My HORRIBLE Alleva-Coppolo experience...

[datsaxguy]

But if you think our instrument prices are bad - hang around sax players for a while. They pay ridiculous prices for a horn that plays well. Excellent quality guitars and basses are a bargain these days in comparison. You get a lot - a LOT - for your money.

Yes and No, if you want a vintage sax like a Selmer Paris Mark VI in the premium serial no. range which is the equivalent of a Pre CBS Fender bass. Get out your wallet. They can get up to 10k for something pristine. A modern Selmer runs 5k plus since the french govt. upped their export taxes a few years ago.

Just like basses the asian countries are leveling the playing field with saxophones. Some manufacturers are providing top quality saxophones at a fraction of the price. 2k to 3k can get you a really nice horn. Do they sound the same? ........ Just like a bass, no 2 basses sound the same with same materials made by different builders.

There are ton of decent to high quality 4 string basses on planet earth. When you start adding strings it gets a little tricky. So you gonna have to pony up some dough to get what you want. Dropping 5k on a instrument is tough for me, but its really tough when you are not satisfied with it. If you have 5k to spend on a bass more power to you.

Once again I hope the OP gets the bass he wants or his money back. - sorry for the sax diatribe.

 

[bmc]

I think avoiding this forum only confirms what we have been learned. He first needs to rectify with the OP. And, if he had a brain, would speak up here and admit that he screwed up and has learned from it. He could turn this around in his favour by admitting poor judgment and that he values the TB community, much like Roger Sadowsky does by being an active contributor to threads on his basses.

Being absent and avoiding this thread confirms in my mind that he will knowingly sell sub par basses and lie to potential customers and his distributors. As a regular poster on TB, I will feel obliged to remind or inform people of AC customer service when new threads appear asking for input. And furthermore, spending $5,000 on an AC bass carries a big risk.

The law of holes: when you're in one, don't dig deeper.

I would disappointed if he doesn't chime in. He has a captive audience right now and if he handled this properly, he could win over a lot of people.

 

[Green1]

Don't forget, the bass was discounted due to flaws. I would demand detailed pics of any flawed $5000 bass prior to buying.

It sure wasn't discounted enough....ask yourself, if this was your 5K would you feel differently? I bet you would.

 

[Addison]

I also think the radius on an AC is completely opposite from a Zon or a Lull and this issue hasn't even been mentioned.

The radius on the A-C is 10" and the radius on both my Zon and Mike Lull was 12".

Don't forget, the bass was discounted due to flaws.

It was discounted due to "some show play wear" and "some scratches or dings that more than likely will happen on the first few gigs."

The word "flaws" was never introduced into ANY conversation, or I honestly would have been a lot more concerned.

 

[faulknersj]

This thread has gone viral....it was on page 3 at bedtime last night.

 

[fusionbassed]

It isn't just the TB community, there are bad apples in every community. I would argue that there are fewer in TB than elsewhere on the 'net.

As someone who has played guitar a long time before picking up bass, the bass community in general seems filled with a lot fewer tools than the guitar world - even taking into account there are fewer bassists than guitarists, the percentage of tools seems much lower.

I still play guitar and will play guitar and bass at the same session. I ran into a local player, jazz guy, who is very good at the style he does but otherwise limited as a guitarist and who can be *very* condescending... whether he realizes it or not is irrelevant; he just continues to do it and I think he may simply be socially clueless, and he's not a good enough guitar player or versatile enough to really get away with it - there are plenty of players around here who are better... I'm simply doing music for the fun and personal challenge - you can appreciate all musicians regardless of what level they are on if you have an open mind.

Anyway, last week, we were at a jam, I had my guitar and bass, I got there early so I was going up first. He asked me if I was going to play guitar and I said "yeah, just a couple of tunes, and then I might play bass later." He then *said* "Are there any REAL bass players here?" My generous part of my brain thought he was referring to upright, which I don't play, but it really pissed me off as I've been working hard and people are asking me to play bass - anyway, I just looked at him and said "Dude, I *am* a real bass player" and walked away.

I'm also a member on the gear page and its a great site, but chock full of far more tools than here, and I can't believe the support I'm getting from other bassists and my teacher as I learn a different instrument and way of thinking in middle age. I've never had that kind of support in almost 40 years of playing guitar, its always a competition. Anyway, I'm pulling for Addison to get a fair resolution of the situation soon.

 

[GRoberts]

It sure wasn't discounted enough....ask yourself, if this was your 5K would you feel differently? I bet you would.

+1! If I paid $2000 for that bass, I would still be unhappy.
It's not 'player wear', it's BAD workmanship!

 

[ddhm]

I'm just floating around here now to see if the builder ever chimes in. Thus far, he's lost a TON of cred.

