Scoop

There's an ACG porn thread? Wither...?

[my memory is so appaling, I'm actually a little worried/amused that I might have done something daft like *started* the thread and then forgotten it exists]

It's great, Kev. I'm not much of a fretless player (and I already own two - an ACG Recurve and a Schecter) so I asked Alan to fret the Moth for me, change the nut and cut it to accommodate an E to C tuning. All the fivers I've owned in the past have been low Bs so the Moth is very different in lots of ways for me.

It's remarkably comfortable to play, either sitting or standing and Alan's understanding of ergonomics is absolutely spot on. There isn't a single square inch of wood on that bass that doesn't serve *some* well defined purpose and given the performance parameters that Alan set himself I don't see how the Moth could have ended up looking any differently whatsoever. Soundwise it can also hack it as the overwound singlecoil and the piezo give it two very extreme tonal ends with a lovely blended middle.

I'm very happy with it; can't wait to gig it in fact, but before I do I'm going to need to spend some more time figuring out what to do with a high C. It's a complete novelty to me after 37 years of playing and damn it confuses the bejeebus out of me sometimes. I'll get there...

I've been getting it in the ear from Eude, particularly, for a family portait of my ACGs.

Well Mrs Scoop went out with the kids so I released them all from their hidey-holes and quickly ran off a few snaps before she got home again.

Here you go...
[IMG]http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/6016/018mw.jpg[/IMG]
The Fivers L to R: Skelf SC; Moth; Recurve Classic; Graft Harlot.

[IMG]http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/4387/011due.jpg[/IMG]
The fours: Tefano; Finn; Recurve; Graft Finn; Recurve fretless and new J Type in foreground.

And now some random shots from slightly different elevations.

I am, though I'm sure I need not point this out to those with eyes, the world's crappest photographer.

[IMG]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4756/010cai.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img862.imageshack.us/img862/3943/015isl.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9496/013tfa.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/5663/014xog.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/2350/017ct.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/9301/016mm.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2928/012iaz.jpg[/IMG]

and finally a photograph of monkeyboy playing the graft 4 through the best speaker cabinet I've ever owned.

[IMG]http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/170/002vrc.jpg[/IMG]

He's 12. Check out the coolness of the Gomez Addams inspired top lip!

[quote name='haimesy' timestamp='1335897380' post='1637755']
Hi Mark...Just like to say good luck with the sale. Any buyer can rest assured that Mark is a top bloke...All the best to you...John
[/quote]

I'll second that. I'm an ACG nut (I have 9 of them) and I can vouch for two things.

1. Mark is a great bloke to deal with.
2. The bass is built to the most exacting of standards.

Lovely, just lovely. This will be SUCH a spectacular looking bass when its completed.

Holy moly that's a lovely bass. Very interested in how the four coil pup sounds and I love the way in which the body doesn't detract from, and highlights in fact, the absolutely stunning bookmatched fretboard. Enjoy it in good health!!!

[quote name='Dread Bass' timestamp='1321396981' post='1438781']
Cant stop looking at this. Probably my favourite of your ACGs Scoop.

Any chance of a ACG family picture with all of yours in? I would love to see that.
[/quote]

The problem I have is that I don't have a camera other than my phone. It IS something I've been asked for before so let's just say it's in the pipeline...

[quote name='geoffbassist' timestamp='1321300854' post='1437571']
Hey Scoop.
I had a quick play on this at bass day and it's great! You are a lucky man!
Enjoy.

....what's no. 9 gonna look like? :-)
[/quote]

It *might* just be a 4 & 8 twin neck but when I mentioned it in passing to Alan at Bassday, he blanched and suddenly found John East's kamikazi pre-amps absolutely fascinating thereby terminating that particular conversation.

We'll see...

Huh. No love for my ACG it seems. Humbly apologise for it not being a Jazz bass...

Well, as things turn out it's actually my EIGHTH ACG, not seventh as another one snuck in while this was being built...

And... it's finished.

And it's superb. I collected it from Alan at Bassday UK and was overwhelmed by how fabulous it looks. It's playability is superb and it balances perfectly. The pickups marry perfectly with the East U Retro and it sounds phenomenal.

[IMG]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6227/6321659081_9c6dbd6fa4_z.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6321659089_bf821bca55_z.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/6321659097_80408f87f5_z.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6222/6321659101_c35c2595b9_z.jpg[/IMG]

I'm running out of superlatives. There will be number NINE!!!

No Mike, I'll stick to black hardware - I'm no great lover of gold hardware. I have it on my schecter fretless and it was on the old Warmoth SG that I had and it always looks a little cheap and nasty to my eyes, not least when it's a year or two old.

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1315919614' post='1371821']
That's beautiful mate!
You must be getting pretty excited now...

