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Wrong thread mate ... you're supposed to be over in Bass Guitars on the Alleva Coppolo topic.

Also posted this on Talkbass but want to here on Basschat as this is where I bought the bass back in January (from @electriccheese in Spain https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/348045-1966-fender-jazz-bass-sold/?tab=comments#comment-3824185 ) - a 'hippy refin' with the body stripped to natural (fortunately not sanded or reshaped in the process). The headstock had also been refinished but the back of the neck and heel still had the original finish (some light nitro overspray) and all parts are original down to the covers, tug bar and case. Will note that it has a nice thin C profile, very low action after a prior 'ski jump' repair and comes in at 8.5 lbs. I had it sent directly to Bravewood and had him restore - going for Fiesta Red faded to coral pink (or akin to some of the mythological 'Selmer refins' some of which tended to the flamingo pink shade) - though it turned out pretty much dead on to the hyper-rare Fender Tahitian Coral - over sunburst. I had an original '65 white guard which I sent as well (John fixed the broken tips). John did an amazing job removing some of the overspray and blending in the new finish on the back of the headstock with the old finish on the back of the neck. Really difficult to see any transition. Just showed up here a few days ago. Super pleased with John's work and the bass itself. Set up and playability is crazy good. With gratitude to Basschat!

The main flaws on my basses are the notes I play.

Today's gig 😁

And to one of the mildly terrifying bits. Is that really the body, clamped in the modified jaws of a workmate, suspended over a towel over a concrete floor and a router pushing down on it????? Yes it is And I'm smiling mainly because it didn't fall out. Or crush. Or bruise. But there are few other ways you can accurately cut the mortice... And I've got to do it again soon, the other way up. Because there are few other ways you can accurately cut the tailstock plate slot... The workmate is a home-made version of a jig that is featured on the excellent ObrienGuitars 'Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag' series for cutting mortices, and neck angles and tenons. The template is a G&W one. The result: But, Andy. I thought you hated routers? I do. But there are times when it's pretty much the only way to do a task. And did it go faultlessly? Of course not. The mortice is longer than I intended because the template slipped as I was routing. It doesn't matter, but it confirms I hate f*****g routers!! The same rig is used to cut the neck angle and the tenon. For this, the neck is clamped to a board, located by a couple of pegs that fit in the trussrod slot, and hinged so I can rout different angles onto the heel: And what angle? Well - a straight edge on top of the fretboard should ideally just sit on top of the bridge - and then the action height is set by the saddle that will sit proud of the bridge. And that's why I had to make the bridge first. My straight edge is the offcut from the fretboard: And the gap at the top of the heel in the photo below shows the angle the neck has to sit at for the straight edge to lie in the right place: So I tilt the hinged plate to that angle and route that into the heel end. And this time when I check, there's no gap at the top of the heel: It will be actually finished by hand once the bridge is fitted, but this will get me at least into the right ball-park So - ignoring the fretboard taper that hasn't been done yet, and the neck thickness that hasn't been done yet - it continues to progress:

My oldest boy is in the process of transcribing some 'Heart' Tunes for a project. He said to me "Blimey. dad - She's a terrific Rock singer..!!". I can't argue with him, yes she is...

Yes, ultimately Pete didn’t trust them not to keep on diluting them... a Wal with Duncan Designeds, generic preamp and a Schaller bridge would be a fine bass but not a Wal. Paul’s simply not interested and is hugely protective of the brand and hand building to his own high standards.

This. I get that these basses are very special, but, as an ex owner of Wal mk2 and mk3 5 strings (bought second hand), when it comes to the gig they are just another bass. They have to feel right and sound right. They are a lot of money and a very long wait only to find out you really wanted something else. I'd buy a second hand Wal to work out what playing one on a regular basis is like. After 6 months you might change your mind about some important bits. Then look at your need to drop a small fortune on a new one.

I think I’ll pursue a used one - an 84 would be YOB - at least then the hit will be minimal if my memory betrays me and I’m not as in love as an owner as I was as a temporary custodian.

Frets are in and ready to fill the slot ends and dress the frets. I'm also going to get the electric bits sorted - they shouldn't be too bad as there is no preamp on this build. I've tried the LEDs and will connect them to a switch for off/dim/bright positions - I'm pleased with how white LEDs look on this. So this is where I'm at currently. Both of these basses came from the same relatively small slab of beech - there wasn't much waste from this slab at all which is quite pleasing. If I had made a bass with a normal shape/size I would have only got one bass from it. I'm on the look out for another slab of spalted beech for future projects.....

