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NBD - ACG RetroB J5


Simon.
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For some time now I've been keen on the fabulous basses being made by Alan at ACG. The idea of having a bass which was made in your home town was rather appealing, especially when your home town is a tiny wee place like Moffat. The fact that they look amazing and had consistently great reviews also helps. I wouldn't quite have called it GAS, but I was certainly an interested observer.


A few years back I had big plans for a 40th birthday commission, but having tried a couple at a Bass Bash, I discovered I really couldn't get to grips with the asymmetric neck carve and flat board. Coupled with the fact that I wasn't playing in a band anymore, and I couldn't honestly justify the outlay. So, back to a watching brief...


Until, that is, Alan advertised a couple of stock basses he had, on here recently. Oh dear. A couple of hypothetical "What if..." conversations with the Management; a quick calculation of the finances; and a trip to Moffat under the pretence of visiting my folks so I could try it out... As mentioned in the Gear Abstinence thread, I was kidding no one, least of all myself and was doomed. But in a good way! 😉


I am now the proud owner of an ACG RetroB, J5!
- Maple body with an acrylic impregnated spalted maple top, and a Black Walnut accent layer. The spalted maple is just amazing.
- 3 piece Wenge/Maple with Wenge headstock and a spalted maple overlay. Fingerboard is the same acrylic impregnated spalted maple as the body and it runs together beautifully. 20" radius board and although it has the asymmetric neck carve, it's a lot subtler than the normal ACG profile.
- John East Uni pre-amp, which has such a bewildering array of tones, it'll take me a while to get to grips with.

 

IMG_3661.thumb.jpg.88590a35cce0825fe80c64f5c3cfc430.jpg

 

Linky thing to ACG website

 

If anyone has any helpful tips or resources for transitioning from 4 to 5 strings, especially when you haven't played at all for a long while, it would be muh appreciated!

 

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It’s a beauty. East pre is killer, what pups does it have?

Transitioning to 5 mainly about muting, comes easier to some than others - can be tougher the longer you’ve been on 4, and how fast / technically demanding the stuff you play is. 

Some good SBL stuff on it, this is basic but worth a look. 

 

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Thanks for the responses, folks!

 

The bass is indeed a beauty and despite being an 'off the shelf' purchase, it's pretty much exactly what I would have gone for, had I actually commissioned a custom build anyway. There probably would been some block inlays, but other than that...

 

There's a smidge of guilt over the cost and that fact that I've barely played in the last 4-ish years, but getting to own and play such an amazing bass has definitely given me fresh impetus to get back into the groove. Going to make a point of learning with a bit of theory this time round, rather than just bashing out songs - the Major's bootcamp course is looking like a good port of call.

 

Thanks for the video Drax - basic is where i need to be right now!

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On 15/04/2019 at 15:47, BassApprentice said:

What a stunner! You've done well there!

Regarding 4 to 5 transition it can come very quickly - try and get in the habit of playing around the 5th fret rather than using open strings.
 

This (both bits)!

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