Club Alleva Coppolo (Part 7)

[Bass7755]

Any transwhite/tort AC pics anyone?

My Trans White LM-5 (with rosewood board).
Sorry for the bad pics!
Dan

 

[xkimsungminx]

Jimmy shipped my bass today!

And since we've been doing the pickguard/no pickguard battle, I thought I'd show you guys what my decision came down to:

...I went with the guard!

Congrats! I guess yours would be the younger brother of my CAOJ LG5 . And yea it looks way better with the guard on!

 

[xkimsungminx]

Oh and for those that didn't see the post I made last night about the new set of Alleva Coppolo video clips on YouTube, here's the 4th video of the set; I thought it sounded particularly good in this video. Not sure what Amp he's running but it looks to me that he's using an Aggie DB112 like I am .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cUjkxXq9TM

Enjoy!

 

[NYJimmy]

Thanks. Is that Daphne or Sonic Blue? My monitor at work is terrible.

That is Sonic Blue. Daphne has more blue mixed in, the sonic is more of a baby blue. I am working on a Daphne LG4 Standard. If I get a chance to take a photo I will post it for you to compare. Hopefully you will have a better idea even though your monitor is so-so.
-Jimmy

 

[NYJimmy]

That explains but does not excuse that pre choice

Now, now, not nice

 

[NYJimmy]

It's too hard for me to keep up with all the Alleva Coppolo models, I'm glad you are.

Well I had just 3 models with quite a few options. Everyone complained and got confused with too many options. I even got confused at times . So I just decided to offer the models I do as a series with basically different levels. Each level lists the options that are included with that model. The series are LG, LM, RA, KBP and there will be some guitars too. As for the 1600, Limited and soon to come Signature models they are what they are. Hopefully this better explains things.
-Jimmy

 

[NYJimmy]

+1 I know Jimmy has recently tried to name all this stuff with separate models. However, I find it easier to think of these basses similar to Sadowsky. With Sadowsky, there's the Modern, the P, the Vintage and the Standard, and then you can do whatever you want within those general categories (pickup placement, fancy wood tops, different wood combinations, etc.).

With Jimmy's basses, I think of them as an LM (classic ash/maple/70's) and an LG (classic alder/RW/60's), and I guess the RA (which is kind of a specialty spec based on that late 60's/early 70's transition), and of course the P.

Then, you can do whatever you want... 60's position on an LM, 70's position on an LG, RW board on an LM, fancy top with or without guard on the LG or LM, 5 string, 4 string, bent plate bridge, etc., etc.

Once you start trying to name all those combinations (again, other than the RA, which is meant to be a special spec I guess), you can quickly go crazy!

Hey Ken,
Well almost, the LM's will only be available with 70's p.u. spacing. I actually built a few ash body basses with '60's p.u. spacing that sounded nice but not exactly my thang. So I don't offer that any more. A LG with '70's spacing I guess you could say is a RA... So that no one gets more confused than they are already let's stick with the RA for that combo . Thank you for always looking out for me and helping the TBers here! I appreciate and need it !
-Jimmy

 

[KJung]

Now, now, not nice

 

[peterpalmieri]

..........The series are LG, LM, RA, KBP........
-Jimmy

And like that he's gone. No reveal of what they stand for

He's good!

 

[KJung]

Hey Ken,
Well almost, the LM's will only be available with 70's p.u. spacing. I actually built a few ash body basses with '60's p.u. spacing that sounded nice but not exactly my thang. So I don't offer that any more. A LG with '70's spacing I guess you could say is a RA... So that no one gets more confused than they are already let's stick with the RA for that combo

That makes sense, and actually simplifies things quite a bit.

LM... classic later 70's spec
LG.... classic 60's spec
RA..... that 'transition period' of alder with 70's spacing.
KBP... P!

Then, 'season to taste' with various options, like fancy tops, 4 or 5 strings, Nitro finish, binding (with or without blocks), classic bridge, etc. Nice!

As much as this disturbs me, I am really getting interested in one of those 5 string P's

 

[peterpalmieri]

As much as this disturbs me, I am really getting interested in one of those 5 string P's

I have to say I'm not a P guy, never have been. I couldn't pass up a Sunburst, Nitro, D.N. board that was FS here with vintage bridge and a set of Jameson flats.

It's a great bass, will never be my number one but I am giving her some use that I didn't think she'd see.....

My wallet is happy that I haven't found an LM5 pop up used just yet......

 

[RS]

Any thought on what strings to get on a LM4? My standard round set is GHS Boomers (nickel) .105-.45. Kinda thinking DR Hi Beams might be good, but I haven't used them in years. I don't want too much ringy, clicky string noise or tone.

 

[KJung]

Any thought on what strings to get on a LM4? My standard round set is GHS Boomers (nickel) .105-.45. Kinda thinking DR Hi Beams might be good, but I haven't used them in years. I don't want too much ringy, clicky string noise or tone.

