My HORRIBLE Alleva-Coppolo experience...

[fourstringdrums]

This is simply tragic when someone with his reputation does this. This could severely harm his career. It's almost impossible to believe that someone would sell this with THEIR NAME on it.

I hope you get your money back and he gets his "flawed" bass back. I genuinely feel bad that you have to go through this.

It don't see it as tragic when you run your business poorly in regards to pushing out shoddy products and refusing to provide good customer service. I know a lot of business owners are loaded with stress that we can't imagine. We've seen it time and time again with different builders who wound up folding up. But at the end of the day they are responsible for the choices they make.

 

[Addison]

As much as I would love to enjoy the support that is coming from pretty much everyone (at the very least, the collective opinion seems to help support the idea that I'm not completely insane) please understand that I honestly don't enjoy this... I am literally SICKENED by the fact that I felt like I had to resort to this and would have been a lot happier had Jimmy simply told me he'd give me a refund.

And I know that I don't know most of you, but please trust that I tried to remain as cool as humanly possible up until the bitter end.

The last email I sent to him on August 9th (before he denied my request for a refund) said this, word-for-word:

Hey Jimmy,

The bass was simply not accurately described and is not playable, so I will be shipping it back to you on Monday for a full refund of $5000 (I'll cover shipping charges both ways, of course). I'll email you a tracking number as soon as I have it.

I hope to get an email back from you today stating that you will issue the refund back to my card the day you receive the bass.

Like I said before... this isn't personal and you seem to be a decent enough guy. I'm hoping you'll do the right thing, because I'd honestly rather not involve my bank in this mess... or anyone else for that matter.

If I don't hear from you today, I'll begin the process of involving third parties into the process. Sorry it has to come this kind of thing, but I'm beginning to feel like I don't have any other choice.

I hope you understand.

As you can see, I really tried to resolve it in a peaceful manner.

Anyway... to address a couple of things...

Do you have some recourse through your credit card or paypal?

I'm not going to get into those details, just because it doesn't change what happened to me... but, yes, I have started looking into available options to get my money back.

Continue up the mountain if you must- Lynch mobs bring out the worst people, and the worst IN people.

So far, everyone has been pretty civil and respectful, as far as I can see in this thread... there haven't been many unnecessary personal attacks, and most people seem to only be commenting on their personal opinions and experiences.

I'm sure the mods are now keeping a close eye on this thread to make sure it doesn't turn into something it shouldn't.

I don't think the OP would take anything less than a full refund. The negative energy that goes along with the bass from this kind of drama is killer.

You are 100% correct.

From what I understand of his backlog and how long other people have been waiting for repairs (and the fact that there's no possible way he'd be happy about having to do it), I simply can't imagine any quality repair-work would be possible at this point. It also wouldn't be fair to make those people wait any longer, just because of this one bass.

I think the best-case-scenario at this point would be a simple refund and he can have the bass back... what he chooses to do with it after he gets it is his business.

 

[Duckwater]

This is really sad, my custom instrument had considerably issues than this AC and I bought it for $400 used, somewhere around $2000+ below the new price.

 

[mothra2]

The Pics speak for themselves. This 'instrument' should NEVER have been offered for sale at ANY price to ANYONE... #WOODCHIPPER

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Addison,

I could really see the frustration in your face in the video that you posted. For anyone who hasn't seen it and is just going off of pictures then definitely give it a look, too. I'm very sorry to hear about your experience with this bass. It truly is in unacceptable condition, so don't worry that you're going crazy. And if it's any consolation you do sound like one hell of a bassist from the video, so be happy at least for that I hope everything works out for you and your situation.

 

[jpeck02]

I had an issue with Fender's Custom Shop and when I posted my issue on TB, they went ABOVE AND BEYOND my expectations to make it right in 48 hours. Turns out that we needed to resolve a communication issue. I would expect Mr. Coppolo to do the same thing.

 

[lowendmafia]

Agreed on the video, no builder should want one of their customers to be so disappointed in their product. I have dealt with sadowsky, lakland, mike lull, and most recently Nino Valenti, and its hard for me to imagine this bass coming out of any of those shops... And AC is charging basically double what these guys charge...

 

[rodneyat]

Whoa. Great timing. Just convinced church to buy a AC bass since we have great storage for security and needed to replace current. I was going to buy myself one as well THIS week. I'll be talking to Mike Tobias or Roger Sadowsky this week. Maybe Nino Valenti. Seems like that guy is the epitomy of great customer service. In awe.....at those price points customer service should the best in the industry. However, still waiting to hear Jimmy's side in this thread.

Well, I have dealt with all three of these builders. 2 of the 3 would get a 2 thumbs up from me. If you want to hear about #3 and an experience very similar to the story outlined in this thread. PM me and I will give you the details and tell you who else to avoid.

 

[sailorjosh]

Why do companies still think they can get away with dicking around customers? It's the internet age, and when you're dealing with something as small as the boutique bass market, if you do wrong by someone word gets around. I hope everything works out for you.

 

[RVRSCO]

Wow, this is awful. So sorry to see you having to deal with this. I stand with the majority of everyone else in this...you paid $5000 for this bass...any one of these issues would be enough for me to send it back to him...have you asked about an exchange? Maybe he can swap it for another bass or build you one? At any rate...I was really looking at buying an AC at some point, but I have seen and heard a lot of issues as of late...nothing like this, but this one makes me want to hold off for a good long while. I really wish you the best and hope the the folks at AC do the right thing.

