Here comes something you don’t get to see so often ..  Jimmy’s exhibition piece for NAMM 2008, the 1600 Limited Edition 

Background

Alleva Coppolo basses are possibly the most demanded instruments in the high end bass market, Jimmy Coppolo has got the right recipe to approach that vintage Fender sound plus a bit of his personalities.    1600 is his jazz bass plus exotic wood top.   And this is a show pieces build for NAMM 2008, features exhibition grade Koa top and DN fingerboard .

Specs

• Old growth alder body 
• Exhibition grade Koa top in high gloss finish
• Maple neck in oil finish
• Dalbegia Negra / Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard
• AC pickup in 60s placement
• AC preamp
• controls are: Vol / Vol / Tone / Hi boos / Lo boost , active/passive switch
• Hipshot tuners
• Hipshot bent plate bridge
• Gold hardwares with fancy knobs
• 7.5lbs

Playbility:

Top notch playability, straight neck, the neck plays like butter, NYC body size and all 5 strings are well balanced . 

Sound:

This is one of those OMG bass …. thunder like low even in passive, big round bottom , rich and deep mid , crisp and focus high.   This bass is unreal, not the most vintage Fender sounding bass, but it definitely has that authority owning the entire frequency spectrum.    The proprietary pickup and electric have their magic as usual that makes the bass capable for all occasion. 

Thoughts:

This is the biggest sounding Coppola bass I’ve played so far.   With specs that’s long discontinued.   There are other insanely big sounding LG5 out there, but this 1600 has its own position,  definitely a collector’s piece.   

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