Ellio Martina BS4

[XoSo]

I've just been flicking trhrough the latest issue of Bass magazine and was stopped in my tracks by the beauty off the Ellio Martina BS4 that they review (www.elliomartina.com) . Talk about damning with faint praise, hardly a paragraph went by without the reviewer referring to it as drab or boring, even likening it to a grey suit at one point. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder; for me this bass had me salivating over it's purity and simplicity and bucket loads of class. I can't justify spending two grand on a bass at the start of my bass learning journey but I'm sure at some time in the future when I think I've reached a competent enough level to justify it I'll be travelling down the road to Bass Direct to try one out. Anyone have any experience of them? Anyone else of the opinion they are extremely beautiful or am I in a very small minority?

[ped]

I think the one on Bass Direct looks lovely. I'd like to try one. The guys at the company are very friendly also.

There's no shame in having a 2k bass if you've just started but your tastes and preferences may change as you learn.

[LeftyJ]

I own an Ellio Martina Forza 5-string with Ellio's handwound large singlecoils and with an Aguilar OBP3 added. It has been my go-to bass ever since I bought it used in 2007. The neck is super comfortable, and the range of tones it produces reaches from classic Jazz Bass to modern boutique basses. It does look a bit dull and understated, with its natural ash body and maple/purpleheart neck with maple fingerboard. Visually, there's not much going on. But the tone and playability are just perfect!

Service is great too. I've visited Ellio a couple of times at his home workshop for adjustments and some work on another bass of mine and he's a great guy, friendly and knowledgeable.

Edited October 19, 2017 by LeftyJ