[Mod's Hat On] It rather looks as if this topic is about to tumble into pointless and point-scoring sarcasms; my feeling is that it would be best locked, starting with a week or so. If it's re-opened (it's not BC policy to lock topics, generally...) it'll be watched, and further dumb posting will bring about the inevitable permanent lock. Please get back to whatever purposeful occupation you were involved in; there'll be an interlude here. [/Mod's Hat On]

This is very sage advice @chris_b. Any Wal will sound like a Wal with the wood choices changing the aesthetics and giving subtle modifications to the tone. But at heart... it’s still a Wal - the important elements are there. So, if you want a Wal then buying second hand is a very good choice. I love my Wals but I’d find it hard to justify paying the new price - although I appreciate the economics of what Paul is doing with just him and an assistant (only him during lockdown), hand crafting almost every element and outsourcing only a few elements (mostly to his own bespoke specs) and giving the wood elements longer to rest/settle/season than most between operations. His order book is very healthy and so I would reckon build times and prices are only going in one direction. So if what you want is a Wal then second hand is a really good option. If you MUST have a Wal with THAT wood, THAT custom neck profile, THAT colour tuners, THAT finish etc etc then you are self selecting commissioning a new bass at full price with a 30+ month lead time. It’s a choice. Keep an eye out here for them coming up for sale, similarly on Talkbass and if you’re on Facebook I moderate the Wal fan group on there. A lot of basses get offered there before BC, TB, Reverb or eBay. PS yes, the neck profile is a bit unusual and certainly not like a P or J but I find it really, really comfortable and easy to play both thumb around and thumb behind (even with my wee, stubby fingers).

That’s good to know 👍

Gianni, you have made your point eloquently ( really eloquently if english isn't your first language ) but those who have responded have made their's too and they are entitled to. The car analogy doesn't, in the end, work that well, because there are so many other variables come into play....the skill of the user, the rules of the.road...the bloody weather... You can go really fast in a ford focus if you want. Some people find themselves in the position of being able to afford Ferraris...or high-end basses....and they buy them and use them and are happy or not. Other people use ford focus cars or Squiers basses and are happy and content too. And it isn't even a question of empyrical values either...not materials, not how well the things are made....not what they will be "worth" later.....it's all those things and many more besides, and in the end it's a judgement call for the individual which, in the end, is worth it if they think it is. On another thread, Andy Travis talked about his Sadowsky and his Yamaha 414....he pointed out that the Sadowsky is better than the Yamaha but not ten times better, which given the cost differential one might argue that it should be...and yet he seems to like both and hasn't got too hung up about it. That's how it is....we find value in things according to our own, unique criteria.

“Welcome to the hotel A Coppolo...”

Pure Blues arrived today and I fitted them to my VS4 this evening. Really liking them so far, great tension and sound "played in" straight after fitting them.

IME the main difference in sound isn’t the style or type of pickup but more where the pickup is located. I mean everything comes into play but that’s what makes it difficult to generalise and why we must all own lots of basses 🤔

I've only just found out that Cardiacs frontman Tim Smith has died after a long illness. He was the guiding light behind the band and a ridiculously talented and creative individual. For those of you who have no great knowledge about Cardiacs and about just how many other mainstream bands were heavily influenced by them, then maybe spare just a few minutes to watch this intelligent and carefully crafted video from Tantacrul, who also explains some of the musical theory behind their tunes.

That's it though, I can't blot out conversation, but music just washes through me and more importantly, covers up conversation, which is why I need it at work as one of my coworkers makes it his life's ambition to make noise, he talks to himself and constantly eats, with all eating noises external. I can't actually deal with that at all

I think that is the difference I have with my wife. If there is music she can't concentrate on anything else. I cant concentrate on what I am doing unless there is music, I use music at work to blot out the people so I can get stuff done.

Most of the music I listen to comes from the radio. I have Radio 3 on during the day as it's the radio station that has the least talking. I can't abide DJs talking all the time. In some ways I think R3 plays the widest range of music of any station I've come across. When I need a change (or when they lay the opera on too thick), I'll change over to whatever my foreign language station du jour is. Currently it's DubaiNow, it used to be a French language station. I'm no polyglot, but the chatter us easier to ignore if you can't understand it. As for recorded music, I go through patches when I'll put albums on (almost never individual songs - I listen to the whole album, not bits of them), or decide to buy some music to check out something new, but it's usually bought 2nd hand. I don't use Spotify or any streaming service like that. One thing worth sharing - I find it very hard to concentrate on anything else when I actually listen to music (or hear conversation) , I certainly can't read, so it sort of limits when I can enjoy it. I used to listen to a lot more music when I was younger, but not as much now. So it goes.

carefully file down the headstock and put a new Squier waterslide on it. Then it will be just as good but noone will nick it Or trade it in for an Alleva Coppolo - I hear they are quite good!

