Club Alleva-Coppolo (Part 19)

[diglo]

Man, I can't believe how my AC's have cured my bass G.A,S. I still look in the classifieds, but my heart doesn't drop anymore. Lol Very pleased with the sound I'm getting. I've never been this satisfied, well except for the first two used AC's I had. But I had to sell to do some studio & software upgrading.

 

[Mitchthebassplayer]

That's awesome....I still have a couple vintage fenders that give my ACs a run for their money and I still find myself dreaming of a fodera but I will say nobody makes a vintage style 5 string like jimmy coppolo they really are amazing

 

[peterpalmieri]

Diglo,

The browsing of the classifieds will pass. Like Jason and Ken I pop in on my phone to check threads I'm subscribed to, otherwise I have very little interest. I'd rather use my little bit of free time to play my LM.

Something special jimmy has going on.

 

[Modern Growl]

That's awesome....I still have a couple vintage fenders that give my ACs a run for their money and I still find myself dreaming of a fodera but I will say nobody makes a vintage style 5 string like jimmy coppolo they really are amazing

I'll have to disagree with ya there - Nordy vJ5 Classic's are insane. Craftsmanship is equal to Jimmy's work. Tone is of course subjective - but I immediately bonded with the Nordy - while I struggled with the LG for a little while until I ultimately gave up on it.

I think it was his pickups that made me give up on the LG... I've never heard his pickups in an LM before - so that may be completely different beast. But the LG just wasn't cutting it for me personally. Way too laid back and "lazy" sounding for my fingers.

I think his work is stunning. But I do think Carey's is as well. Sadowsky of course - but thats more of a modern tone.

I personally just don't feel AC is the "end all" that alot of people make em' out to be.

 

[Mitchthebassplayer]

well laid back and lazy have always been two of my greatest qualities so maybe it was meant to be haha

 

[KJung]

I'll have to disagree with ya there - Nordy vJ5 Classic's are insane. Craftsmanship is equal to Jimmy's work. Tone is of course subjective - but I immediately bonded with the Nordy - while I struggled with the LG for a little while until I ultimately gave up on it.

I think it was his pickups that made me give up on the LG... I've never heard his pickups in an LM before - so that may be completely different beast. But the LG just wasn't cutting it for me personally. Way too laid back and "lazy" sounding for my fingers.

I think his work is stunning. But I do think Carey's is as well. Sadowsky of course - but thats more of a modern tone.

I personally just don't feel AC is the "end all" that alot of people make em' out to be.

I love Jimmy's pickups, but I would agree they are a bit more 'relaxed' than a true Fender. Comparing my LG to a Fender 62 reissue, the Fender had much more 'bite' and grind to it up top... more immediate. I actually preferred the LG, but that was just me.

The LM's cop the 70's thing quite well, but I do find my LM a bit 'sweeter' than the uber gank of those heavy passive 70's Fenders. Again, difference goes to the A-C for me, but IMO there. After all these years, it is still one of the best basses I've ever owned. Solid, great feel, iron-stable neck, and a really nice take on a classic 70's J tone to my ears. And, it isn't a boat anchor either.

I continue to find Jimmy's preamp among the most neutral and 'passive' sounding of any I've tried (the FBass pre was a close second). My 'active LM' sounds quite passive and reasonable 'Fender legit', with just a touch more sweetness and open-ness in the low end, which I like...

All these basses (Sadowsky, A-C, Nordstrand, etc.) sound a bit different, and none sound identical to their Fender inspiration. For many of us, the difference is for the better, but I can understand the true 'Fender lovers' also. Nothing wrong with that.

I recently played a Fender Pino P ($5,000+ from the Custom Shop... probably around a $4K selling price). I tell you what, if I could get that exact bass 'non reliced' in a 5 string, I'd sell everything I own.

 

[Modern Growl]

I hear ya - and its all personal preference. I'm very fond of the Nordstrand Single Coils tone... Sadowsky Singles as well.

What didn't work for me, may be exactly what kills it for others.

For my fingers and playing style, I like a pickup to have a responsive midrange... upper mids in specific. Nordy & Sado "respond" to my fingers a touch faster and are therefor more present to me.

The AC pickups (in an LG model at least) had what seemed to be a fat and thick bottom - but the upper mids were all but gone for me. It was quite sad as I was SOOOO looking forward to loving the bass... but it just sounded sluggish and unresponsive (again - to my fingers/playing style).