 

[Iridescentone]

After reading (again) my post - NO blame or accusations were aimed at the OP. His post does give fodder to those who would distort and twist the matter to their own use or agenda. NO threat was leveled at AC. The fallout, however, may have ramifications for AC and other small builders.

The only "agenda" I'm sensing in this thread is that of the AC apologists.

 

[cabcreaser]

I don't mean to be cold, but seriously, the problems we see with the body should have been seen prior to the purchase and the neck fix should resolve the setup issues . This would leave a great sounding, resonant bass, with insane electronics that balances and finally sets up well. $5000 may be steep to some but it's a handmade bass made in the US with exotic woods by someone who (I know from having dealt with him) loves what he does. I think the big issue is not the original post, I think this just hit a nerve for all the people that want to bash expensive basses.

 

[Green1]

+1

Full Refund is the right thing to do. That simple.

How much would anyone bet that once a dealer see's the condition of that bass, they would expect to return it for a full refund? The notion that this bass would be pitched to a dealer is confounding. Why would any builder want that bass on the market as a representative sample of their work? Makes no sense.

Good point! No dealer on the planet would deem that bass acceptable to sell to a customer, and as was stated earlier, Jimmy said "all sales are final" I would like to see how that would play out if for example he had sent this particular bass to one of his dealers......do you think the dealer would be stuck the same as the OP?......of course not....

 

[ggvicviper]

I don't mean to be cold, but seriously, the problems we see with the body should have been seen prior to the purchase and the neck fix should resolve the setup issues . This would leave a great sounding, resonant bass, with insane electronics that balances and finally sets up well. $5000 may be steep to some but it's a handmade bass made in the US with exotic woods by someone who (I know from having dealt with him) loves what he does. I think the big issue is not the original post, I think this just hit a nerve for all the people that want to bash expensive basses.

Expensive basses are cool, and I don't think a lot of people are bashing boutique luthiers. This does go beyond a setup issue and a new neck, though much of the problem is in the neck. However, as said by Addison, the instrument was not representative of what was described - which from these pictures is a lot more evident. The crinkly back contour cut in particular was really shoddy.

 

[p0k]

Don't forget, the bass was discounted due to flaws. I would demand detailed pics of any flawed $5000 bass prior to buying.

If the builder tells you the flaws are normal playing wear, I would probably be apt to believe him...but I guess you can't.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

$5000 may be steep to some but it's a handmade bass made in the US with exotic woods by someone who (I know from having dealt with him) loves what he does. I think the big issue is not the original post, I think this just hit a nerve for all the people that want to bash expensive basses.

Most of the negative posts are coming from folks who do own expensive basses, because we know none of the issues showcased in the OP are remotely acceptable on a $5k bass, let alone all of them combined. It was the seller's job to relay in detail any issues the bass had if it had any. It shouldn't have even left the shop like that.

 

[ggvicviper]

Most of the negative posts are coming from folks who do own expensive basses, because we know none of the issues showcased in the OP are remotely acceptable on a $5k bass, let alone all of them combined. It was the seller's job to relay in detail any issues the bass had if it had any. It shouldn't have even left the shop like that.

+1

 

[Teacher]

I saw the body via a picture, something anyone spending $5000 on a bass would see prior to buying it.

The moral of this thread is not Jimmy is incompetent (every AC I have played proves otherwise), the moral is if you're going to pay $5000 for a bass either look closely at the pics or even better, try it in person.

This is completely ridiculous. So it's Addison's fault Jimmy blatantly misrepresented a very, very flawed product? And is it also Addison's fault Jimmy has since failed to stand behind his product?

 

[Dave Siff]

I think this just hit a nerve for all the people that want to bash expensive basses.

Any bass at any price with issues like that should be bashed, as should the luthier who doesn't seem to think there's a problem with it.

 

[fusionbassed]

Buy used if you can. Best way to recoup most if not all your $$$ IME.

I will keep that in mind

 

[bmc]

I don't mean to be cold, but seriously, the problems we see with the body should have been seen prior to the purchase and the neck fix should resolve the setup issues . This would leave a great sounding, resonant bass, with insane electronics that balances and finally sets up well. $5000 may be steep to some but it's a handmade bass made in the US with exotic woods by someone who (I know from having dealt with him) loves what he does. I think the big issue is not the original post, I think this just hit a nerve for all the people that want to bash expensive basses.

I have expensive basses. AC makes and sells poorly finished basses. Fact.

 

[Addison]

I don't mean to be cold, but seriously, the problems we see with the body should have been seen prior to the purchase

Have you ever asked a luthier who works 12-14 hour days to take time away from other builds to shoot extensive closeup photos of the fretwork and finish in reflective light at different angles so you can look for flaws that contradict his prior description of a NEW bass with "some play show wear"?

I should never have to do something like that and, honestly... even after this happened... I still wouldn't do that.

I saw a picture and it looked fine from a distance. I took his word and his overall reputation as "good enough" and went for it.

Lesson learned.