My ACG Harlot 5 build

I haven't done much more than a some passing mentions of a custom bass I have in the works, but it seems like a good time now to post something about the Harlot 5 string that Alan Cringean ( ACG - http://acguitars.co.uk ) is building for me.

Alan uses a custom filter-based preamp (similar to Wal and Alembic) built by John East, and custom pickups wound by Aaron Armstrong. He offers set-neck, bolt-on, neck-through options along with several attractive single- and double-cut body shapes. My vision for this bass was an updated version of the great Wal basses I've had the pleasure of owning (without the fear of taking an irreplaceable collector's item to a gig), so I chose options with that in mind: bolt-on, 5-piece neck, double-cutaway Harlot shape, mahogany body core with front and back facings, "MM style" RFB humbuckers.

Of course, Alan's basses have modern features that we've come to expect, like graphite-reinforced necks, tilt-back headstocks, lightweight Hipshot hardware, optional 35" scale, and custom string spacing. He's also got an amazing selction of woods to choose from, courtesy of Larry at Gallery Hardwoods. I've always had a soft spot for Myrtle, so I chose this piece for the top:



Stunning, isn't it? If there had been enough to make a matching back as well, I definitely would have! Instead, we chose a very nice piece of burl myrtle, which also looks great and is only slightly less eye-catching. It seems that not everyone is crazy about the Harlot shape, but to me it's one of the most beautiful and graceful that Alan makes:





Alan offers 3-, 5- and 7-piece necks, with graphite reinforcement. I chose a 5-piece neck, with 3 pieces of birdseye maple and 2 of macassar ebony. I like the look and density of birdseye, and ebony laminates are a $900 option on Alembics so I figured they must be good!



I love the look and feel of ebony fretboards, as well, but ebony tends to be a bit sensitive to humidity changes. Fortunately, Larry at Gallery Hardwoods specializes in acrylicized fretboard woods, to make them tougher and more stable. I chose an acrylicized macassar fretboard:




To offset the light color of the Myrtle, the bass will have black hardware. It will also have a glossy finish on both the body and the neck, another nod to my old Wals.

As you can see, there's still a ways to go before the bass is finished, but after my Curbow 6, I'm used to waiting. Anticipation is part of the pleasure.

Mike

 

The ACG custom basses use the original version of the preamp, the ACG EQ01, which has a separate bass filter stack for each pickup (like the Wal or the Alembic Signature/Series models), plus a master volume, blend, and treble stack. It generally has 4 stacked knobs.

At some point I'll probably install the 4K version of the EQ02 in my Curbow 6...

Mike

 

A little more (visible) progress on my bass. A problem during shaping required Alan to start over again and build a new neck. That obviously has delayed things a bit, but it did allow me to re-think the idea of having a bound fretboard. Any of you who may be familiar with my old Nordstrand SC5 and Curbow Z-Jazz 5 know that I have a thing for bound fretboards!

The new neck is still 5-piece birdseye maple and ebony, but the fretboard is now acrylicized black ebony with birdseye maple bindings. It looks very sharp!



Mike

 

Almost forgot to post this here, but the neck is just about done, and looking even better than I expected:

 

My "collection" is pretty small at the moment, but I've certainly owned some great basses over the years! There are several bass geeks in Omaha with a lot more gear than I have, but honestly, I've never really had anyone question my choice of instruments. At least, not bandmates--had some of the crowd at a redneck bar in Beaver Lake ask me if a beaver ate the other half of my Curbow XT33 fretless, but it was all in good fun.

Anyway, my playing and the music I do certainly don't require (or perhaps deserve) the kind of high end and custom basses I've owned, but I enjoy and appreciate them and that's good enough for me!

Mike

 

A picture of the neck and body together, waiting on the rest of the routing. Looks very classy, doesn't it?

Mike

 

It's really starting to look like a bass now. Great work, Alan!

Mike