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Ritter vs. elrick

#63
On a side note, one way to tell if a four or six-string Elrick is an older one is by looking at the headstock- the old ones had an asymmetrical tuner layout, and at some point (I think in '03 or so) he switched to having them be symmetrical, which looks much better IMO.

AndyW83 said:
which one are you playing both?
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This one- it's a couple years old now. Dig the shirt that was like two sizes too small for me. At some point in my late 20s, my shoulders grew twice their width :D
 
#64
The symetrical is a bit more pleasing to the eye. And as much as I am in love with the NJS headstock, it would look pretty foolish on any of his other basses I think, and that custom NJS with the normal headstock on the site doesn't look that great to me either. To each his own, but if I ever get the single cut six I would love to have, I won't be opting for a custom with an NJS headstock thats for sure.
 
#65
I live in the Northeast and it is really hard to get a hold of an Elrick to try out, however a buddy of mine had 2 of them in the past that I had the oppurtunity to play. They both were easy on the eye and the fingers. When looking to purchase one of my own I visited a local dealer to see what he had in stock, I picked up several Ritters and was frustrated with finding a tone that was gratifying. The Ritters are beautiful but that wasn't enough to get me to pull the trigger on one. that being said, I traded a Pedulla in at Bass Emporium for an Elrick Classic Bolt-on ,Rob Elrick built the bass in around 4 months and when it arrived I merely plugged it in and found(within seconds) a variety of tones that I had looked for but had never been able to achieve with the Pedulla or my MMStingray. I bought it sight unseen and for the price it is by far the best purchase that I have ever made. good Luck !
 
#67
AndyW83 said:
im from the north jersey area.....ide say $3,000 is my limit
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dont know where in nj you live but if you want to make a trip down to middlesex you are more than welcome to try my two elricks out. pm me if you want to check them out.

glenn at bassspecialties is also a great guy. i ordered my singlecut from him.

i know glenn has a ritter and some elricks. i would not be opposed to bringing my elricks to glenn so you can compare the two.
 
#73
lousybassplayer said:
I agree on the normal Elrick headstock. Not bad, just a little boring. But the NJS take on the Fender scroll is better than Fender's and really pretty. To me most Fender copy headstocks, from Sadowsky, Lakland, A-C, all the way down to SX and the cheapies just don't look as good as the original, but the Elrick Jazz headstock makes the Fender one look to fat and clunky side by side. I'm falling back in love with my Elrick every minute. Glad I decided not to ditch it.
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My initial take on the NJS headstock was that it was, shall we say, unattractive. Then I played one and it gone downright purty.
:smug:

I've owned several Elricks (still own two NJS fives including a very cool custom semihollow fretless. It has a five in line extended NJS headstock, just to drive the point home;))) and have played several Ritters over the course of many years. I've come close to pulling the trigger on more than one Ritter and me not doing it had nothing to do with the Ritters.

I can't recommend one over the other. Actual anectdotal experience with Ritters, as previously mentioned, will be limited because they're made in smaller numbers and typically run higher in price. the individual may love or hate either or maybe even both, who knows. I know people hate the recommendation to check them out for yourself but that really is the only way to get the experience in any relevant fashion. Short of buying with an approval period.

One thing about the NJS basses... I've found that I'm not as limited in tones as many people who play them. I've had the same experience with my MTD 635 (still have it too) in that while I can get the natural sound out of them, some simple technique experimentation gave me much thicker sounds than many might think possible. Most people don't bother so they're "stuck" with what they get when they play in an obvious fashion. Just an FYI I guess.

Good luck. And don't forget that lots of things can figure into how well you might like a bass. Something as simple as the "right" or "wrong" string can easily sway you one way or another, even though it's one of the easiest things to change about a bass. I use DR Sunbeam Nickel roundwounds on my Elricks and MTD because for me they take a bit of the normal bright edge off of each bass.
:cool:
 
#74
As stated, apples and oranges. Two very nice but completely different basses. Ritters have a distinct look and sound. Elicks pretty much the same, but they might vary a little more.

*I* personally prefer Ritter and own one, though I have played several Elricks and they are nice basses as well. Just think myself the Ritter is better, but it could just be my personal taste.

That being said a new Ritter probably is a bit out of your range, but you do see used ones pop up and that should still be in your budget. Might have to wait for the right one to come along, then again it might take a while to find the right Elrick. I think Brian at the low end has a used Okon 5'er right now.
 
#75
With all due respect to the OP, it would seem to me that a player who could afford a Ritter or an Elrick (especially a Ritter) would have the means to try both, even if it meant losing some money on shipping/returning. I would never depend on others to make such a major decision for me. I would only trust my own hands and ears. :)

M. M.
 

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