My HORRIBLE Alleva-Coppolo experience...

[The Bass Clef]

I doubt it and the talkbass community is just a drop in the bucket in regards to how this would possibly hurt his business.

A member on an earlier page in this thread said he had just convinced his church to buy an AC this week and he was going to pull the trigger on an AC for himself also.. until reading this thread. So there's about $10k in sales he will miss out on right there. That alone isn't a drop bucket to any privately owned business. Now it may not break him, but look how many people have already seen this thread - over 15,000 in one evening. I'm sure at least a few others had intentions to buy an AC and now their money will be going to one of his competitors.

 

[bassingeorge]

I'm curious how this will turn out. I hope things work out for the OP...and AC, why not.

 

[Gearhead17]

Unbelievable. A large portion of basses at Guitar Center are in BETTER condition than this even with being on the shelf for years. That is not even close to "normal-wear". Heck, I buy better condition basses off of craigslist. I hope the OP gets his money back.

 

[tastybasslines]

This thread could pop up every time someone Googles "Alleva-Coppolo", which potentially makes it a problem for him that extends well past the talkbass community. When anybody who decides to research their $5k+ purchase sees this mess, I'm guessing it could result in considerably more than a few lost sales.

Dude needs to fix this last week.

Bingo!

 

[Splods]

It's already a suggested thread under talkbass search for google.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

What a shame.

Jimmy Coppolo is obviously a very talented, gifted luthier who has produced many fine instruments. It would be a real tragedy to see his offerings to the bass world fade away just because of a poor business decision. However, this is exactly where he's headed as far as the TB community is concerned, straight to "Alleva-Bebensee" status.

Yes, this CAN hurt him.

Mr. Coppolo, make this right, full refund at LEAST, and then hire yourself a business manager who will run interference and keep you from damaging your company's reputation any further. You're a great luthier, but not such a great PR person.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

Meh, you may be blinded by your industry status. From my view, as a consumer, the bass business is an exceptionally difficult portion of the musical instruments industry. Business is tough, no one can afford to lose any prospective buyers. For example, if I know a guy who is looking to buy a killer Fender clone and I tell about this mess, and he tells two friends, and they tell two friends etc, etc... the trickle has to start somewhere. This thread has had over 14,000 views in under 12 hours. Not to mention he's losing un-official endorsers (such as kjung) for inconsistency in his recent manufacturing. Unless he fixes his problems, I don't see how he won't take a hit in the long run.

Blinded not at all and I have no industry status. The majority of the bass guitar consumer community isn't even on talkbass and for the thousands who may see this thread there will be so many more who will not and if they do they could care less about what happened to the op because if they want an AC they will get an AC.

One has to look at all the great AC testimonials in comparison to the bad press that AC may have gotten.

The bad AC press does not compare to the positive press and AC will keep forging ahead with a successful and prospering business guaranteed.


At the end of the day it all comes down to brand worship.

 

[joe vegas]

Blinded not at all and I have no industry status. The majority of the bass guitar consumer community isn't even on talkbass and for the thousands who may see this thread there will be so many more who will not and if they do they could care less about what happened to the op because if they want an AC they will get an AC.

One has to look at all the great AC testimonials in comparison to the bad press that AC may have gotten.

The bad AC press does not compare to the positive press and AC will keep forging ahead with a successful and prospering business guaranteed.


At the end of the day it all comes down to brand worship.

+1.

 

[jim777]

At the end of the day it all comes down to brand worship.

I have a great deal of respect for you, but you are HIGH if you don't think this doesn't permanently and negatively impact the perception of the AC brand. Seriously, did you even read this thread?? Did you see the pics?

 

[M.R. Ogle]

The majority of the bass guitar consumer community isn't even on talkbass and for the thousands who may see this thread there will be so many more who will not and if they do they could care less about what happened to the op because if they want an AC they will get an AC.

True, the majority (by sheer numbers) of bass guitar-ists are NOT on TalkBass, they're the thousands of Schecter/Dean/Squier-buyers who have never even HEARD of Alleva-Coppolo basses.

However, this is where that "sheer numbers" argument falls flat.

The percentage of bassists on TalkBass who HAVE heard of Alleva-Coppolo instruments is relatively high, and there are numerous members here who are among the "OPINION LEADERS" in the field.... you know who these name-brand guys are, and you've seen them post here.

