My HORRIBLE Alleva-Coppolo experience...

[SolarMan]

There is only one logical conclusion.

Space monsters intercepted this bass en route to the buyer. They took it aboard the mother ship and probed and prodded then took it apart.

In an attempt to cover up the abduction and molestation, they super glued it back together and sent it on its way.

Now that this is cleared up, I feel sorry for both parties involved.

 

[froghat]

Well, those who said Jimmy had nothing to gain by posting were certainly right. I've been casually following this like one watches a Lucy movie, watching as everything goes wrong and then cheering when all is set right at the end.

The refund is fine, but the testy comments about "in the wrong hands" ruin everything.

 

[uOpt]

I've owned several of Jimmy's basses, maybe 5 or 6 over the years and every single one has been absolutely superbly finished and I'm more than happy to vouch for his build quality.

So what happened to the (back of the) cutaways in the OP's bass?

Even if you want to accuse the OP of doing the fretboard glue himself, how would he do such a rough metalworking file job (because that's what it is) and then get it under the "satin" finish?

So, your 5-6 basses, did they have such bad cutaway backs?

 

[Gougedeye]

I have read this entire thread front to back! The OP's situation is unfortunate, to say the least. I have tried to remain neutral in my opinion until I got the other side of the story. It looked to me like this bass was a bit flawed before it left Mr. Coppolo's shop. Things happen and I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. As a matter of fact, I was sure he was going to make things right, in the end. But to come on here and insinuate the OP photo shopped or somehow doctored that bass is despicable! Mr. Coppolo I have lost all respect for you. I wish you well going forward, but you will certainly do it without one penny of my money! Your basses maybe of the highest quality, but you are not. OP, I hope you get your money back and move past this. Best wishes.

 

[CTC564]

I have an app on my iPhone that creates crowning file marks when you take pics.

Actually LOL to this...PERFECT!!!!!

 

[kedo]

So what happened to the (back of the) cutaways in the OP's bass.

Even if you want to accuse the OP of doing the glue himself, how would he do such a rough metalworking file job (because that's what it is) and then get it under the "satin" finish?

So, your 5-6 basses, did they have such bad cutaway backs?

Obvious artifacts from the flash of the camera, I'm guessiing.

 

[Low Class]

First of all you spelled his name wrong. .

You're right, I should spelled his last name with "Cra" at the beginning after that lame response.

 

[JLY]

Good to see Addison will get a refund
Sad to see it was only because of the reaction of this thread
Sickening that Jimmy would accuse Addison of altering the photos...passive-aggressively
Pathetic that Jimmy would say that the bass easing the wrong hands
I guess he considers it a privilege to play one of his basses...let alone get one right away that had not been sold for over a year
He had a chance to handle this with class, dignity and humility
Instead he attacked a customer
He choose another route

 

[Means2nEnd]

Offered a refund after the bass was shown on this forum as it went on like it did but before this thread didn’t. Judging ones character is a dicey thing to do but like I tell my kids if your only sorry if you get caught in the act sorry doesn’t mean much. He says it left perfect but was played a lot? So wear and tear causes horns to be sanded and shaped terribly?

Implying Chris fabricated or enhanced the obvious on the bass makes me sick and all done without any mention of feeling bad about what came out of his shop that is an obvious fail of epic porportions.

 

[BillyRay]

Glad you're getting a refund and that you'll get money instead of that bass into your "wrong hands" in the very near future.

Now to go play my bass with a pick. Like a man.

 

[uOpt]

Obvious artifacts from the flash of the camera, I'm guessiing.

Obviously not.

I mean it won't like that bad under different angles.

A $5000 bass? No. It's a freehand hackjob.

 

[Mitchthebassplayer]

Moral of the story is: Jimmy felt that taking $700 off was enough to cover the aesthetic damages since I KNOW Jimmy personally and I know he thinks nicks and imperfections mean character. The OP didn't agree and could only really know how bad it was once he saw the bass in person. IMO, $700 is NOWHERE near enough of a discount to take a bass like that regardless of how much a "new" AC costs. I truly believe Jimmy's work is worth the money as I've had 3 INCREDIBLE ACs, but this bass should have either never left the shop, or it should have been SERIOUSLY discounted. I KNOW Jimmy is not a bad person by any means, I think both parties were under different ideas and expectations and I'm glad Jimmy is refunding him. His response was not necessary as I think it came off in a bad way and will continue to prolong this straight up shi$%y situation. However, I will say that if the OP bought the discounted AC knowing it was lightly damaged hence the discount, it's a little unfair to buy a "shop" bass like that, that has seen several guitar shows and several hundreds of hands, sight unseen and then want to give it back. Regardless, I see where both parties are coming from, but I agree that Jimmy should be refunding him. I hope this one example doesn't hurt his business. Jimmy truly loves what he does, and this thread has twisted him into something he def is not.

 

[JoeWPgh]

Jimmy did himself no favors with that response, aside from offering to buy the bass back. The passive-aggressive insinuation that the pix had been doctored was beyond the pale. And while he has a point as to lighting and flash, it's clearly beyond his understanding. Those things can emphasize or de-emphasize details, but they do not create them. A flash might have highlighted the unbelievably shoddy work at the lower cutaway, but it did not put it on the bass. Jimmy did that. Presumably with his own hands. Maybe it's not so noticeable in normal light, but it's still there. And it has no business being there on a bass at 1/4 of that cost.

 

[SolarMan]

Does Jimmy C sell bass to women?

This dude might know how to build, but his sexist and accusatory mindset is a shame. Pathetic even.

Poor business sense, poor manners, disgusting attitude, ugly mind, horrible writing skills, and obviously able to put himself above all of us.

What a great guy!

 

[Anomie]

This thread was my introduction to A-C basses and needless to say he made a really bad first impression. After reading his one post, all those who said JC had nothing to gain by posting here were right, the guy obviously doesn't understand customer relations or how to defuse a bad situation. Another ego-maniac bites the dust, at least as far as TB members are concerned.

 

[pedroims]

Well, now we all know the two stories. OP will get his money back, Jimmy will fix the bass and planning to sell it for more money.

 

[kedo]

Obviously not.

I mean it won't like that bad under different angles.

A $5000 bass? No. It's a freehand hackjob.

I know - I was being sarcastic. Although I thing a "metal file/chisel to the horn" app would generate a lot of interest.

 

[nostatic]

This is an excellent case study in brand management within social media.

 

[sigmafloyd]

1996 standard jazz, $200

iPhone with flash

 

[J.Wolf]

geez, not sure if that response helped or not. I'm glad there was a refund to resolve this situation, but truth be told, the bad taste of that response lingers, for me.