Another lefty Elrick!

[Addison]

Well, looky here...





SPECS:

• Gold Series e-volution 5... Lefty
• Holly Top and Headstock Veneer
• Matching Holly Pickup Covers
• Wenge Neck Fingerboard
• Swamp Ash Body
• Aero J-Coil Pickups
• Bartolini NTBT-918 Preamp
• 6-String headstock size
• 8.5 lbs

I started reaching out to several different builders a short while ago and Rob Elrick was one of them (thanks for the referral, Bill!!!)... I knew he has been around building basses forever, but it seems like he's always maintained a fairly low profile for whatever reason.

We talked and I felt like we clicked... it was kind of like talking to an old buddy or something. He made me laugh constantly, really gave me the impression that he was into my goals and started firing ideas and possibilities back to me right away.

I'm really into the utilitarian vibe right now... function over form... less is more... however you want to describe it... and my fellow lefty friend Julian Michel recently had a Fodera built with a holly top that I just loved, so I wanted to go in a similar direction.

Anyway, I really got lucky and caught Rob at the perfect time, so he was able to get started immediately.

I got the bass yesterday, and I have to be honest with you... the fit and finish is nearly perfect. The fretwork is absolutely beautiful and there simply isn't an uneven line or gap or blip anywhere on this bass. The only other basses I have ever seen with this kind of attention to detail have been ZON basses, and anyone who has ever owned a ZON knows what I mean when I say that. When you hold this Elrick in your hands, you can't help but wonder why other brands that cost twice the money get all the accolades... this bass is constructed every bit as good as any one of them I've seen... and I've seen a lot.

It also happens to sound unbelievable as well... these Aero single coils through that Bart preamp is just a ridiculous combo... it's Jazz Bass tone if tone could be described as Wolverine from the X-Men... but the wenge neck and fingerboard give it that "non-stereotypical jazz bass" Wick vibe with some gravel in the low mids and a very sweet high end.

Through my Puma 900 and into my pair of Berg CN112's was thunderous heaven... and my Streamliner 900 into my Baer ML212 was just ridonkulous... I shook the house and cackled the whole time. It was SICK.

If I can use another nerdy superhero analogy, the Puma/Berg rig was Thor and the Streamliner/Baer rig was The Hulk.

"Factory Setup" was exceptional and beyond pretty much any other new bass I've ever tried, straight out of the box... however, I do like my necks to be a little straighter and my action just a hair lower, so a few tweaks later, I was set. Didn't take much though.

The true test of rehearsals and gigs are soon to follow... I gig this weekend and have rehearsal tonight, and I'm REALLY excited to play this bass.

Finally, my entire experience with Rob has really been fantastic ... if anyone has ever been interested in an Elrick build at all, I would not hesitate to just go for it. There's just no reason not to.

[Matt R.]

That is beautiful man. Congrats. Way cooler than the Alleva Crappolo.

[fivebass52]

Nice! I like how the lower horn is shaped to make it rest securely on your knee... I also have a set of Aero pickups on my custom R&B Bass (my avatar pic, and they are humbuckers with a 4-way switch, running passive TTV...) have always considered matching them up with a Bart pre-amp, so I appreciate your comments on the combo....

Again, congrats on a great-looking bass!

[Lefty007]

Oh, Jesus. That's just incredible. Also fell in love with holly tops after seeing Julian's Fodera. Elrick always has been in my want-to list. And how fitting that you finally got a great buying experience with a bass builder.

I'm guessing you ordered this before the whole Alleva ordeal, no?

Awesome, man. . .

[Stingray5]

Nice, congrats! The pickup covers are a nice touch. And 8.5 lbs? sweet.

[gravesbass]

Congrats... Its beautiful and the Wenge neck... Oh Yea!!!!

Sometimes getting a dud will work out in the long run. This is a great example of it. Rob builds some really nice basses and wayyyy underrated as far as I can say. All the basses I have played upside-down were killer. He don't mess around and ship out crap!!!

[Billw97]

I am very happy to hear that everything worked out for you! That is an awesome Bass man!

Bill

[AzWhoFan]

Really glad that this Phoenix rose from the ashes of your A-C trainwreck. no doubt the holly top looks a lot nicer in person than it does in the pics (not to say that it doesn't- natural holly can be tough to photograph).

Be interested to hear what you have to say about the zero-fret and how it reacts with your playing style. Generally speaking, zero-frets are a non issue to 99% of folks, but hey, never hurts to ask eh?

