The MVP4-62 in SunburstAs I’ve said in past reviews of Fender-style instruments, there is something about the simplicity and familiarity of the form that can reveal more about an instrument designer than even the most fancy boutique bass can. As in music itself, wherein limitations of form, harmony, and aesthetic can provide the essential boundaries against which tension and release are created, the limitations of an established design — like the Fender Precision and Jazz Basses — can provide an inspiring framework for a luthier to flex their design chops. It’s for this reason that I still get a bit excited when I encounter yet another iteration of a P or J bass. Despite having played hundreds of these instruments over the years, I’m always curious what new little twist or refinement a talented luthier has dreamed up. When that luthier is Chicago legend Rob Elrick, my curiosity is piqued even more than usual. For over two decades, Elrick has quietly amassed a sterling reputation among the bass cognoscenti for impeccably constructed basses that sound every bit as good as they look. While he’s offered vaguely J-style instruments in the past, the Modern Vintage marque represents his most explicitly Fender-esque designs yet. To make them cost-effective and accessible, the Modern Vintage basses are constructed in South Korea and receive a final checkup in the U.S. at the Elrick shop.    Each of the Modern Vintage instruments is loosely patterned after particularly hallowed moments in Fender history: the P-style MVP4-62 after a ’62 Precision, and the MVJ4-66 after a ’66 Jazz. Reviewing the specifications of each — and holding them in the hand — reveals that a great deal of care and attention has gone into selecting vintage-flavored, top-shelf components for the line. Each bass offers an alder body, torrefied maple neck (more on that later), Indian rosewood slab fingerboard, matching painted headstock (except for sunburst models), Hipshot Ultralite tuners, dual-action truss rods, custom-wound pickups, vintage-style steel-saddle bridges, and four-ply (tortoise) or three-ply (Parchment Ivory) pickguards. In aggregate, this list of components would represent a great value for the instruments’ middling street price. When you then consider the construction quality, the basses assert themselves as among the best values in the high-end vintage Fender-style segment. They are flawlessly assembled and reveal the attentive touch of experienced craftsmanship in the areas that matter, like neck profile, fingerboard edge, and body contour.The MVJ4-66 in Burgundy Mist One of the most immediately noticeable things about the Modern Vintage basses are their torrefied maple necks, often colloquially dubbed “roasted” in the industry. Their dark brown color is not paint or stain, but rather the by-product of torrefaction, a process wherein wood is subjected to high temperatures in an oxygen-free kiln. The absence of oxygen prevents