• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Club Alleva Coppolo (Part VI)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#21
I'm sure everyone has seen enough of my RA5, so here's the LG5 fretless - LaBella tape wound strings, ebony fretboard, also a little on the different plan, also lovin' it...

Invalid Link Removed

How does the black standard 4 sound different... :hmm: ... well, I'm still coming to grips with that...

Just to backtrack for a second, Jimmy Coppolo has a habit of putting extraordinary suitable basses in my hands. A short discussion with him usually results in most often ends up with having a wicked bass in my possession in short order. It happened with my RA5, which i'd never heard of until Jimmy said "You know, i got this one thing here you might like...", which is still the best bass I've ever played, bar none. It happened with my fretless too, a unique and very versatile instrument.

So, when I called Jimmy to tell him what I had in mind for a 4 string, he said, "Well, I got this one bass here"... He warned me that it sounded "big", and not necessarily strictly vintage, but that I would probably find it to be what I was looking for. He nailed it again.

So the bass, it sounds big. Even run passive it sounds big. It is very punchy and articulate, but oddly unaggressive - doesn't have the crispy/zingy Sadowsky thing happening (that's not a knock either to this bass or Sadowsky), nor does it really sound like a 70's jazz. It has a pretty wide range of sounds, and does not sound as "woody" as I would have expected - kind of modern woody I suppose. I haven't recorded it yet, but live it sounds killer. As I said, I don't claim to totally have a handle on it yet, but for the moment it feels and sounds like a slightly modernized bass with a vintage pedigree.

As for parts, it has an Indian rosewood board, stainless steel frets, and a poly finish. Also, I don't think the tuners are ultralights. The bass weighs nearly 10 lbs. (I'm not crazy about really light basses). It is an alder body. Hope that helps, Big String.
 
#22
fredguy said:
You bet, she's wearing a set of Labella flats I took off my LG-5. I replaced those with a set of Sadowsky flats but recently decided I wanted a new bass and put on some slightly used DR Hi beams on the LG-5. Played two gigs with them this week, one of which was a rather slow opening night of the Sundance film fest, and I think between the two basses I have my needs covered. But I must admit I have a bad case of gas for either a root beer or Inca silver LM-5.

Dave
Click to expand...

Sweet.

GAS will never cease no matter how many 'basses' are covered.... every pun intended.
 
#23
George.....the all black is BADASS...!.........Tom...........I will clean up my PMs when I get back in town tonight........man, that root beer LM is outta sight........so is that Limited with the burst........so is the green LG.....I could go on and on.....the NF stuff sounds like a good deal Jimmy....looking great gang......welcome to Part 6........!
 
#24
Here's my contribution to this thread.

The Uma Bass, aka The Bride, aka Game of Death, aka The Yamaha Bass, aka Lucious Leftfoot, aka Daddy Fatstacks.

Of all the basses I have ever owned, this is THE one for me. I'll never let it out of my hands. I actually miss it when I'm not home. I took the neck off the other day to adjust the truss rod; my bass was made in 2007 for Bass Player Live. I can't believe anyone let this bass go. I've always been a P guy and this is the ultimate P and trust me, no other bass "pulls it off" like this one. :D




Mike
 

Attachments

  • allevacoppolo.jpg
    allevacoppolo.jpg
    61 KB · Views: 143
#25
phishaholik said:
Here's my contribution to this thread.

The Uma Bass, aka The Bride, aka Game of Death, aka The Yamaha Bass, aka Lucious Leftfoot, aka Daddy Fatstacks.

Of all the basses I have ever owned, this is THE one for me. I'll never let it out of my hands. I actually miss it when I'm not home. I took the neck off the other day to adjust the truss rod. My bass was made in 2007 for Bass Player Live. I can't believe anyone let this bass go. I've always been a P guy and this is the ultimate P and trust me, no other bass "pulls it off" like this one. :D


Mike
Click to expand...



NICE! Which fretboard was it built with?
 
