ACG Tefano - just arrived

Scoopbass · #1 04-06-2011, 05:52 AM

I've just taken delivery of the very first, prototype, ACG Tefano shortscale (31.5") bass.

It has an ash body with a wenge center strip finished in ACG's "Dirty Ash" finish with a three laminate neck of wenge and padouk. The fretboard is pale moon ebony and the headstock facings are, again, ash.

It's fitted with two ACG single coils and an ACG EQ02 4K/PT preamp.

This is the sixth ACG in my bass stable and I have two more being built. These are custom handbuilt basses (all crafted by just one guy, Alan Cringean) and are made in Scotland.

It only arrived an hour ago but first impressions are extremely good. Brilliant luthiery skills, as you'd expect, and I adore the finish. It hangs exactly where you'd want it to on the strap but because it was delivered to my workplace I've not had a chance to fire it up yet. Acoustically it sounds "right" however and I'm adapting quickly to the short scale.

It doesn't exist without pictures, so...

It's another great ACG.

Scoopbass · #2 04-06-2011, 01:48 PM

A few more pics...

Scoopbass · #3 04-07-2011, 03:59 PM

Almost 36 hours and not a single comment...

There's no love for the Tefano.

john nam · #4 04-07-2011, 06:49 PM

Nice finish and amazing looking piece of pale-moon.

Nobody · #5 04-07-2011, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

Almost 36 hours and not a single comment...

There's no love for the Tefano.

If you want to get people to comment on your bass get a Fender/Squier and people will go crazy for it and you.

That is one sexy bass. Congrats.

Scoopbass · #6 04-08-2011, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nobody

If you want to get people to comment on your bass get a Fender/Squier and people will go crazy for it and you.

Ain't that the truth?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nobody

That is one sexy bass. Congrats.

Thanks. It's superbly made and the pre-amp is a work of art in itself. It's just so versatile. Pretty much any tone you want and plenty that you didn't even know you wanted!

eude · #7 04-08-2011, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

Almost 36 hours and not a single comment...

There's no love for the Tefano.

Missed this one matey.
What an incredible looking bass!
What's your thoughts on the bass now you've had it a few days?...

My new thread has similarly had no love whatsoever

ACG Finn SC Classic 6 string - Build Thread

Eude

Scoopbass · #8 04-08-2011, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eude

Missed this one matey.
What an incredible looking bass!
What's your thoughts on the bass now you've had it a few days?...
My new thread has similarly had no love whatsoever

ACG Finn SC Classic 6 string - Build Thread

Eude

Still not really had any time with it to be honest. I used it briefly on Wednesday night but I was out with the kids in North Wales yesterday (Thursday) hiking through Snowdonia and then mackeral fishing in the menai straits.

Bloody hard work walking the six or seven miles from Nant Ffrancon to Rachub. I used to do a lot of this sort of stuff but I was knackered by the time we got home.

I'm not a great one for the flowery tone descriptions like "woody" or "warm yet throaty" etc. On first listen it sounds like a bass. A very nice bass. And you can get lots of different tones from it. *Shrugs and waves arms about in a very vague manner* It's an ACG. It sounds bloody lovely.

eude · #9 04-08-2011, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

Still not really had any time with it to be honest. I used it briefly on Wednesday night but I was out with the kids in North Wales yesterday (Thursday) hiking through Snowdonia and then mackeral fishing in the menai straits.

Bloody hard work walking the six or seven miles from Nant Ffrancon to Rachub. I used to do a lot of this sort of stuff but I was knackered by the time we got home.

I'm not a great one for the flowery tone descriptions like "woody" or "warm yet throaty" etc. On first listen it sounds like a bass. A very nice bass. And you can get lots of different tones from it. *Shrugs and waves arms about in a very vague manner* It's an ACG. It sounds bloody lovely.

Nice one matey.
Sounds like a nice couple of days!

Don't worry, wasn't really expecting a "what it sounds like" response, as with it being an ACG with an ACG preamp, you can basically get anything you could possibly want out of it tone-wise.
I would be interested to hear if you think the SB pickups give a slightly different flavour however

In your own time.
I remember playing an ACG Harlot 6er, that had an SB right up at the bridge and it sounded enormous, nothing like I would've expected, based on previous experiences...

Cheers,
Eude

Scoopbass · #10 04-08-2011, 07:10 AM

Ah...

