My HORRIBLE Alleva-Coppolo experience...

[eb3mike]

I read though page 6 than clicked the last page hoping to read that this debacle was made right. Dissapointed that the other side hasn't at least tried to address. I've probably read references to AC basses over the last several years, but didn't think much about them as they out of the price range for any instrument I was going to buy.
Seeing the pictures, watching the video and not seeing a response from the other side... the names AC basses, Jimmy Copolo and crap are one and the same.

 

[Baird6869]

Guys can jump on the throw the AC brand under the bus all day but how many of them were really going to spend 5K on an AC or any brand J bass?

Seriously.

I agree with this and many are willing to throw in their $0.02 without even seeing a AC bass in person let alone have played one.

But i do bet there are more TB members percentage wise willing to spend $5k+ on a single (boutique/non vintage) instrument than other bassists in general.

Most of the "boutique" brands TBers lust over really are not that well known to the general bass population. Alembic, Smith and a few others may be exceptions.

I just hope Jimmy makes good with the OP even though he may believe the TB community is insignificant as only 5% of TBers are real players.

 

[SolarMan]

Jimmy's good reputation in the end will absorb this particular incident.

Jimmy sounds like a jerk that is entering self destruct mode.

 

[jwr]

I've been quietly reading this since yesterday. It's very sad and I hope the OP gets a refund or AC at very least fixes the bass. I would be very upset as well and wouldn't know what to do, especially if the builder said "all sales are final". He says this despite the fact that it is an instrument in unacceptable condition.

I hope there's a resolution soon.

 

[SlingBass4]

When you say the purpose of the OP was to distort, that sounds to me like you're clearly trying to make it seem like he was simply making trouble. I don't agree with you, but you are clearly free to think what you want. As far as having ramifications for small luthiers, OF COURSE it should! That's the point. It's simply not right that this happened, especially at this price point.

Anyway, going in circles and all that. Whatever dude.

I did not say the purpose of the OP was to distort the situation. I find posts like your's, however, to be the very fodder I spoke of. Perhaps a better understanding of the language would serve you (and others) better here.

 

[austentaciousC]

I think this thread should be locked until we hear from AC or the OP on a resolution.

 

[the yeti]

Wow, people actually sent threatening emails? How douchey. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Bunch of children.

agreed. no matter how crappy the build was the op is the only one that should be threatening, and then only with legal action.

 

[malthumb]

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.

I love TB (except for stuff like the emails to JC) but let's be realistic.....TB does not represent the entire bass world. Detroit has a very large and active bassist community. Look for Detroit Bass Players on Facebook. You'd be surprised how few even know TB exists. I'd say about 40% of the bassists I know. Then of that 40%, less than half are on TB at all and even less than that regularly. Yet, many of the members have high end and custom basses. Some of which I've never heard of. What's the point? Some bassists will know of and consider A-C basses and never get a whiff of this controversy. I think that is Jacquo's point.

TB is important, but doesn't define the bass world.

i just talked at length to Jimmy. he read me some of the many emails he got tonight.

When you talked to Jimmy did he provide any insight as to what he may be doing to resolve this?

 

[mindwell]

+1

I think this thread should be locked until we hear from AC, or the OP on a resolution.

 

[datsaxguy]

I always like to hear both sides of the story, most times the truth is in the middle of both accounts. If the OP's story is accurate, I could only imagine the huge let down, and then the anger felt afterwards. As far as Jimmy's reputation, TB needs to get over itself. The Dr. Bass fiasco has not stopped Folks from sending him money for cabs to this day even after numerous accounts of bad business. My observation is that this thread is getting so much traction because football season hasn't started, not because this is so horrible.

To the OP, I hope you get some resolution to your problem. I also hope Jimmy's reputation on TB is repaired, and football season couldn't get here fast enough.

 

[SlingBass4]

The OP seems to be making a well documented case for his position in this matter. He's made no threats, and no distortions are obvious from his posts. He's done a pretty admirable job in documenting his issues.

Now, you claim there are distortions. To make this claim, you certainly received some information other than what's been presented, or spoken to the other parties involved. Please present your information, so that we can validate your claims.

