Okay everybody the moment you’ve all been waiting for, so sit tight and listen close because I’m only posting once. It’s frustrating and unfortunate that it has come to this as I did the best I could to work with Addison, he didn’t like any of my solutions. I viewed the photo’s that Addison posted on this thread, none of which he sent me personally by the way. I need to tell you all first that the bass was completed a year ago, so please don’t mistake it as it just came off the bench. It was a show and shop demo piece. Players spend a lot of time at my exhibits and in my shop literally playing the heck of the instruments all day. Some may consider it a used bass, well I guess its all how you look at it. The bass was never shipped to a final destination before Addison. I feel I made it clear that the bass had been played; I also believe that the discount I gave sure would have compensated for any question of what is played or worn condition (word it however you want), one man’s definition of this is different than another’s. When the bass left the shop it was set up perfect with no fret buzzing and certainly no so called “glue” marks on the fingerboard. A lot of people have seen and played this bass; Dug Pinnick, who has toured the world for decades, played it in front of me, like a man, with a pick through an amp at BPL and no buzz; with a pick everybody. The bass has been photographed; it’s even in the January issue of BP (granted the photo is small but it is in there). Do you think that I or any of the A-C fans would allow a trashed bass to be exhibited or photographed? Someone e-mailed me that “photos don’t lie”: Addison told me he is a full time graphic designer (even offered his services to me). I’m not accusing him of any foul play but it does make one think. Someone with those techniques knows angles, lighting and God knows what else to manipulate a photo. Just try it, use your Iphone with the flash on, and take a picture of your rosewood board neck close up. Now take the same photo with the flash off in normal lighting. Can you see how drastically different they are, how one looks normal and the other looks similar to Addison’s photos? Lighting can play a lot of tricks plus shooting direct flash on something close up is always going to look weird and not how your eyes see it naturally. Addison’s photos used a hard flash as you can see his thumb lit up in one of the photos. We haven’t even factored in any editing, and/or going into a photo program which exaggerates details to another level. I oil the fingerboards on all my instruments and any of those lines could have simply been an excess oil line. Heck for all we know the bass could very well have been in someone else’s hands, where that someone else could have dropped in let’s say some super thin glue alongside of the fret thus the desired effect would be achieved. To be realistic and fair because I truly want to believe that Addison would never do such a thing, for all we know the so called glue lines are simply excess fingerboard oil and just lighting. Addison solicited me, this bass was in lay-a-way for someone else. Addison really wanted it, so much so that since the bass was in lay-a-way longer than what the original purchaser and I agreed on, I called the original purchaser to see if he’d be willing to release it so Addison could have it (and I’ll just start building a replacement which production already has started). I had to be strict on the no refund policy not only because the discount, not only because he got a bass right away (and didn’t have to wait a really long completion time) but it also could have put my relationship with the original purchaser in jeopardy (fortunately all is fine there). I guess I haven’t learned yet that no good deed goes unpunished. Here’s where I’m at, I still want to help Addison even after all of this and I want this bass back. I stand by my product and I will refinish the body in nitrocellulose lacquer instead of the thin skin satin finish it currently is. I also want to see and address whatever the heck is going on with that fingerboard because as all of you who know me and my basses know that’s not how they are. This bass is obviously in the wrong hands. Once it is back it will get some extra TLC increasing the value (heck just the entire hoopla may have increased the value, this bass is legendary now) and then needs to go to the right player and right home. Since Addison chooses to use this public forum to discuss our private business through, as long as he has not made the charge back claim with the credit company yet, I want him to please send the bass back for a full refund. If he has already made the charge back claim as he suggested, than it may be too late as it becomes a legal issue and the credit card company takes things from there. I’m not 100% sure of this but it does need to be looked into and discussed. I like to thank all the people who privately messaged me with support. Talk Bass can be a great service bringing all of us in the music community together; it’s a shame that there is what seems to be a mob mentality without even considering two sides to a story. It is things like this that keep me away from these forums. Take care everybody, keep playing.
Jimmy Coppolo
Jimmy Coppolo
