Greetings one and all.
I'm considering pulling the trigger on an Elan right now. It's not an instrument that I "need" by any stretch which is one of the reasons I haven't just bought it.
This picture of me with one of my Essence basses to explain what I'm curious about. When standing, where the 12th fret is and how far you have to reach left to get to the first fret. When comparing an Essence with an Orion, both 4 string, both 34" scale, the 12th fret on the Essence is about where the 9th fret is on the Orion. The Essence has the neck pushed more left due to body size, shape, and horns. The Elan looks very, very close to an Orion, hence my question.
Again. I don't need it. But it sure looks like it would be the right bass for me to put TI Jazz Flats on and use it for Allman Brothers type things.
In all my edits, I neglected to mention that this is probably a question specifically for people who either own or have owned both an Elan and an Orion.
I own an Orion 6 and have played an Elan. Both are comfortable to play in the standing position. Give it a try and see how you like the bass.
I own a 5 string Orion and a 4 string elan and I stand 5'10" tall. To me the orion feels more comfortable to play than the elan down at the lower end frets. But the difference may be due the fact that I play 5 strings, significantly more often.
Thanks, gentlemen. I decided to jump off the cliff. We'll see how things go sometime early next week when it arrives.
Sorry, late to the party.... (Orion is at my parents house)
Anyways, looks about the same to me on these 5 string versions:
OrionElan.jpg
Quote from: briant on May 28, 2026, 07:28:07 AMThanks, gentlemen. I decided to jump off the cliff. We'll see how things go sometime early next week when it arrives.
And what are your findings by now about the Elan?
Quote from: Barend on June 23, 2026, 10:24:30 PMQuote from: briant on May 28, 2026, 07:28:07 AMThanks, gentlemen. I decided to jump off the cliff. We'll see how things go sometime early next week when it arrives.
And what are your findings by now about the Elan?
The neck sits a bit further to the left than an Orion but still very comfortable/manageable. I liked it so much I bought another Elan from Guitar Center last week.
Quote from: briant on June 24, 2026, 03:07:44 PMQuote from: Barend on June 23, 2026, 10:24:30 PMQuote from: briant on May 28, 2026, 07:28:07 AMThanks, gentlemen. I decided to jump off the cliff. We'll see how things go sometime early next week when it arrives.
And what are your findings by now about the Elan?
The neck sits a bit further to the left than an Orion but still very comfortable/manageable. I liked it so much I bought another Elan from Guitar Center last week.
ok cool. Do you have some pictures of your Elans?
The harem as it sits. The Elans are difficult to photograph as the tops aren't really highly figured wood, so it's mostly just reflections from the room when trying to get details.
Top row, aside from the 5-string, are all strung with TI Jazz Flats. The rest of them have Elixer nanoweb round wounds. The empty spot is a placeholder for a 4-string Orion that the Mothership is currently building.