For longer than I can remember, I have been looking for a fretless bass that was warm, yet still produced a singing tone with the classic "mwah" that is the hallmark of a great fretless bass. While I have had a number of amazing fretless basses over the years (Fodera, Stambaugh, MTD), no could capture that tone that I had in my head, something that was much closer to Pino Palladino's tone that Jaco's.Thankfully, Leo Mordini at Ele Basses gave me exactly what I had been searching for all these years.
With this being the second bass that I've purchased from Leo, the overall quality of the instrument came as no surprise, despite the fact that in almost every way, it exceeded my expectations. To begin with, the construction on this bass is impecable, in fact, the first thing that stands out is Leo's attention to detail, it is flawless and evident of how much care and pride he take clearly takes in his work. The bass has a asymetrical neck that is quite possible one of the most comforable necks I've ever played, if not one of the most stable. The olive wood top, which Leo recommended, is absolutely stunning and complex, it is a work of art unto itself. As for the bridge, it is a fully adjustable wood bridge. The pickup is an Ele neodymium quad coil pickup that is connected to switches that provide different single coil modes, as well as paralell and series wiring options. Lastly, LED side markers that truly serve to top things off.
Again, it is the sound of this bass that truly makes it something special. The tone is warm, full, and woody sounding. In fact, not only does it capture the Pino Palladino tone that I alluded to earlier, but I playing closer to the fretboard produces a sound that very similar to that of an upright, albeit one with more sustain. The preamp and switching combinations make it one of the most flexible basses that I have ever played, so much so that I have found it equally at home in a jazz trio as well as rock and blues gigs, this bass can do it all!
I honestly can't say enough great things about this bass, it is right up there with the great basses of the day and in some ways, even surpasses them To be honest, one would be hard pressed to find a better bass or for that matter, better service from a truly quality luthier. If you are in the market for a new bass, you owe it to yourself to check out Ele basses!
With this being the second bass that I've purchased from Leo, the overall quality of the instrument came as no surprise, despite the fact that in almost every way, it exceeded my expectations. To begin with, the construction on this bass is impecable, in fact, the first thing that stands out is Leo's attention to detail, it is flawless and evident of how much care and pride he take clearly takes in his work. The bass has a asymetrical neck that is quite possible one of the most comforable necks I've ever played, if not one of the most stable. The olive wood top, which Leo recommended, is absolutely stunning and complex, it is a work of art unto itself. As for the bridge, it is a fully adjustable wood bridge. The pickup is an Ele neodymium quad coil pickup that is connected to switches that provide different single coil modes, as well as paralell and series wiring options. Lastly, LED side markers that truly serve to top things off.
Again, it is the sound of this bass that truly makes it something special. The tone is warm, full, and woody sounding. In fact, not only does it capture the Pino Palladino tone that I alluded to earlier, but I playing closer to the fretboard produces a sound that very similar to that of an upright, albeit one with more sustain. The preamp and switching combinations make it one of the most flexible basses that I have ever played, so much so that I have found it equally at home in a jazz trio as well as rock and blues gigs, this bass can do it all!
I honestly can't say enough great things about this bass, it is right up there with the great basses of the day and in some ways, even surpasses them To be honest, one would be hard pressed to find a better bass or for that matter, better service from a truly quality luthier. If you are in the market for a new bass, you owe it to yourself to check out Ele basses!
