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Two more ACGs for me!!

Scoopbass

Scoopbass

Jul 14, 2007
329
34
66
Liverpool, England.
#1
:bassist: There's another ACG on the way, a five string Skelf which is on Alan's inventory stocklist. I collect it in about a weeks time.

This bass has been nicknamed "Lazarus" as it was a custom build for another customer and seriously damaged by the rockapes who handle inter-continental airport baggage. Obviously the bass was returned to Alan at ACG who fully refunded the customer.

I had found a supplier of Black and White Ebony for Alan at around the same time and Alan replaced the damaged fretboard (huge lumps had been taken from it apparently) with a piece of the B&W ebony I pointed him to. The bass has been used as an inventory bass at a couple of trade shows but I've had an agreement in place with Alan to buy this off him for a few months now.

It's this one:

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The body is a five piece laminate with from front to back; macassar ebony, flamed sycamore, wenge, flamed sycamore, wenge. The neck is macassar ebony and flamed sycamore 7 piece laminate and the fretboard is black and white ebony.

...and there's another (and I think really special) four string build being talked about for 2009 with an "astonishing" quilted and flamed redwood top and back with a spanish cedar core together with, believe it or not, a beautiful quilted redwood fretboard. Here's to the new year!
 
#2
Awesome Scoop!
I didn't realise you where the lucky sod who was getting their hands on Lazarus!
This bass was so impressive in the flesh, probably my favourite bass I played when I checked out Alan's stock for Bass Day.

Another 4 string for next year too?
Hopefully I'll be starting a build with Alan next year too, not settled on specs as yet, but here's what I we've discussed so far >>
Six strings tuned B to C
Headless
33" Scale
Single cut body, not sure which shape yet though, a Harlot S, a Finn Single Cut, or maybe a Skelf depending on how the headless tuners fit with the body shape.
Lots of Wenge in the neck, for a bit of Warwick style growl.
Ramp to match the fingerboard or maybe in Wenge, hiding a single coil in the bridge and a FB pickup in mid-to-neck position.

Looking for something lightweight, extremely versatile and portable to use in and out of the studio and rehearsals.

Can't wait to get it started!

Cheers,
Eude
 
#3
eude said:
Awesome Scoop!
I didn't realise you where the lucky sod who was getting their hands on Lazarus!
This bass was so impressive in the flesh, probably my favourite bass I played when I checked out Alan's stock for Bass Day.
Click to expand...

Yup, I'm afraid so. I watched this one being built through Alan's on-site build diaries and fell in love with it. I was chatting to him about my 4 string build and happened to mention that the next one I was going to go for would be similar to the sandwich bodied Skelf because I thought it was beautiful. It had just been returned to him damaged and he said something like "we might be able to do something about that sooner than you think." If the original owner decided he didn't want it after it was repaired then I could have it. Sweet. It's taken until now because I had the balance on the 4string to raise first.

eude said:
Another 4 string for next year too?
Hopefully I'll be starting a build with Alan next year too, not settled on specs as yet, but here's what I we've discussed so far >>
Six strings tuned B to C
Headless
33" Scale
Single cut body, not sure which shape yet though, a Harlot S, a Finn Single Cut, or maybe a Skelf depending on how the headless tuners fit with the body shape.
Lots of Wenge in the neck, for a bit of Warwick style growl.
Ramp to match the fingerboard or maybe in Wenge, hiding a single coil in the bridge and a FB pickup in mid-to-neck position.

Looking for something lightweight, extremely versatile and portable to use in and out of the studio and rehearsals.

Can't wait to get it started!

Cheers,
Eude
Click to expand...

The spec on that sounds fabulous and the versatility is inherently built in with Alan's pups and pre-amps, as you know. It's a shame, however, but I simply don't get along with headless instruments at all as I lose my inbuilt sense of where I am on the fretboard.

I did a little mini gig just this evening, merely a handful of songs with a new band, and after the show I was messing about with the guitarist's spare axe, a Steinberger Spirit cricket bat. Nice little thing, dinky as hell and for a budget instrument played and (in his hands) sounded really nice. I play a bit a guitar too, y'know, and I'm competant at getting around the fretboard but I was constantly flummoxed by the fact that my perception of where, say, the 7th fret should be was waaaaay out if I just tried to go to intuitively rather than constantly watching my hands.

They're just not for me - and it is a shame because I think headless basses, aesthetically, are the dogs danglers.

That Shuker of yours looks a bit tasty too, Eude.
 
#6
Scoopbass said:
The spec on that sounds fabulous and the versatility is inherently built in with Alan's pups and pre-amps, as you know. It's a shame, however, but I simply don't get along with headless instruments at all as I lose my inbuilt sense of where I am on the fretboard.

I did a little mini gig just this evening, merely a handful of songs with a new band, and after the show I was messing about with the guitarist's spare axe, a Steinberger Spirit cricket bat. Nice little thing, dinky as hell and for a budget instrument played and (in his hands) sounded really nice. I play a bit a guitar too, y'know, and I'm competant at getting around the fretboard but I was constantly flummoxed by the fact that my perception of where, say, the 7th fret should be was waaaaay out if I just tried to go to intuitively rather than constantly watching my hands.

They're just not for me - and it is a shame because I think headless basses, aesthetically, are the dogs danglers.

That Shuker of yours looks a bit tasty too, Eude.
Click to expand...

Hey Scoop,
the reason for going headless is to have something that's really compact and easy to carry about.
The problem I have at the moment is when I'm doing any studio time, I'll usually drive there as basses aren't the easiest on and off public transport, or on a push bike.
My Shuker is pretty compact, but it doesn't fit in the boot of my car, so it means I can't make any stops on the way to or after a session without lugging the bass around with me.

Simple solution, a headless bass!
It'll fit in my boot no bother and with the right gig bag I might be able to cycle to sessions too.
It might take some getting used to, and I might have to spend more time watching what I'm doing, but it's main role, at least at first is to be my recording/session bass so it shouldn't matter if I never look up ;)

Glad you like the look of up upcoming Shuker, should be in my filthy mitts in a few days, fingers crossed...

Cheers,
Eude
 
#10
eude said:
Nice spec mate!
Is it a 4 or a 5 string?
You're going to love the piezo bridge, I played Alan's Finn prototype with it installed and it sounded amazing!

Cheers,
Eude
Click to expand...

Its going to be a 5 string fretless, hence the piezo bridge.:hyper:
I'm not exactly a piezo fan, but I've got a feeling that a piezo through the acg pre might be something special, so i decided to give it a try!

Its going to be a very interesting pickup combination - humbucker at neck, single coil at bridge and piezos at saddles. :)
 
#20
I went up to Moffat this afternoon and had a bit of a mooch around, Alan's woodstore is now VERY impressive. I collected Lazarus and I specced up #3, a Finn with piezo and MM-style humbucker and chose the woods. It's redwood front and back on a spanish cedar core with a redwood board.

It's going to be stunning.
 

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