Show us your Martin Keith Basses

[emjazz]

Amazing bass! That neck sounds like something very special. Tell us what you think about the bass

That neck design is what he ended up using for the acoustic basses. I believe that Jonathan Reiner's 5 string P has a similar neck as well. My acoustic has one with an outer core of mahogany, and I believe spruce inside. INCREDIBLE necks.

 

[chinjazz]

Where to begin... This bass has many features I desire in a bass - zero fret, super comfortable neck profile, lots of tone combinations from the Stellartone system, trussrod adjustment at bass of neck, and extremely lightweight. I have several active basses, but my favorite tones come from this bass and another passive Warmoth bass. This bass neck is extremely stable, and plays amazingly well at all registers. It handles the low-action setup without any buzzing.

Honestly, I don't feel worthy of this bass . I saw it at a local bass shop for many months, and when I played it the bass seemed to be built for me. The bass never sold, and was still there when the shop announced it was closing it's doors and many other basses had sold. I am not one for 'signs', but this bass just seemed to be waiting for me. So, I picked it up! One of the tuners busted a few months later, so I contacted Martin to ask what model I should order. He shipped me a new tuner, free of charge, and was very friendly throughout. He asked me to ship the broken tuner back, so he could do some quality control - he was clearly interested in maintaining very high standards. I lost the tuner, never sent it back. Now I feel bad...

But back to the bass - it is a pleasure to play!

Martin's work is top notch, and no surprises that his customer service is stellar too.
Truly sounds like an exceptional bass! Thanks for sharing!

 

[JGR]

This thread needs a bump! I got my bass back from Martin a few weeks ago - I had him route and install a bridge pickup (Nordy Big Split) which goes great with the custom Nordy P that replaced the stock Aguilar. Martin's work is impeccable as always, and very reasonable. I ended up pulling the pre after I took this picture and installed a by-passable Jfet buffer circuit since I never used the preamp. Simple and works/sounds great. Controls are now V-V-T. Such a cool instrument!

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

This thread needs a bump! I got my bass back from Martin a few weeks ago - I had him route and install a bridge pickup (Nordy Big Split) which goes great with the custom Nordy P that replaced the stock Aguilar. Martin's work is impeccable as always, and very reasonable. I ended up pulling the pre after I took this picture and installed a by-passable Jfet buffer circuit since I never used the preamp. Simple and works/sounds great. Controls are now V-V-T. Such a cool instrument!

That's a killer bass, right there

 

[Bass Viking]

Same bass, slightly different tack, musically.

"Bass Noodle #1380" Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2016 All rights reserved.

Martin's basses offer lots of room for personal creativity.

I like it! But you're the only person I know of who copyrights their noodling.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I like it! But you're the only person I know of who copyrights their noodling.

Noodles have a way of becoming published songs......................

 

[77stingray]

Hello all! I have an MK up for trade and will soon be for sale. The scale is just too long for me. If you have any trades or a trade plus cash proposal let me know. It is a super nice bass!
For Trade - Martin Keith Elfin 5

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

Just thought I'd share some tracks I laid with my Elfin 5. A few months back, I got invited by a friend to help with some ideas he had, and he ended up getting them mastered. I think "Suspension" and "Time" came out pretty good:

 

[Jeff Scott]

I don't see them.

 

[smperry]

Just thought I'd share some tracks I laid with my Elfin 5. A few months back, I got invited by a friend to help with some ideas he had, and he ended up getting them mastered. I think "Suspension" and "Time" came out pretty good:

The tone is great! Sweet growl.

 

[Jeff Scott]

AND THE LINKS,THEY ARE WHERE?

 

[smperry]

AND THE LINKS,THEY ARE WHERE?

in his post! do you have an adblocker running or something maybe?

edit: does this work? album/1YxjJ0dzcV04JIdWMR0N8u

 

[Jeff Scott]

No ad blockers that I am aware of, but that link works.

I'll check it out tomorrow after the British GP where Vettel will be winning.

 

[chinjazz]

The tone is great! Sweet growl.

Very nice tracks and Tone, did any one mention tone and nice growl? I kind of sensed a bit of Geddy Lee influence.

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

No ad blockers that I am aware of, but that link works.

I'll check it out tomorrow after the British GP where Vettel will be winning.

That's really strange. Here is the direct link: Saint's Hour on Spotify

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

Very nice tracks and Tone, did any one mention tone and nice growl? I kind of sensed a bit of Geddy Lee influence.

Thanks so much @smperry and @chinjazz! While I can't say that Geddy has been much of an influence, I'm really humbled and appreciate that compliment. More than any other bass, this one has really gotten closest to whatever tone I'm going for, whether smooth or growly. And the clarity and heft of the low-B always brings out a smile--I mostly attribute that to Martin's skills

 

[Jeff Scott]

I'll check it out tomorrow after the British GP where Vettel will be winning.

Am I a clairvoyant, or what?

 

[77stingray]

I really loved the tracks! Thanks for sharing Ricky!

 

[jharms80439]

Ricky,

Per your request from over in the 5ths tuning club.

Here’s my new to me MK Elfin string in 5ths. Thanks Allison (77stingray)!

GHS Precision Flats C(B) & G(A), LaBella DTF-FX D & A(G), Kalium.023 E.

Yum.

John

 

[77stingray]

Glad you love it John!