The distortions appear here AFTER the OP made his statement. I have NO issue with anything the OP stated, and find he did so fairly and I have respect for his request for calm. What I DO have a problem with is a response (such as your's) that's extracted a potion of a clearly written statement in an attempt to give new meaning to it.

 

[Double E]

There was no threat intended or implied.

Your response is indicative of the bad grammar and poorly conceived thought proccess so prevalent in this thread.

Your posts are bordering on direct attacks of other posters and also exhibiting poor thought process. Here, for instance, you are commenting on the grammar of a member whose first language is not English.

 

[fusionbassed]

So what's the moral of the story here... lay hands on every bass you play before you buy it, be it $200 or $5000?

No, I think its treat the customer right when the customer is being more than reasonable and the product received is not what was advertised.

That said, in an ideal world, we'd be able to play every bass offered for sale. That world is going to wait until we have teleportation and can actually *teleport* to the physical location of the bass to play it ....

 

[MikeBass]

Wow!
Surprised as well!
My AC was perfect. That is WAY unacceptable!

Jimmy is a good guy. Seems odd to me that he would take a stance like that and not go the extra mile and make this right.

If a bass looked like that after a few gigs, who were you playing with??? GWAR?????

 

[Double E]

The distortions appear here AFTER the OP made his statement. I have NO issue with anything the OP stated, and find he did so fairly and I have respect for his request for calm. What I DO have a problem with is a response (such as your's) that's extracted a potion of a clearly written statement in an attempt to give new meaning to it.

Now you are contradicting yourself.

- the purpose of the OP's post has been a study in distortion.

 

[Rocktometrist]

This point has been made before, but have you guys heard of Google? I know I, for one, would do a little bit of internet research before dropping $5k on a jazz bass clone. The second this thread popped up and I saw the pics of that crazy horn cutout, AC would be off my short list.

Talkbass doesn't exist in a bubble, and I doubt that there is all that much internet chatter regarding AC basses. Given the wonders of the internet, this thread could come back to haunt this guy for the rest of his career. The fact that he hasn't made this right yet is insane.

 

[rodneyat]

I think this thread should be locked until we hear from AC or the OP on a resolution.

Agreed. Time to lay it to rest guys and let the OP and Jimmy work out what they can. All else is just mindless, at this point.

 

[nukes_da_bass]

This point has been made before, but have you guys heard of Google? I know I, for one, would do a little bit of internet research before dropping $5k on a jazz bass clone. The second this thread popped up and I saw the pics of that crazy horn cutout, AC would be off my short list.

Talkbass doesn't exist in a bubble, and I doubt that there is all that much internet chatter regarding AC basses. Given the wonders of the internet, this thread could come back to haunt this guy for the rest of his career. The fact that he hasn't made this right yet is insane.

Its 06:05 pacific time. I imagine he will begin his 90+ hour small business work week any second.
It might blow your mind, but my bet is Jimmy, Ken Smith, and Mike Tobias probably spend more time building basses than combing the intranets for their death threats

 

[sigmafloyd]

This point has been made before, but have you guys heard of Google? I know I, for one, would do a little bit of internet research before dropping $5k on a jazz bass clone. The second this thread popped up and I saw the pics of that crazy horn cutout, AC would be off my short list.

Talkbass doesn't exist in a bubble, and I doubt that there is all that much internet chatter regarding AC basses. Given the wonders of the internet, this thread could come back to haunt this guy for the rest of his career. The fact that he hasn't made this right yet is insane.

+10000

That is what people don't seem to get.

 

[ggvicviper]

Jimmy's good reputation in the end will absorb this particular incident.

Dunno about that. Even in terms of boutique builders, they're not as well known as Fodera, Sadowsky or Alembic. I never heard of AC until I started reading Talkbass, much like I hadn't heard of Valenti, Jerzy Drozd or Roscoe. For small luthiers, TB is a great gateway to the bass community, I feel.

I feel really bad for the OP too. While yes, due process is of order, he has present some strong evidence for his case. I hope him & Jimmy can get their stuff worked out - without the angry mob, I might add.