Need advice; Alleva Coppolo RA5 Vs. Ken Smith BSR5

[otto B]

I appreciate all the feedback. I did get a KS and I was able to compare it side by side with the AC RA and Fodera and the sound of the KS its a mix of both RA and Fodera to my ear. All awesome basses. In all said love all the basses but can only keep one, so I Sold the RA, selling the Fodera, and keeping the KS.

 

[Dbassmon]

AC's are not a fender knockoff. They are THE Fender knockoff that in almost any comparo stands head and shoulders above other fender style instruments (there are a few other standouts, but for all intents and purposes.....) They are exceptionally well playing, great sounding basses that nail the vintage fender vibe but offer modern features and quality. The ones I played at NAMM were stupid good. really.

All due respect, you have zero credibility with a statement like this. Leo Fender might also debate this statement as any comparison of the instruments will first and foremost acknowledge an AC is a Jazz Bass or P Bass. Ash, maple, and rosewood, with single coil or dual coil pups placed in specific spots, will always give you predictable results sonically. Any improvements are incremental and retain the most important design features of Fender.

To the OP, your problem sir; you have a bad case of GAS which will not subside as shuffle your herd. Smith and AC(Fender) sound completely different. Modern and highly identifiable Smith and well-worn trail for the Fender design.... both good. It's about what you like. You obviously need to own both.

 

[J.Wolf]

I have no idea what you just said other than that I have zero credibility. please explain what about my post is so incorrect or offensive to you?

 

[J.Wolf]

any comparison of the instruments will first and foremost acknowledge an AC is a Jazz Bass or P Bass. Ash, maple, and rosewood, with single coil or dual coil pups placed in specific spots, will always give you predictable results sonically. Any improvements are incremental and retain the most important design features of Fender.

Maybe this? That any instrument spawned from Fender DNA will have predictable results? In which case I would answer with a hearty "absolutely not". I have played numerous basses that spec almost exactly like a Fender, with wildly different results. But this is just my personal experience talking. I stand by my statements, please feel free to elaborate, since you've questioned my credibility.

 

[Dbassmon]

Maybe this? That any instrument spawned from Fender DNA will have predictable results? In which case I would answer with a hearty "absolutely not". I have played numerous basses that spec almost exactly like a Fender, with wildly different results. But this is just my personal experience talking. I stand by my statements; please feel free to elaborate, since you've questioned my credibility.

AC is not spawned from Fender DNA; these are Fender designs. If you read the sales pitch on the AC site, he states he's captured the vintage Fender mojo. Fenders designed the mojo, 60+ years ago. OK, perfect. He's added his pre, perfect. These are incremental alterations, and while promoting these additions, to his credit, Coppola always credits the vintage Fender vibe he is capturing. Look at his homepage... I can pick out the sound of a Jazz bass, or Pbass as just about anyone can, whether it has a Fender, AC, Lakland, Sadowsky, or any other nameplate on it....use those pickup designs, in those locations, to that scale, and you get very predictable results sonically. You suggest otherwise. I would agree with you but then we would both be wrong.

 

[J.Wolf]

glad we cleared that up. lol

thanks for respectfully elaborating, as a follow up to your bashing of my credibility.

 

[B-line]

If I may...
(having owned an A/C passive J-Bass,and currently playing a '69 Fender Precision)..
I think the distinction between A/C's and Fenders is not the tone, A/C's are built from the ground up to NAIL the vintage Fender tone.
The difference is the quality of the build and the attention to detail & workmanship that A/C's offer. You'll not find that kind of hand-built craftsmanship in any vintage (or new!) Fender ....IMO. This may not be that important to some players; it was/is to me!

As to the OP, I couldn't begin to decide BETWEEN an A/C or a Smith; for me they are (2) very different instruments, both superb. I'd have to get (1) of each!

 

[Dbassmon]

To J.Wolf...Questioning your statement, not bashing. Pointing out some factual stuff. Was not trying to disrespect you. As you know, us Yankees are blunt. At least, you never have to guess what we are thinking. Peace Mr. Wolf.

 

[J.Wolf]

I'm from Boston, so I'm by no means delicate. But "you have zero credibility with a statement like this" will elicit some desire for clarification, no matter where in the country you are from.

I'm also not clear on what exactly you were saying in your initial response, but its not really worth pursuing. best of luck,

 

[J.Wolf]

AC is not spawned from Fender DNA; these are Fender designs. If you read the sales pitch on the AC site, he states he's captured the vintage Fender mojo. Fenders designed the mojo, 60+ years ago. OK, perfect. He's added his pre, perfect. These are incremental alterations, and while promoting these additions, to his credit, Coppola always credits the vintage Fender vibe he is capturing. Look at his homepage... I can pick out the sound of a Jazz bass, or Pbass as just about anyone can, whether it has a Fender, AC, Lakland, Sadowsky, or any other nameplate on it....use those pickup designs, in those locations, to that scale, and you get very predictable results sonically. You suggest otherwise. I would agree with you but then we would both be wrong.

I don't think anyone disagrees that A-C's are faithful "replica's" of vintage Fenders, as thats their stated goal. My point was simply that all modern Fender clones are not created equal, and if you play a 60's spec jazz bass from AC, Nordy, Sadowsky, and US Lakland, they all will have fairly different feels and sounds (IMO, YMMV). Which is the whole point of their being different manufacturers. They may all be in the same ballpark, but within those tight confines they all have their own flavor. IME. Predictable results maybe (you'd have to crap the bed to build a bass spec'd a bass like a 70's jazz and not have it sound predictably like a 70's jazz), but give these guys a little credit for adding their own flavor to a tried and true recipe.

the more I think about it, we're just splitting hairs here. In the end, buy and play what you want, and everyone else will do the same.