 

[Just Thumpin']

If you still own the Fodera, we'd happily take care of that problem now at no charge as that's completely unacceptable. Sorry that a Dealer said that to you -- it was long before I was involved, but again, unacceptable. That is not and should not ever be part of "going hand made."

10 years ago when i took delivery of my custom fodera i was pissed at dried glue seeping out of joints but was told by the dealer that thats part of going hand made

 

[Gorn]

This is the longest thread about basses I have no interest in that I've ever read. A $5000 brand new bass with player wear that is not. I hope this jimmy fella chimes in.

 

[rodneyat]

If you still own the Fodera, we'd happily take care of that problem now at no charge as that's completely unacceptable. Sorry that a Dealer said that to you -- it was long before I was involved, but again, unacceptable. That is not and should not ever be part of "going hand made."

Well, also as much as AC tries to say they are "handmade"...I know for a fact. That part is not true either.

Other big name custom builders who build "Fender inspired" instruments at a fraction of the cost build great instruments. But, they also make no bones about the fact that the instruments are not made 100% by hand. And AC tries to justify some of their cost by the fact that they make their own preamps and pickups. Maybe he's never heard of Carey Nordstrand.

 

[Joelc73]

I honestly can't understand how this bass and mine came from the same shop. I've always posted good things about AC basses because mine is really quite honestly very high quality including the fit/finish, and worth the money I spent on it... no question.

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Plus one. I have five of Jimmy's basses and have had three others that I've sold. Every one of them has been flawless. My most recent one came from the shop three months ago and the finish is mirror perfect and simply beautiful.

Your bass looks pretty terrible. I can't imagine how it happened but I would be amazed that Jimmy would even question you on this one. I'm sure he'll chime in soon and make this right. His customer service in my personal experience has been phenomenal.

All I can say is let's at least give him a chance to weigh-in here before before any more piling on.

 

[DaveDeVille]

wow ...
can hardly believe those pictures .

all i can say is i sure hope the OP gets his money back .

 

[jdwinva]

Well I guess this is a good forum to vent a little about my Jimmy Coppolo experience. About 3 years ago I purchased a used Alleva-Coppolo from a TB'er. Great bass but I was told that Jimmy Coppolo had two pick guards (one mint and one black) since he was holding the bass for the seller and he would send both. Jimmy sent the bass with only the mint pick guard. When I called Jimmy he said he could sell me a new pick guard and had no knowledge of any second pick guard. Anyway, I agree to purchase a new pick guard from Jimmy for some absurd price. When I got it it was clearly well used and kind of rough. ***? This was clearly misrepresented as a new item when in fact it had been used for a long while.

I wrote it off as a lesson to me not to trust anyone and that Jimmy Coppolo lost his credibility during his move to the west coast. I'll admit it was a great bass but Jimmy seems to think everyone is a sucker. I just don't trust him.

 

[Wookieonbass]

That bass is just a tragedy. The shaping of those horns an the bad finish, and the super glue on a $5k instrument, just tragic. Addison you fully deserve a full refund plus reimbursement of all shipping costs.

I really had no interest in buying one of these basses and now after seeing this thread there would be no way in hell unless I fully inspected it first before buying. I couldn't trust him buying one sight unseen. Unless he does the right thing and stands by the quality of the instruments he puts his name on, For A-C all those years of trying to build a solid reputation in the bass community have taken a very serious hit. At least in my eyes.

 

[autodidact]

Demand a refund. Then sue him for pain and suffering. Then spam his Facebook. Then slash his tires. Light his house on fire til it burns to the ground and then piss on the smoldering ashes!

 

[spiritbass]

As much as I would love to enjoy the support that is coming from pretty much everyone (at the very least, the collective opinion seems to help support the idea that I'm not completely insane) please understand that I honestly don't enjoy this... I am literally SICKENED by the fact that I felt like I had to resort to this and would have been a lot happier had Jimmy simply told me he'd give me a refund.

Rest assured that you are most definitely not the insane individual in this tale of woe. I've had a couple of instances of custom builders trying to pass crap off on me, but not at this price point. Both gave full refunds when requested. One more prompt than the other, but I didn't have to involve third parties. It's good, because I would not have been capable of deriving any joy from playing either instrument due to the negative emotional associations. I can't imagine a more consciously evil plot to suck all of the joy out of your bass playing experience. Neither can I imagine selling two killer basses to get what you think is going to be your ultimate bass and receiving this "thing" (I've run out of descriptors).

 

[levis76]

Addison,

I could really see the frustration in your face in the video that you posted. For anyone who hasn't seen it and is just going off of pictures then definitely give it a look, too. I'm very sorry to hear about your experience with this bass. It truly is in unacceptable condition, so don't worry that you're going crazy. And if it's any consolation you do sound like one hell of a bassist from the video, so be happy at least for that I hope everything works out for you and your situation.

+1 on this comment. If you haven't seen the video, you simply must to understand the issues with this bass are not just cosmetic. It's a $5000 instrument that is unplayable by anyone's standards.

And I totally agree about the expression on the OP's face in the video and I left a comment on YouTube expressing as much.

Let's get the views and comments going on YouTube to show Jimmy that this is not acceptable and the damage to his reputation as a luthier is permanent.

I bet Nate Watts never took delivery of a bass in this condition, nor would he ever play an AC again if he did. Why should anyone else be treated any differently? Money is green no matter whose wallet it came from.

To the OP,
I was glad to read that you at least have some recourse as far as a credit card company or bank that you can involve if necessary. You wouldn't believe how helpful they can be in a situation such as this. Good luck brother, we are all standing behind you.