An LM will have an inherent punch & aggressivness due to the ash/maple - so it may pair up very well with AC pickups. I still want to play an LM.

And yes - I too loved the AC Preamp. Very transparent and neutral sounding. You still got that inherent boosted lows and slightly accentuated high's you get with all active pre's - but not nearly as much as something like the Sadowsky pre - I believe my dislike for the LG was due to the pickups voicing. And I just couldn't throw in a different pair of pickups in the bass... something about doing that felt wrong. So I sold it

 

[KJung]

An LM will have an inherent punch & aggressivness - so it may pair up very well with AC pickups. I still want to play an LM.

+1 I never totally bonded with my LG either, even though it was killer for what it was. That 'smoothness' you talked about, combined with the alder/RW, was a bit too much for me personally. Again, killer for what it was, and one of the most beautiful RW boards and nitro surf green finish I've ever seen. I think Joel might still have it. Sweet, creamy sounding 60's J.

Yes, the ash/maple build and slight pickup position variation combines with Jimmy's pickup to really have that upper midrange grind, which I really like. I have been using Hi Beams on mine for years, which bring out the more 'sweet, wider, smoother' side of the 70's J tone. If I put, for example, Lo Rider Steels on it, it moves WAY toward the classic 70's Fender vibe.... more compressed down low, and much more ganky/clanky/grindy (in a good way) up top.

One of my favorite things about Jimmy's 5 string neck is the non-compound radius, and the relatively low radius, giving the 5 string boards a 'round, vintage' feel. Quite unusual, and I've never felt that in any other bass. And, that super flattened back of the neck profile really makes the whole package feel great to me, along with the 'extra wood/space outside the B and G strings. Very meaty feeling and sounding neck, without being chunky in any way. It is a bit 'wide' though, and I would guess might be a problem for some.

Hope you get to try one someday. I've played a few others in direct comparison to mine, and they all sound quite similar.

 

[mgbass]

I would agree with Ken's take on AC instruments.
The one other note I may add is that it is hard to find that perfect Fender. There are so many inconsistencies with their instruments, and pickups vary from year to year and model to model.

At least with Jimmy's pickups, what you hear/see is what you get with consistency. Over all they are close to the Fender sound, but different. Certainly more even.

I have had several Nordy's and they, IMO, are a bit scooped for my tone and ear. Again, they are not bad, just different.

To me, there are so many variables, strings, cabinets, amps, they all make every situation different with each instrument.

In the end, its all about how it plays, feels, looks and the inspiration/confidence it gives you when you play it.

And Ken, I agree with your Pino comment, about a 5'er.
I recently used a Pino 4 and fell in love with it.

 

[Molan]

I recently played a Fender Pino P ($5,000+ from the Custom Shop). I tell you what, if I could get that exact bass 'non reliced' in a 5 string, I'd sell everything I own.

I heard someone playing one of these last year through an SVT Classic and an 8x10.

Best live bass sound I've ever heard!

 

[KJung]

I heard someone playing one of these last year through an SVT Classic and an 8x10.

Best live bass sound I've ever heard!

I'm not typically a classic P Bass fan. I do play a Nordstrand ash/maple VP5, but it is a bit of a different take on a P... more grindy and 'modern' sounding for lack of a better term.

But MAN, I've NEVER played a P Bass as good as that Pino. The feel, the tone, everything. Fat and warm, but TOTALLY articulate. I don't know what they did, but it is quite impressive. Hate the 'fake beating up' they do though... never made sense to me, and they charge a ton for it. Love the 'old' feeling neck though. It really did feel 50 years old.

 

[Vic]

I love Jimmy's pickups, but I would agree they are a bit more 'relaxed' than a true Fender. Comparing my LG to a Fender 62 reissue, the Fender had much more 'bite' and grind to it up top... more immediate.

Man... I've been reading these comments on the LGs and while I definitely agree the LMs I've played have more bite/grind than the LGs, I've always felt like my LG has more going on than any Fender I've ever played... and that means reissues as well as the real deals.

I wish it would be possible for me to compare mine more directly to others. Maybe it's just perception, maybe mine's different than most other LGs... dunno, but what I do know is, I love my LG like no other alder/rw bass I've ever played, and I am definitely in the grindy J camp of preferences, which is, as I've stated many times now, why I continue to be surprised at myself for preferring my LG even over the more aggressive LMs I've played. Normally, I always jump on the more aggressive stuff... but this LG just has SO much going on. Just makes me happy to be a bassist!