Eude
[/quote]

Yeah, I have a series of depping gigs coming up over the next few months, all with the same band, so I'm hoping to give this an outing pretty much as soon as I get it.

I've already decided that I'll be using the graft harlot 5 and the beech recurve 4 for most of the gigs but I'm really looking foreward to the opportunity to give this a run out.

Alan's completed the carving on my Blackwood Recurve Single Cut 5.









Gorgeous, innit?

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='1363952' date='Sep 6 2011, 11:56 AM']Ahem...



Looking good, Scoop. Has Alan been employing austerity measures though? You've only got 2 bolts holding the neck on. [/quote]

Ooooh, good bunny find.

I think the two bolts were a tempir... tempirar... short term measure.

An update - and one which I'm very pleased with coz it indicates that there's really not that much longer to wait. I think the neck laminates work together well aesthetically and I'm very pleased with the way in which the flame maple fretboard contrasts so nicely with the Australian Blackwood top. All in all, it's shaping up to be another masterpiece from ACG.

There isn't an emoticon for a *happy bunny* so here's a pirate, somewhat pointlessly, instead.

[quote name='steve' post='1317197' date='Jul 26 2011, 03:32 PM']Tis a thing of beauty Scoop[/quote]

I know.

But how do you like the bass..?

[quote name='eude' post='1317162' date='Jul 26 2011, 03:08 PM']Consider it done!
Thank you for sharing Dave, another amazing ACG bass
Now seeing as you appear to be granting wishes, [b]any chance you can muster up my bass a little early?[/b]...

Eude[/quote]

Sadly, no influence on the hurrying up side of things though I am able to slow things down by ringing Alan pointlessly and at length.

That any use to you?

Put you out of your misery, Ewan...















Many thanks to Alan. Best luthier, IMHO, in the whole wide world.

It's finished and I've seen the photos and YOU haven't

Nya-nya-na-na-nahh!



To be fair to Alan, I'll not post them here until after I've paid him the outstanding balance which will be tomorrow (Tuesday).

Got to say, I wanted understated yet still beautiful and I think Alan's done it superbly. I really couldn't be happier with how it's looking. It's a really lovely bit of kit.

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='1278301' date='Jun 22 2011, 11:05 AM']Entirely in blue gum burl. [/quote]

[quote name='skelf' post='1278313' date='Jun 22 2011, 11:15 AM']That is not funny[/quote]

Fret not, Alan. It'll be spanish cedar with a non-blue gum top. I'll leave the epoxy tops and all the wenge to another Dave.

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='1278301' date='Jun 22 2011, 11:05 AM']Entirely in blue gum burl. [/quote]

Muhahahahahahaha!

How much would he love that?

Coo, can't wait to see this one come together.

Interesting project... Alan will be in his element. I forsee some of the [i]most[/i] inventive swearing ever, lots of coffee, the occasional bit of scrap wood being hurled at the wall, more coffee, much head scratching and forehead rubbing... did I mention coffee and swearing?... all part of the ACG magic! And at the end of it all you'll have an instrument that is simply phenomenal.

Just wait til I ask him to build me a 4 and 8 twin neck for my next one...

[quote name='eude' post='1270166' date='Jun 15 2011, 02:38 PM']Any SB based news messer Scoop?

Eude[/quote]

Yup. Fuller than I expected, not at all reedy or thin which I think many single coils can be, and not that different in truth to the ACG soapbars fitted to Lazarus and Scribble. Sat in the mix really nicely and cut through big time when I needed to assert myself and "dig in" for the odd passage. There was real authority in the tone then.

I don't usually go for either the big aggressive or the burpy/slappy sounds myself [I'm after an altogether smoother & , I guess, more traditional tone] so didn't try to get into that territory but I suspect that they'd "do" your sound very well coupled with an ACG preamp. Don't think you'd be disappointed.

[quote name='eude' post='1264114' date='Jun 10 2011, 04:38 PM']Also Scoop,
you got any feedback on the 2 SB pickups in your Tefano now you've had it for a while?
I looking for a big, aggressive, authoritative voice from this bass, reckon the SBs will fit the bill?...

Eude[/quote]

I'll reply to this elsewhere, Eude, and probably after tomorrow night as the Tefano will get it's first "proper" outing in a band situation at full whack. I suspect they're everything you're looking for but you can never really tell til you've heard them sit in a mix, I think.

Some more pictures. The bass has now gone in for finishing so it'll only be a matter of a few weeks before it's available to me hopefully.

[url="http://img233.imageshack.us/i/recfless01.jpg/"][/url]

[url="http://img838.imageshack.us/i/recfless02.jpg/"][/url]

[url="http://img684.imageshack.us/i/recfless03.jpg/"][/url]

[url="http://img546.imageshack.us/i/redfless04.jpg/"][/url]

It's fair to say I'm delighted.