboard is phenolic, a paper and epoxy laminate, and the 21 frets are impeccably cut. As for electronics, we have Bartolini stacked humbucking pickups paired to TC5 preamp: all good circuitry, standard three knobs and no switches. The Wilkinson bridge is an excellent choice, as are the Sperzel locking tuners. I do kind of wish the tuning buttons were a little larger, or the string posts a little less stiff. I also find the strings, gauged 14-25-35-45-55-65, a little stubborn, but these quibbles have nothing to do with the instrument itself. Where great luthiers venture forth, great hardware designers and string makers are sure to follow.

The real questions are about sound and feel. In a sense, luthiers of new instruments must, on the basis of acoustics and ergonomics,invent new standards for things like scale length, string spacing, and neck shape, as well as ever-elusive parameters like headstock angle, string post placement, and fingerboard radius. (Specifically,this bass, bridge-to-nut is about 28” and the string spacing is about 5/8” at the bridge and 5/16” at the nut.) Misjudgment in any area could throw off the whole design. So Elrick’s creation is a real success: the neck feels very comfortable, the right hand can nimbly dance across the strings, but still get-in-there for slap and pop techniques. (Fans of Larry Graham and Bartok String Quartets rejoice!) The seemingly perfect neck heel, body contouring, elegant double cutaway, and zero fret (a personal favorite) all contribute to the joy of playing this baby bass! And by corollary of all these factors, the sound is versatile and clear, lively through a wide dynamic range, with crisp harmonics when you need them. I tested the bass in a variety of styles, and the Elrick holds its own. (whether you want to fantasize chromatically, or get lost in a masquerade, or be sedated, or just be yourself again!) I also believe the piccolo bass would be an ideal candidate for MIDI-minded bassists since the higher range would greatly improve pitch tracking.

Less importantly, the bass does look great: smart laminates, logo, headstock, no top position markers, wooden circuit cover, and black hardware adorn and please the eye. The solid-as-a-brick mahogany-and-flame design clearly draws upon the classic Les Paul, and touch of Wal or Fodera or Carl Thomson aesthetic detail seem to be in evidence. Elrick is no less an innovator, and my other basses are starting to look jealous.

As we enter the dawn of a new era, there are those who say the bass guitar will always be the four-stringed thing that preferably says “Fender” on it. For those with a more evolutionary approach? Check it out!

Reprinted from the Modern Musician Monthly
copyright © Dan Cooper 1996.