Yes, first impressions of the pups were very favourable. A lot more powerful that I expected (I somehow expect single coils to be a bit nasal and reedy - see, you got me making descriptions that are flowery after all) and they, erm, bark, I suppose, quite nicely.

eude · #11 04-08-2011, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

Ah...

Yes, first impressions of the pups were very favourable. A lot more powerful that I expected (I somehow expect single coils to be a bit nasal and reedy - see, you got me making descriptions that are flowery after all) and they, erm, bark, I suppose, quite nicely.

Exactly what I hoped to hear dude, just confirming what my impressions of them were too.
I'm getting SBs on my next build you see...

Eude

BlackEdition · #12 04-08-2011, 09:20 AM

do you have any sound clips? i'd love to hear some!

Scoopbass · #13 04-08-2011, 01:48 PM

Not at the moment. I'm geared up as a gigging bassist rather than a home recordist but I own a Boss multitrack recorder which I've never even taken out of its box in, let's see, about three or four years since I bought it from new.

I'll see what I can rustle up but don't hold your breath...

7string · #14 04-13-2011, 06:17 PM

Looks like an amazing wee thing. Great catch!!

darkstorm · #15 04-13-2011, 07:26 PM

Looks nice. Congrats. Nice to see top qaulity basses from Scotland.

superbassman2000 · #16 04-13-2011, 08:46 PM

That is gorgeous! you'd do a terrible disservice to the beauty of the bass to not post pics!

Scoopbass · #17 12-05-2011, 07:18 AM

I've used this one live for the odd song here and there before today but last night I put the Tefano through it's paces for an entire gig - the first time I've felt sufficiently comfortable with the short scale to do so.

It did a fine job. I'm not the sort of guy who often fiddles with controls during a gig, I tend to find a tone that I like, that suits the material I'm playing and suits the venue's acoustics, and I stick with it throughout. I had a prefect tone playing finger style near the bridge within seconds of setting up my rig - it's just so easy to get a superb tone.

The neck is slightly narrower than I'm used to, the string spacing slightly closer, and the scale quite a bit shorter than a standard bass but I've been using this bass for practice steadily for the last few weeks and I'm now entirely used to it. Really repetative patterns which would otherwise give me a cramp were much easier on the hands and it was a really nice, untaxing, experience.

Really very pleased with how the Tefano performed last night. Me? Slightly less pleased with my own performance but... depping gigs... meh.

mikezimmerman · #18 12-05-2011, 07:25 AM

Cool to hear that you're getting comfortable with the Tefano, Scoop. I have to admit, I've been secretly lusting after this one since Alan posted it: A.C. Guitars - Hand Crafted Basses & Guitars

milo · #19 12-05-2011, 07:30 AM

It would be nice If you owners could post some videos on youtube so we can hear and see your beautiful basses

eude · #20 12-05-2011, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoopbass

I've used this one live for the odd song here and there before today but last night I put the Tefano through it's paces for an entire gig - the first time I've felt sufficiently comfortable with the short scale to do so.

It did a fine job. I'm not the sort of guy who often fiddles with controls during a gig, I tend to find a tone that I like, that suits the material I'm playing and suits the venue's acoustics, and I stick with it throughout. I had a prefect tone playing finger style near the bridge within seconds of setting up my rig - it's just so easy to get a superb tone.

The neck is slightly narrower than I'm used to, the string spacing slightly closer, and the scale quite a bit shorter than a standard bass but I've been using this bass for practice steadily for the last few weeks and I'm now entirely used to it. Really repetative patterns which would otherwise give me a cramp were much easier on the hands and it was a really nice, untaxing, experience.

Really very pleased with how the Tefano performed last night. Me? Slightly less pleased with my own performance but... depping gigs... meh.

Glad to hear if mate.
It's a gorgeous wee thing.
As you know, and are probably guilty of the same, I'm always speccing up new ACGs in my tiny mind.
I'd love to see if a short scale 6 string would be possible in this shape. Given how good the string tension is with the custom Newtone strings, I have a feeling it might just work

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikezimmerman

Cool to hear that you're getting comfortable with the Tefano, Scoop. I have to admit, I've been secretly lusting after this one since Alan posted it: A.C. Guitars - Hand Crafted Basses & Guitars

An amazing bass that one, had the pleasure of a test drive a few weeks ago, the only bad thing about it was having to hand it back

Eude