Club Alleva-Coppolo (Part 20)

[svtb15]

Thats a great review..Congrats.

Speaking of your slightly chunkier neck... Which i sort of like... I ordered a new LG last week... Im having jimmy make me the deepest neck that he can .. Relying on a thick piece of neck stock...
Another experiment of mine..
Not sure on my finish yet.. But i may tell him to just surprise me..
Its worked out well so far... Just no pink!!

A quick update on my new AC. A few guys have PM'd me asking how it was compared to my earlier LM. The specs are identical except my new one has a one piece body and is slightly lighter (9.1lbs vs ~10.3lbs).

Sound - They are remarkably similar -- so much so that you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. The new one might have a hair more definition but I attribute that just to new strings.

Playability - I shim the neck on all of my AC's and, now having done that on the new one, they play the same. The fretwork is perfect and the action can be set ridiculously low with just a hint of grind -- which is perfect for me with a 70's style JJ bass. Edit: I forgot to mention that the neck is ever so slightly chunkier than the original one. It feels great.

Woods - This particular bass is a 'Limited Edition' so, expectedly, the woods he used are just spectacular. Even the headstock and the back of the neck are gorgeous.

Finish -- Being completely candid, I was worried about the finish now that Jimmy's doing them in house. That's something I shared with him honestly also. There was also a recent post a few pages back where someone was complaining about the finish on his new AC.

I can tell you that the finish on my bass is literally perfect. Believe me, I'm a pretty picky customer and I've gone over every inch of this thing in all kinds of lighting. The clear coat and the polishing job he did is flawless. This bass could easily have been done at Wilkens -- it really is what you would expect for this price point. Every bit as good as my Nordy's and Sadowsky's (which I consider to be really high benchmarks.)

Being nit picky, the only thing I would site is that the pick guard is a little 'rough'. There are a couple of spots where it looks like the bit may have chattered slightly while he was cutting it. Nothing major though and I will likely swap it out anyway at some point for a pearloid one. And, lastly, Jimmy really needs to start using strap locks!

I opted for the NYC style body shape, which is slightly smaller than the new AC's are. This bass could easily have come out of his NYC shop. The quality, tone and fit and finish is every bit as good as the older AC's I have. Amazing consistency -- Jimmy is definitely hitting the mark!

Now I have to start saving for a KBP5 Supreme...

 

[narud]

And that one instance is reason enough. Again, literally NO downside to doing it IMO and IME. Literally no negatives.... no brainer IMO.

Edit: If you actually have a 64 J, OK, I can see where a negative would be modifying an instrument like that in any way. That would be a reason I guess.

cracked my nordy in half from a drop, didnt switch to straplocks. a couple weeks ago my 76 jazz came off the strap, something got f'd up in the jack and i had to finish the gig with the cord taped to the body at the perfect angle to not short out. i now switched to straplocks

 

[metalstorm]

Here is the video to a track a did recently. I used my Alleva Copollo Hippy P bass. I am not in the video.

http://youtu.be/c_i-DFm1md0

 

[64jazzbass]

And that one instance is reason enough. Again, literally NO downside to doing it IMO and IME. Literally no negatives.... no brainer IMO.

Edit: If you actually have a 64 J, OK, I can see where a negative would be modifying an instrument like that in any way. That would be a reason I guess.

I'm not knocking them. I'm just saying I've never found a reason to use them. Actually I can remember a couple of times using a borrowed bass where the strap lock pins weren't fully engaged and the bass has popped out of the strap. I think if you have a favorite strap and the slots are worn out then it would be a good idea to use them. I guess I'm of the school of the less mechanical parts to fail the better. By the way I do have a 64' jazz

 

[Vic]

Actually I can remember a couple of times using a borrowed bass where the strap lock pins weren't fully engaged and the bass has popped out of the strap.

A good mechanic doesn't blame his tools.

 

[MixBass]

Don't like strap locks either. Maybe they've come a long way but the ones I've had put more stress on the hole due to the strap connecting further out and would loosen up.
I always check my strap, almost an OCD thing, when I play, and have never had my bass hit the floor due to that. Drunk drummers is another story...
I will use different straps w/differnet basses depending on the pegs.

 

[Vic]

Don't like strap locks either. Maybe they've come a long way but the ones I've had ... would loosen up...

This usually just means they weren't installed correctly. You have to make sure to use the larger screws that come with them UNLESS you get a plenty of thread engagement with the stock screws (not usually the case, but can be)... AND you have to apply a little bit of glue to the threads. The loosening problem is a little worse with the Schallers, but I never liked those anyway for a few reasons.

I have fantastic luck with this.

 

[MixBass]

This usually just means they weren't installed correctly. You have to make sure to use the larger screws that come with them UNLESS you get a plenty of thread engagement with the stock screws (not usually the case, but can be)... AND you have to apply a little bit of glue to the threads. The loosening problem is a little worse with the Schallers, but I never liked those anyway for a few reasons.

