Bass Emporium Newsletter - September 2009
Ed Friedland's
The Bass Whisperer Reports: Elrick Expat New Jazz Standard 5-string Bass Guitar
by Ed Friedland
Rob Elrick is one of those rare bass builders who achieve balance between top-shelf boutique esthetics and real world usefulness. His US-built instruments feature some of the most stunning exotic tops I've ever seen—with flawless construction, expert fretwork, intriguing designs, lightweight balanced bodies, and typically priced less than you might expect. But perhaps the best thing about Elrick's work is—you can actually gig with it. Don't get me wrong, I like a sweet looking coffee-table-hippie-sandwich bass as much as the next guy, but many of them don't have what it takes to take care of business on the bandstand. In the pursuit of creating a unique look and voice for their instruments, many builders forget that a bass is also a tool. For most of us, that means it must have the low-mid punch and clarity to guide a bunch of disparate bozos (read: guitarists, singers, drummers) into the same time zone. If your fancy pants bass only delivers that glossy, hi-fi, NAMM-show tone, the anti-groove forces will simply run over you like a puppy in a cattle stampede. Not a problem with an Elrick.
As a one-man operation, Elrick builds about 50 basses a year, and each one is a unique example of his skill as a builder. But the recently introduced Expat basses are crafted in the Czech Republic to demanding specifications and retain much of what makes the hand made instruments special. They are a moderately priced alternative to his custom work, and serious competition to anything else in the sub-$2,500 range. Currently the New Jazz Standard design is the only Expat available, in 4 and 5 strings versions, but other models may be brought out in the future. To keep costs down, the Expats forgo the wood-bling of the US models—instead you get hand picked classic tone woods (alder or swamp ash) with clear, amber or antique tobacco sunburst, black or white finishes.
From The Top, Down
This month's review bass is an antique tobacco sunburst 5-string NJS model with an alder body and maple fingerboard. The angled headstock has an alder cap with clear finish over it—not very flashy, but a nice touch, and well applied. The 3/8" post Hipshot Ultra-light tuners have a satin finish, and do their part in keeping the instrument light and balanced. The width at the nut is 2", and the use of a zero fret (standard practice on all Elricks) gives the open strings the same timbre as a fretted note.
The 3-piece quarter-sawn maple neck has a full, rounded D profile with a satin finish, and feels beefy without being cumbersome. Elrick's neck joint is a unique design that extends the heel all the way down to the neck pickup. There is 7.5" of contact from where the body first joins with the neck at the upper horn—a feature that greatly enhances neck stability and contributes to a superior B string. Held together with 6 counter-sunk bolts, the neck has a carved resting place for the thumb as you play up from the 15th fret, as well as a nicely sculpted "guide track" for the thumb as you move up to the clearly accessible 24th fret.
The 2-piece alder body has a lacquer finish, a feature not available on US models. It is evenly applied and buffed to a high gloss. One of the hallmarks of the US models is their low weight, and to keep the quality high, Erlick hand-picks all of the lumber for the Expat series. This particular bass comes in at 8.3 lbs, though all the Expats I've tried fall in the same basic weight class.
The US made Bartolini Jazz pickups are placed in the classic 60s J position: Bridge pickup at 2.75" and neck pickup 6" from the G string saddle (center to center). The 3-band boost/cut Bartolini preamp is also US-built and accessible through the rear-routed control cavity.
Inside, everything is neat and well shielded, there is a trim pot to adjust the preamp output, and the battery is tucked away in a tight little cubby hole, all by itself. My first attempts at accessing the battery were frustrating until it occurred to me to simply flip the bass over, the battery popped right out. The control panel is a simple 5-in-a-row arrangement with master volume, pan, treble, mid and bass controls within easy reach.
The preamp can be bypassed with the volume control's push/pull pot, and the mid frequency can be switched between 250kHz and 800kHz via it's own push/pull control.
A brushed aluminum Hipshot B-style bridge is basic and functional—nothing to get excited about, but it adjusts easily for string height and intonation, and the brass string saddles provide perfectly good vibration transfer to the body. The string spacing is .75" (or 19mm), which is standard for a Fender 4-string.
The overall styling is un-apologetically Jazz Bass inspired, but the nuances Elrick adds to the design are certainly improvements. On the surface, the Expat series seems rather plain, especially compared to the US models, but some folks prefer a more subdued presentation, and everyone loves a bargain. The Expat may skimp on the cosmetic touches, but they are by no means unattractive, and once you plug it in, the true beauty of this beast takes over.
Tone Test
I recorded the Elrick Expat NJS5 direct into Protools using a Radial Engineering ProDI and Analysis Plus Bass Oval cable. No compression or additional eq was used. The onboard eq is considered flat at "5". First I recorded the neck pickup, then both pickups, then the bridge. Keep in mind that there is quite a range of options with the blend, but for the sake of simplicity, I recorded the single pickups completely solo.
Example 1) Fingerstyle on the neck pickup, bass set to "6", 250kHz mids at"7", treble flat. Here's a nice round, warm tone for fingerstyle, very open, but with good articulation.
Listen to: Fingerstyle neck pickup only
Example 2) Both pickups fingerstyle, bass on "7", 250k mids on "7", treble flat. This tone has a little more center, tighter articulation, though the lows are still there.
Listen to: Fingerstyle both pickups
Example 3) Bridge pickup only, fingerstyle. I beefed up the lows to "8", 250k mids at "7", treble flat. This is a nice tight tone, yet it still has good low end and punch.
Listen to: Fingerstyle bridge pickup only
Example 4) Slap on the neck pickup—bass on "6", 250k mids on "7" treble at "8". The hollow chunk of the front pickup is very old school, somewhat P Bass-like. The B responds great to the slap, and the G has a tight snap to it.
Listen to: Slap on the neck pickup
Example 5) Slapping with both pickups is no doubt the default slap tone for this axe. It has Jazz-like qualities, but with an overall tighter attack. Bass set to "8", 250k mids at "6", treble on "8".
Listen to: Slapping with both pickups
Example 6) The bridge pickup is super tight when slapping, and it really brings out the B string. I added a little extra low end—set at "9", 250k mids at8" and treble at "8".
Listen to: Slap on the bridge pickup
Example 7) Pickstyle with the front pickup has a nice bark to it. Bass is set at "7', and to bring out the pick attack, I switched the mid frequency to 800kHz, set at "7", treble on "6".
Listen to: Pickstyle on the neck pickup
Example 8) With both pickups, the sound gets more articulate, and the nuances of the pick become clearer. Bass at "8", 800k mids at "7", treble at "6".
Listen to: Pickstyle on both pickups
Example 9) The bridge pickup played with the pick is clear and fast. I added some more lows, set to "9", 800k mids at "8" and treble at "6".
Listen to: Pickstyle on the bridge pickup
Bottom Line
The Elrick Expat NJS 5 is a great workhorse bass with champion bloodlines. You're not paying for fancy woods and custom craftsmanship, but you still get a well-built, full-featured, modern Jazz-style 5 string that can take care of business.
Ed Friedland is a renowned Bassist, Educator and Author. He has authored over 15 books and DVDs and has played with the likes of Joe Beck, Larry Coryell, Robben Ford, Paul Horn, Clay Jenkins, Mike Metheny, Bud Shank, Lew Tabackin & Michal Urbaniak to name just a few. Ed is also currently teaching at Bass Emporium in Austin, Texas. Check out the Ed Friedland website for full information about him at http://www.edfriedland.com/.