I LOVE the Hi Beams on my LM, but they are bright and aggressive. I have a clip posted earlier in this thread of my LM and LG with relatively new Hi Beams through a full range but relatively flat/transparent rig (the link is in post 9 of this thread). They are zingy (although you can hear they mellow out nicely with a slight engagement of the PTC), but that's IMO what the LM's are about. I'm using nickels on my LG now to tame it down a bit.

I'm really digging the DR Lo Rider Nickels on the LG at the moment. Those might work well for your tone goals on your LM.

 

[peterpalmieri]

.......... I don't want too much ringy, clicky string noise or tone.

To me this is exactly what an LM will do and do it well, has me a little confused as to what you want from a 70s J

 

[Big String]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7331391#post7331391

 

[RS]

To me this is exactly what an LM will do and do it well, has me a little confused as to what you want from a 70s J

I am not expecting a thumpy jazz bass sound. There is a fine line between bright and clanky. Everyone draws that at a different place.

 

[KJung]

I am not expecting a thumpy jazz bass sound. There is a fine line between bright and clanky. Everyone draws that at a different place.

+1 Also, as I've posted many times before, it's simply amazing how bright and grindy and mid present a tone has to be to result in any of that 'aggressive 70's J tone' making it through the mix to the audience. That very bright LM tone on my clip sounds even a bit over the top to me in that naked solo context, but man does it sound absolutely balanced in a mix IMO and IME. Don't be afraid to add a bit of that classic upper mid / lower treble grind to your tone. Again, IMO, if it sounds a bit much and a little harsh at home solo, it will be 'just right' in many gigging situations.

This is especially true if you comparison context is a Roscoe, which is IMO about as smooth and fat as it gets and is the definition of 'upper mid polite and smooth' to me.

IMO as always!

 

[peterpalmieri]

I am not expecting a thumpy jazz bass sound. There is a fine line between bright and clanky. Everyone draws that at a different place.

Sounds like were talking slight degrees of seperation. You may want to give Hi Beams a shot and see what they do for you. If they don't work out a tamer SS string might make more sense then going to nickels. Although your idea of bright might be may different then mine and the nickels could work for you.

To Ken's point the Hi Beams sound slightly over the top at home and prettty smooth on a gig.

 

[Basseroni]

Here are a couple of videos of my friend, Walter Cosby, playing his LM5:

Link Removed

Link Removed

 

[Tendollarcat]

Hey Guys,

I'm generally opposed to the concept of alder/rosewood. I always hear it and think - "Eh. Thats nice, safe and undynamic." So my Alleva journey has been an interesting one. I had a great jazz standard 4 but let it go to cover the build of my current KPB4. Yet again, I went with alder/rosewood and I'm still sometimes finding myself questioning where the bottom end goes beneath the 5th fret on the E. It's that classic alder Pbass characteristic and when I practice at home, I find myself cranking EQ and wondering how KBP5ers must be voiced. Thats not to say the lows go missing, they just sound a bit on the husky/throaty side to my ash/maple conditioned ear.

So, I have this bass which is astonishingly well built, supremely playable, beautiful to look at and sounds great - just not what I'm used to. I decided to record and rehearse with the bass over the last month. These are my findings -

Recording a demo - My AC sounded warm and clear. It cut through every dynamic - alongside a cello and piano and just sat down in the mix beautifully. Theres wasn't even the slightest hint of a shy low end in the recording - the low end hugged the kick drum like nothing I have heard. So I got thinking - "Oh. Hang on a second. This bass is a studio players dream".

Playing live - I decided to really give my KPB4 a crank up with my rock band. These guys aren't loud so much as they tend to use alot of down and dirty swampy grooves. I often use a fulltone bassdrive with this band and the drummer is a fantastic, precise player. Any lack of bottom end would be found out quickly with these guys. And yet again, the KPB4 roared. More than that, it was astonishing with a fulltone bassdrive - just a growling, snarling beast. Buy a fulltone pedal and use with with an AC! Just do it! You'll throw out all of your other pedals The bass just holds it own in any band situation, it's warm and punchy as hell.

So my conclusion is this - I am a fool Clearly, I already understood that Jimmy makes some of the finest basses in the world. My instinct early on was to trust his judgement. I then wavered a bit when I tried to be a bedroom player and wanted my normal ash/maple zap.

But upon really testing this bass in the real world, I totally get it now. These are basses for people who play seriously. Do not waste your time sitting in your lounge room copping riffs and trying to think about tonal frequencies whilst stomping on effect pedals - thats the fast food approach. Take your AC out into the real world and watch the thing take over. This is a gourmet bass

I still don't dig alder/rosewood per se but I now understand why it works so well for players around the world. I have just developed a whole new appreciation for what Jimmy does. The man has broken down some pretty stubborn ideas in my head with this bass