Even if 90% of the bass-world has never heard of AC, I'd bet 90% of the TB community HAS. And many of us are (or were) the potential buyers.... not the numbers of the Squier crowd, but an outsized percentage of the market for a $5K bass are on TalkBass.... or influenced by those on TalkBass...and have seen this thread.

 

[stanknuckle]

At the end of the day...
"one does simply not, spend $5k on anything sight unseen."
I really feel for the OP. Big lesson here for us all.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

I have a great deal of respect for you, but you are HIGH if you don't think this doesn't permanently and negatively impact the perception of the AC brand. Seriously, did you even read this thread?? Did you see the pics?

Thank you and I hope I'm not coming off like a jerk but this negative thread will have no effect on the AC brand in the long run.

And please every one reading this thread, remember every brand in the course of it's history will have a segment where some things just didn't work out.

The Alleva Coppolo brand will be just fine.


And no I am not high (I don't drink or do drugs) and yes I saw the pics.

 

[tommixx]

I am quite disappointed by this. I have been fortunate enough to own 5 of Jimmy's basses and I just didn't bond with one of them. I returned it to him and he kindly applied my payment to another bass. I know it was a PITA for him but he did it and I went on to own 4 more and I loved every one of them. I am pretty sure it was before his NO Refunds policy but he subsequently sold the bass I returned and I went on to pay full price for 4 more basses. One of my favorite basses ever was an LG4 in a Vintage burst with Dalbergia Negra board. It was my second Alleva and it made me an AC fan for life. It recently sold here in the last couple of weeks and I nearly cried when I saw it being sold. She was a NYC built bass and was absolutely perfect in every way. Hopefully if she ever goes back on the market I will get a shot at her. I hope Jimmy does the right thing here as this does not in any way represent the quality of work he is capable of producing...

Peace,

T

 

[faulknersj]

301 views on the video so far. Refund the man his money...period

 

[Jazz Ad]

If he knew the conditions of the bass he was about to ship, will a refund and apology be enough to restore his reputation? Would you buy a bass from him and pay $5-6K before it gets shipped?
Sad story but in the internet era this is looking for troubles.

That's the thing. The price and name should be enough to warrant a perfect job.
This is why local luthiers usually make J copies for a couple grands top.
To command a higher price, you need to have the reputation of making everything perfect.

 

[jim777]

Thank you and I hope I'm not coming off like a jerk but this negative thread will have no effect on the AC brand in the long run.

And please every one reading this thread, remember every brand in the course of it's history will have a segment where some things just didn't work out.

The Alleva Coppolo brand will be just fine.


And no I am not high (I don't drink or do drugs) and yes I saw the pics.

You don't come off like a jerk, ever. You are very, VERY appreciated! You have long and deep association with the manufacturing side of the industry we do not share. That said, you don't hear sh@t like this about Mike Pedulla, or Vinnie and Jason EVER. And the pics, well, they need explaining at some point or folks will remember. I will certainly.

 

[JimmyM]

Thank you and I hope I'm not coming off like a jerk but this negative thread will have no effect on the AC brand in the long run.

And please every one reading this thread, remember every brand in the course of it's history will have a segment where some things just didn't work out.

That is true. An old blues guy I used to work with was fond of saying, "Even God can't please everyone...how can I?"

I don't know him and I've only played one AC and it was a dreamboat. People will forget isolated incidents. Hope that's all it is.

 

[wateroftyne]

Wow.. what an incredibly sad tale. I hope Jimmy moves mountains to put this right.

Jauqo - I disagree. A brand like AC relies on public perception. Without it, he wouldn't be able to charge so much. This thread has put a huge dent in that perception.

Letting that bass out into the wild is bad enough, but resolvable. The way in which Jimmy handles it is what's important, and so far he's blown it.

Yes, the damage is only among TB members, but news travels fast.

 

[WavyGravy]

I don't know how late I am to this thread/story but WOW. That is ludicrous on so many levels.

In todays times you wouldn't even expect a $250 Squier to look/play that bad, let alone a $5000 custom made top-tier instrument.

Shame shame shame, AC

 

[faulknersj]

That is true. An old blues guy I used to work with was fond of saying, "Even God can't please everyone...how can I?"

I don't know him and I've only played one AC and it was a dreamboat. People will forget isolated incidents. Hope that's all it is.

....if he does the right thing and refunds the money to a rightfully dis-satisfied customer. If not...I think his brand and the reputation he has spent years building will suffer and many of us in this community will feel as if a grave injustice deserves whatever repercussions we as a supportive community can inflict to help make things right.