#33
76Dub said:
Does anyone have any NF pics from NAMM?
Click to expand...

I didn't take any pics of it, unfortunately, but according to Jimmy I was the first person to try it out.

The NF-5 had an ash body painted black (which will be the only color option for this bass), maple neck and fingerboard, Alleva Coppolo pickups, and an Aguilar OPB3 preamp.

The bass plays very nicely and comparatively to his upper line basses. The neck profile is the same and it balances very well. It wasn't too heavy or too light either. The weight was just right.

Although it's an Aguilar preamp, Jimmy uses the same pickups that he uses in his other basses so the vintage tone that he is known for is still there. That's not to say, however, that it sounds "exactly" like his other basses because it does not. There are some differences in tone which I think are attributed to the Aguilar preamp and a different Hipshot bridge than the one used in the other basses. Although more toward the vintage sound than the modern, the NF5 is in a class all by itself. It produced a slap tone that was very responsive and snappy and a very growly finger tone. I really liked the sound and feel of the bass.

Although it's a "no frills" bass, Jimmy is still making them so the same attention to detail and quality remains. For this reason, this would be a perfect way to get into the Alleva Coppolo line if you're on a budget.

In a nutshell, the NF5 is a great sounding bass and a great addition to the Alleva Coppolo line.
 
#35
Basseroni said:
... Although it's an Aguilar preamp, Jimmy uses the same pickups that he uses in his other basses so the vintage tone that he is known for is still there. That's not to say, however, that it sounds "exactly" like his other basses because it does not. There are some differences in tone which I think are attributed to the Aguilar preamp and a different Hipshot bridge than the one used in the other basses. ...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the review, Basseroni.

I have a question for those who are familiar with the Aguilar preamp and the Alleva Coppolo pre: what do you think the pros are for each preamp?

This is an important question for me, so I'd appreciate any insights you can give me.

Edit: Let me explain... I think I WANT an Aguilar preamp because of the mid boost option. On an Ash and Maple bass? Not so much because we probably want to scoop the sound anyway, but on an alder and rosewood bass, then yes, I'd like to boost mids... but I'd also want a VTC which I understand I'll give up if I go with Aguilar, right?
 
#38
Tom7 said:
Thanks for the review, Basseroni.

I have a question for those who are familiar with the Aguilar preamp and the Alleva Coppolo pre: what do you think the pros are for each preamp?

This is an important question for me, so I'd appreciate any insights you can give me.

Edit: Let me explain... I think I WANT an Aguilar preamp because of the mid boost option. On an Ash and Maple bass? Not so much because we probably want to scoop the sound anyway, but on an alder and rosewood bass, then yes, I'd like to boost mids... but I'd also want a VTC which I understand I'll give up if I go with Aguilar, right?
Click to expand...

for the sound jimmys doing on those basses, i think youll be better off with his pre than the ag regardless of wood choice. the bass control boosts upper bass/low mids so its not a super deep boom fest. that combined with his singles that imo, have enough mid content already, youre set. *disclaimer-i dont own an ac(have played a bunch though through my own rig) but i do use his preamp with a 62 and 78 fender jazz.
 
#39
Vic said:
That's a hipshot bridge? I was thinking it was something else. Are you sure about that? Just checking.
Click to expand...
.

Yep. Jimmy told me so himself and when I was at the Hipshot booth yesterday I saw that same bridge on display.

I was shocked when he told me it was a hipshot. I've never seen a hipshot bridge like that until now.
 
#40
Basseroni said:
Yep. Jimmy told me so himself and when I was at the Hipshot booth yesterday I saw that same bridge on display.

I was shocked when he told me it was a hipshot. I've never seen a hipshot bridge like that until now.
Click to expand...
Yeah, same here, which is why I double checked. Well, it's an import, so maybe that's why I've never seen one like that... I'm most familiar with the A's and B's which I think are still made here. Anyway, thanks for the info! :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back