 

[Vic]

I have had several Nordy's and they, IMO, are a bit scooped for my tone and ear. Again, they are not bad, just different.

I felt that way about at least some of the Moderns, but not the Classic series. Did you try both?

 

[Molan]

With all this talk of LGs and LMs I wonder what people think of the RA?

I have one and prefer it to my previous LG but I haven't played an LM so can't compare the big three J inspired basses in Jimmy's range.

 

[Vic]

With all this talk of LGs and LMs I wonder what people think of the RA?

I have one and prefer it to my previous LG but I haven't played an LM so can't compare the big three J inspired basses in Jimmy's range.

At least the ones I played, I generally even preferred those over the LMs, but not by a large margin... could go either way. The smoother tone is a really nice compliment to the sizzle, but the grunt of the ash body is nice, too, and probably a more familiar 70's tone.

Own both!

 

[KJung]

Man... I've been reading these comments on the LGs and while I definitely agree the LMs I've played have more bite/grind than the LGs, I've always felt like my LG has more going on than any Fender I've ever played... and that means reissues as well as the real deals.

I wish it would be possible for me to compare mine more directly to others. Maybe it's just perception, maybe mine's different than most other LGs... dunno, but what I do know is, I love my LG like no other alder/rw bass I've ever played, and I am definitely in the grindy J camp of preferences, which is, as I've stated many times now, why I continue to be surprised at myself for preferring my LG even over the more aggressive LMs I've played. Normally, I always jump on the more aggressive stuff... but this LG just has SO much going on. Just makes me happy to be a bassist!

The good news is, if you love it, you love it! Nothing wrong with that. Magnificent instrument for what it is, and definitely a legit take on the general '60's J' vibe to my ears.

I was actually surprised when we did a few actual A/B's with some of the Fender reissues as to how aggressive those Fender pickups can get in the upper mids. For example, I always run Jimmy's passive tone control wide open with my LM and my previously owned LG. If you did that with the 62 reissue, it would clank your ears off That, off course, isn't necessarily a good thing, but it sure is different, so I can kind of see where Modern Growl is coming from.

All different flavors of great though!

 

[KJung]

With all this talk of LGs and LMs I wonder what people think of the RA?

I have one and prefer it to my previous LG but I haven't played an LM so can't compare the big three J inspired basses in Jimmy's range.

When I was deep into my A-C phase, I also purchased an RA. Quite different sounding from my LM. More upper treble response, but less upper mid grind (or maybe the dip in the upper mids just allowed the upper treble to speak more than with the classic mid 70's/late 70's spec), and a rounder, warmer low end similar to the LG, versus that big 70's thunder of the LM down low.

I actually didn't dig it much, but again, pure personal taste. When I play my LM, it 'sounds' like a 70's J to me (again, in general and 'conceptually'). Same thing with my LG (and the others I've played). With the RA, nothing 'vintage' came to mind when I played it and heard it. Beautiful bass, but the voicing put everything in the wrong place for me.

 

[narud]

I love Jimmy's pickups, but I would agree they are a bit more 'relaxed' than a true Fender. Comparing my LG to a Fender 62 reissue, the Fender had much more 'bite' and grind to it up top... more immediate. I actually preferred the LG, but that was just me.

whats funny is those pickups in the fender are some of the least grindy pickups out there. in comparison to fralins,nordstrands,aeros, duncans or whatever, those guys are the smoothest of the bunch with less wire.

 

[narud]

I'm not typically a classic P Bass fan. I do play a Nordstrand ash/maple VP5, but it is a bit of a different take on a P... more grindy and 'modern' sounding for lack of a better term.

But MAN, I've NEVER played a P Bass as good as that Pino. The feel, the tone, everything. Fat and warm, but TOTALLY articulate. I don't know what they did, but it is quite impressive. Hate the 'fake beating up' they do though... never made sense to me, and they charge a ton for it. Love the 'old' feeling neck though. It really did feel 50 years old.

an alder/rosewood nordy p with a standard pickup would probably get you there fairly cheap. im not really into the offset coil thing he does on the sig pickups but he makes a mean standard pickup. did you ever end up buying an ac p at any time? i know you bought every other model right?

 

[KJung]

whats funny is those pickups in the fender are some of the least grindy pickups out there. in comparison to fralins,nordstrands,aeros, duncans or whatever, those guys are the smoothest of the bunch with less wire.

Don't know what it is, but WAY different than the LG. Not better or worse, but WAY different.