[Marc40a]

So...that's what you've been cooking.

That's beautiful. I've seen righty versions in person and Rob does amazing work.

How about a picture of the back?

What's the scale length and string spacing?

Those holly pickup covers are absolutely mental.

[Basshappi]

Beautiful bass Addison, congrats!
I have always liked Elrick's and the few I have handled (rightys only) exuded quailty craftmanship. I hope that it serves you well for a long time to come.

[Jules1]

... and my fellow lefty friend Julian Michel recently had a Fodera built with a holly top that I just loved, so I wanted to go in a similar direction.

aha.... that was / is the secret Holly project

LOOKS GREAT !!! Enjoy it !!!

ha, and did you go with a 6 string headstock size because you like the look of my Extended B Headstock shape ?

[Addison]

Thanks again everyone!!!

I just got back from soundcheck a couple of hours ago, and MAN... this thing just sounds RIDICULOUS!!!!

So happy right now!!!

I'm guessing you ordered this before the whole Alleva ordeal, no?

Actually, believe it or not, no... you could probably say that the stars aligned for me and Rob went WAY ABOVE and beyond the call of duty to make this bass happen for me... so the entire build only took 30 days.

I don't know if anyone else could expect a build in that time... I literally called him at the perfect time, and because we know some of the same people, he did me a huge solid. I really owe him one. He's a great guy.

no doubt the holly top looks a lot nicer in person than it does in the pics (not to say that it doesn't- natural holly can be tough to photograph).

You're right... it does look better in person. That picture is a little harsh, honestly... it was a hard flash and under fluorescent lights, and I just edited out the background, as I took it in my office. Here's a couple of better pictures of the front and back in natural light taken with my iPhone on my deck.





That definitely represents the look in person a lot more... it has a creamy look to it in direct light, and looks more white in indirect light. With the grayish streaks it kind of looks like old bones, which is totally cool with me.

It's not a "10 top" like Jules' bass... Rob told me that holly of that quality is getting harder and harder to come by. He might have been able to find a "perfect" piece, but I honestly didn't have time to wait or the money to pay for the extra trouble. The top on my bass was already in his shop and since I didn't have a 5-string, I told him to go for it after he sent me pics.

Be interested to hear what you have to say about the zero-fret and how it reacts with your playing style. Generally speaking, zero-frets are a non issue to 99% of folks, but hey, never hurts to ask eh?

As far as setup goes, I can't tell a difference... it feels the same to me, as I typically like a low-cut nut and a flat neck anyway. Tone-wise, I think I can tell... not all basses have huge tonal change between an open string and a fretted note, but some do... and this bass has NO discernible difference.

I can tell you, however, that I played an MTD import with a zero fret, and I friggin' HATED it. The bass had a bad setup and the zero fret felt like a gimmick... it just wasn't good.

ha, and did you go with a 6 string headstock size because you like the look of my Extended B Headstock shape ?

Haha!

Actually, no... it was really just the holly top. Rob does offer the extended B-string option, but I'm not sure if I believe it works.

The real reason I did a 6-string headstock was to add a Hipshot d-tuner to both the B and the E strings, so there would be plenty of room for the lever to rotate. UNFORTUNATELY, with the rush of everything, we didn't remember to compensate for distance between the bass and treble sides of the headstock, so the d-stuner wouldn't fit.

Fellow lefty Bill from Hipshot is on the case though, and he's looking in to possible ways we could make it work. It might not be possible, but that's ok... I absolutely love the look of the headstock regardless.

Ok, time to go get ready for my gig... I'm going to have SO MUCH fun tonight!!

WOOT!

[fivebass52]

I think you just raised property values in the neighborhood...

[markcv]

Sorry I'm a little late to the party here but wow! Chris, that is a gorgeous bass. Love the holly top and the wenge neck. So happy to hear that you had such a great experience after the AC fiasco.

Congrats man.

[andrew]

Now that you've had it near a month how do you feel about it?

[Addison]

I have to say that I'm hopelessly spoiled by ZON basses and everything else now comes second.

They're simply "the bass for me" in pretty much every possible way, and all other basses will be critically compared.

With that said, however, I still love it and still think it's an amazing bass... it sounds absolutely amazing, is really light and comfortable, balances perfectly and sets up really, really well.

I am very lucky to have it.