Only you can make that call

Sell it and buy something custom, and built with some passion

Ah, but there's a rarely invoked BC directive that at least one contentious yet ultimately pointless thread about bass guitars must be live at any one point in time. It must also be lead by a sufficiently persistent (i.e., 24/7) OP to ensure that eventually the vast majority of members, irrespective of their current professional, family or musical priorities - and even their current sanity - are either drawn in and post in the thread itself, or at least read and reread the thread in question, often in complete disbelief, in an attempt to understand why it is constantly at the top of the 'new content' list. You'll notice than when the thread is closed, as it always is, the OP often disappears, only to resurface under a new username a few months later to debate another pointless issue; in this content there's a rolling cast list of six such protagonists as far as I'm aware, just to keep the threads going, they need recovery between each as the result of the sheer effort required to antagonise so many members. Gianni has however made the critical error of returning to the scene of his earlier crime, he will disappear for good this time

Some 80s pop Squeeze - Tempted | Bass Transcription | John Bentley

PPS buy second hand and then subsequently sell and you’ll probably make money, not lose it the way prices are going, even second hand.

I made enquiries at JayDee a while back, and they were quoting 16 months build time, with the explanation that there's only a handful of people working there, the waiting list for other instruments, as well as the workload for setup's / repairs etc. JayDee are not Wal, obviously, but assuming that Wal are providing a similar service with setup's and repairs, and that there's only a handful of people (if that) working there, it does go to explain the lead time.

Updates! Glue up of the scarf joint was all ok so I planed up the top face and checked everything for square. I've marked out a centre line for the truss and then popped some tape on to make sure I can easily locate it when routing. I've ordered a new longer truss rod for this build, the 600mm one I had was a bit too short so I'm swapping that out for a 630mm so that'll be arriving in a couple of days. I cut the Wenge fingerboard timber down to thickness ready for slotting the frets, I had some left over Ovangkol from the neck so my plan here is to prep the finger board and then whittle off 5mm either side and then bind the two edges with the Ovangkol to hide the edges of the frets. Think it will look lovely when it's all cut to size... does make me think I might have to make the nut from Ovangkol too though... we'll see. The block from the end of the fingerboard will be used in some way to make the bridge, I'm going to be designing that in CAD at somepoint today while the missus is getting her hair cut.I want to use the end of the fingerboard block so the grain is consistent from the end of the neck to the start of the bridge. I have this piece to maybe fashion some saddles, No idea if these will work, I do have some adjustable saddles from a 3D bridge to use if this idea fails and I'll just sit those saddles in to the wenge. Next: Fingerboard prepping, fret slots need cutting, board needs cutting to size, binding glued, and then design the bridge... Enjoy your Sunday!

The Mk 3 five string I played at the SE Bass Bash a few years ago was the finest bass I've played and it's been top of my GAS list since. This was the one in fact At those prices I doubt I'll own one though, certainly not a new one.

I'll take your word for that (I haven't wasted my time trying to follow the bickering). These "xyz basses aren't worth the price tag" posts are pretty pointless. Mostly they are framed as questions when in reality they are just making statements about personal preferences. Why is the AC headstock any more ugly than any other bass? Is it? Doesn't bother me, it's just a shape. Fender headstocks aren't pretty, either. No one else can use Fender's, so pick a shape. As a Sadowsky and Mike Lull owner I can tell anyone, who hears with their eyes, that while these basses resemble Fenders they are not copies at all. They are made to a much higher spec than the originals they are based on, which adds an extra dimension to the way they play and the way they sound. Their success is what prompted Fender to cash in by setting up the Custom Shop, a move that actually copies manufacturers like Sadowsky, AC and many others. Arguing over how much anything costs is a waste of time. Why is a Ferrari more expensive than a Ford Focus when they do exactly the same job? The answer is, of course, they don't do the same job! Same with basses.

I played one a couple of years back (late 80s model iirc) and loved it. The tone was to die for. Has to be a Mk1, I'm not a fan of the MK2 or MK3 shapes.

It is a huge sum of money. Knowing our luck, we'll place an order and Wal will introduce an import line for half the price.

£6000+ is a no go. Just checked in - she says £5000 is the limit. And quite right too. I want one - but not £6000. I’m not a bad player, but my sadowsky at £2500 is better than I deserve.

Count me in, and a mate who’s converted from the dark side (a former rhythm guitarist, but he’s said sorry and is now definitely a bassist).

My most expensive bass, an NS-Design CR5M upright was flawless when I bought it and is still perfect 14 years on. My second most expensive bass, a Fender JMJ mustang cost nearly a grand and there are chips & scrapes all over the body. It was bought brand new, but to a casual observer it looks like it could be over 40 years old - it almost looks like the damage was done deliberately 😠

Not until the next time anyway 😉

Neither was Prince!

RIP. Amazing musician.