I have fantastic luck with this.

Thanks for the tip, if I do try them again I will heed your advice.

 

[ACB0015]

Straplocks should be completely unnecessary. Just put bigger strap buttons on. Here's why: if you like to play your solid body bass unamplified for practice, the vibration of the body makes the straplocks rattle in a most annoying way.

 

[TimothyGroovy]

I'm strap lock guy, using recessed one for many years without problem, I like it! But I'm not into dual action one though.

 

[Mitchthebassplayer]

+1

 

[rodl2005]

I use em on my AC EUT5. Last thing I want is my beloved AC hitting the deck

 

[Vic]

Straplocks should be completely unnecessary. Just put bigger strap buttons on. Here's why: if you like to play your solid body bass unamplified for practice, the vibration of the body makes the straplocks rattle in a most annoying way.

FWIW, I've never had this happen ever. If you're seated, you don't need the strap, and there's nothing to rattle. If you're standing, there should be enough tension on the strap to prevent rattle. Not sure how this is possible.

 

[Vic]

I'm strap lock guy, using recessed one for many years without problem, I like it! But I'm not into dual action one though.

Do you mean any exposed lock, or literally just the dual, and if so, why?

The recessed are nice, but the one potential downside is if you someday forget your strap, since you can't use any strap without the lock ends on it.

 

[KJung]

Straplocks should be completely unnecessary. Just put bigger strap buttons on. Here's why: if you like to play your solid body bass unamplified for practice, the vibration of the body makes the straplocks rattle in a most annoying way.

Nope. There is nothing to rattle. Zero issue there. If you choose not to use them, that is of course totally cool. But choose for the right reasons.

 

[KJung]

I'm strap lock guy, using recessed one for many years without problem, I like it! But I'm not into dual action one though.

I feel exactly the opposite. The mechanics are the same, but like Vic says, you lose the capability of not depending on the lock system if something strange happens like forgetting your strap or the strap itself breaking, etc. Also, especially on more vintage looking basses like the A-C's, it allows the bass to look more 'traditional'. Minor thing, but again, zero downside that I can see.

As an additional benefit, you can feed your cable through the strap, which is a bit funky to do with the inset models, which presses the cable right to the body.

 

[Vic]

As an additional benefit, you can feed your cable through the strap, which is a bit funky to do with the inset models, which presses the cable right to the body.

Actually, I didn't even consider this, and I agree, though I will say of course you can still do the cord feed with insets or plain buttons, the cord will be "pinched" in those cases like you said. In my case, I don't like it pinched like that, but maybe some folks do. Also, I've found even if you just feed the cord over the pinch area, it still tends to work down into the pinch, but that could also have to do with my activity on stage, which might also not apply to all.

 

[Mitchthebassplayer]

Actually, I didn't even consider this, and I agree, though I will say of course you can still do the cord feed with insets or plain buttons, the cord will be "pinched" in those cases like you said. In my case, I don't like it pinched like that, but maybe some folks do. Also, I've found even if you just feed the cord over the pinch area, it still tends to work down into the pinch, but that could also have to do with my activity on stage, which might also not apply to all.

yeah happens to me as well. But I don't ever notice it doing anything bad to the cable, and it seems to move around so much, I'm not really sure anything is getting "pinched". Been rockin the same Alleva-Coppolo cable for almost 4 years now!

 

[Vic]

yeah happens to me as well. But I don't ever notice it doing anything bad to the cable, and it seems to move around so much, I'm not really sure anything is getting "pinched". Been rockin the same Alleva-Coppolo cable for almost 4 years now!

Yeah, good cables are tough, for sure, but I also think about the finish on the bass. I know that's not at all a concern for lots of people, but I try to keep my stuff pretty clean, so while I'm not afraid to play my basses anywhere anytime, I also try to avoid what I consider unnecessary wear/tear if it's convenient.

 

[KJung]

yeah happens to me as well. But I don't ever notice it doing anything bad to the cable, and it seems to move around so much, I'm not really sure anything is getting "pinched". Been rockin the same Alleva-Coppolo cable for almost 4 years now!

Yeah, the cable really isn't impacted. Just not optimal design ergonomically, and when you add in that you are totally out of luck if anything goes wrong with the system, I try to stay away for the inset design. As far as I know, Fodera and Ken Smith are the only two brands that use those as standard.

Again, not major stuff. Still amazes me that any high end brand would not at least ship with the dual action Dunlops (most do.. Sadowsky, Roscoe, MTD, etc.). Zero downside that I can see, since you can use them without the straplock system if you really want to, and especially for more vintage vibe basses, visually they are almost identical to 'classic' strap buttons.