I got this bass as slightly more affordable substitute for the MTD 5 (reviewed elsewhere in this site) that I got rid of and later regretted losing. Given the woods, electronics, and construction, I expected it to be similar to the MTD, and it is in some ways, but it's got its own personality, too.

The first thing that appealed to me is that this is a very beautiful bass, with one of the wildest spalted/burled tops I've ever seen. (It's the actual bass pictured on the Elrick web site for this model, but that photo doesn't do it justice....). The matching peghead overlay is a nice touch, too, particularly how it contrasts with the dark wenge neck.

Tonally, it's a little rounder and darker than I was expecting wiht the wenge neck--it's not quite as open and lively as the MTD was. The pickups and EQ give a fairly wide range of tones, though, with a very full low end, mids that can cut if you want them to, and highs that never seem to get out of hand.

The bass is fairly comfortable to play--it's no featherweight, but it's reasonably light and hangs at a comfortable 45 degrees on a strap. The neck is a bit chunky, something like a Warwick, thick enough to feel substantial, but not awkward. 3/4" string spacing at the bridge works well for both fingerstyle and slap. The fretboard radius is not as flat as some modern basses, and it's not the fastest neck I've played, but it's still pretty good. The unusual Elrick neck joint and deep cutaway gives easy access to the highest frets, too. Some of the frets could be a little more level, though, because I get a bit of buzzing if I set the action too low, and a couple of the fret ends are a bit high on the treble side.

Aside from the frets, there are a few other small details that are not perfect. The string spacing is cut a little unevenly at the nut, for instance, and the thin oil finish shows some slightly rough spots where it wasn't sanded out as much as it should have been. The neck joint and pickup routes are super clean and tight, though. The control cavity cover cut right out of the body wood is well done, too. Overall, it feels very much like the handmade instrument that it is rather than something churned out by the hundreds on a CNC machine.

Construction	90%
Playability	95%
Appearance	100%
Sound	95%
Value	90%
Overall	95%