ACG Basses - The Krell model

David Sutkin

David Sutkin

“Bass Upfront” Founder
Commercial User
Apr 20, 2017
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Brooklyn, NY
#1
Hey all, I could really use some advice from the TB community

I have the opportunity to trade one of my basses for an ACG Bass, the "Krell" model.

This bass looks beautiful and is supposedly built extremely well .... The thing is I don't know too much about the make / company or the model.

This one I'd be buying has already been built and is used but super clean.

Does ANYONE here have any experience playing this brand or better yet, this model?

I'm intrigued by this bass and I'd love to get some feedback from the TB family if possible.

I can't even find what the street price for this bass would be ... if anyone knows, that would help too.

Thanks!

The pic attached IS the bass in question.
Screen Shot 2017-10-08 at 5.47.44 PM.png
 
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#2
Hi
Could you send me the links showing Tbers waiting for years on my basses please. The build time is approx 10 to 12 months very occasinally it has been more and in those cases the customer has always been informed of the delay and the reason for it, but it has never been years.

Beyond that feel free to ask any questions. I have been in business as ACG for over 12 years now and this is the first time I have heard mention of the waiting years issue.


Link to the build thread in the Builders Showcase which ran from 2009.

ACG Build Progress

Cheers
Alan.
 
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#3
You're correct, sorry Alan, I had mis-read previous posts where some of your custom builds took close to a year and not "years" ..... my apologies.

I would love to get some feedback on this bass if possible, build quality, playability, tonality, what other basses is may sound similar to?

Thanks
 
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#10
BK bassist said:
Hey all, I could really use some advice from the TB community

I have the opportunity to trade one of my basses for an ACG Bass, the "Krell" model.

This bass looks beautiful and is supposedly built extremely well .... The thing is I don't know too much about the make / company or the model.

This one I'd be buying has already been built and is used but super clean.

Does ANYONE here have any experience playing this brand or better yet, this model?

I'm intrigued by this bass and I'd love to get some feedback from the TB family if possible.

I can't even find what the street price for this bass would be ... if anyone knows, that would help too.

Thanks!

The pic attached IS the bass in question.View attachment 2777520
Click to expand...
That's a nice looking bass. All I can say...
 
#11
I owned the first Harlot S Type back in 2010, having bought it from the first owner, Greeneking of Basschat fame. He had ordered the bass as a 'dream spec' job, then after receiving it decided he wanted to sell it fund another ACG! He was, I believe, refining his preferences. He clearly had a lot of love for the bass.

Foolishly, I traded it away to Romania. It came back to the UK a few months later and I lost track of it. I've dreamed of having another ACG since and I will one day own another.

I had no prior experience of ACG before buying but I was knocked out by my bass. Having owned a glut of high end kit before and since, the ACG was absolutely superb and stacked up with the best of them. World class woodwork, playability, sound and looks.

Things I loved included the wood choices. It would be a spectacularly expensive instrument today. An amazing amboyna burl top. Flamed sycamore back. Accents and rear of headstock in Macassar ebony. Ebony fretboard, and I think the neck was flamed maple with Macassar ebony stringers. The neck is an asymmetrical design that felt glorious in the hand. It's an idiosyncratic feeling neck; effortless to play and absolutely flat across the fretboard. Not Jazz bass thin but not P bass thick.

The electronics were a unique, proprietary package. Now, I prefer passive basses but at the time, active filter preamps were my thing and this one really impresses. The stacked knobs made it easy to learn the layout of the controls (as the player can fine tune the filter parameters on each pickup). I had a document from Peter, the original owner, that explained how the preamp worked and armed with that information, I quickly figured out how to make the noises I loved. The bass had a really rich, complex tone with a huge amount of tonal detail in every part of the spectrum. It was a delight to dial in a really burpy, middy tone. It reminded me in many ways of a Wal, but with a lot more flexibility. Suffice to say, a huge amount of work clearly went into getting the preamp and pickup voicing just so. It was time well spent. At the time, I was obsessed with 'Hold Your Fire' and 'Power Windows' by Rush and this bass just nailed the tone from those albums for me. Massive low mid punch with upper mid clarity; appealingly HiFi without being harsh.

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#14
I've had Alan build 2 basses for me. And I'm probably going to have him build me another. They are phenomenal in all regards. My other instruments are F Basses. Alan's are equal in quality and playability, and have a distinct edge when it comes to innovation.

That said, what are you wanting from this bass? What other basses do you like the sound of? What are the specific pups and pre-amp in this iteration. The Krell can be different things depending on those variables.
 

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#15
While I have never had the pleasure of playing one of Alan's basses, I did purchase one of his preamps directly from him and had it installed in my 1978 Gibson RD Artist Bass. The install was handled by Atlanta Bass Gallery and makes tones from Roland 808 to sizzle. An Alembic Killer and a badass bass, largely in part to the ACG filter pre.
 
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#16
Hi, I've had several ACG basses and have played nothing else since I got my first one made for me many moons ago. I can't imagine a situation where I would play anything else.
I've been lucky enough to be able to play countless high end basses and ACGs are up there with the best of the best.
As mentioned by others above the build quality, attention to detail and considered innovation really set them apart too.

As far as the bass in question goes, it's a Krell DC. The design is fantastic, as although it may not look like it, its a very ergonomic design which balances perfectly on the lap, as the lower horn wraps over your leg. On a strap things are equally good too!

I'm not sure what electronics are in there, it's likely a DFM filter preamp, which is astounding, or a John East Uni-pre, probably the best regular preamp available at the moment.

If I were you I'd jump at the bass. Hand made instruments don't really get any better.

If you've got any specific questions please feel free to PM me if you want, or just ask them here, I'd be delighted to help, and spread some ACG love.

Cheers,
Eude
 
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#18
BK bassist said:
Hey all, I could really use some advice from the TB community

I have the opportunity to trade one of my basses for an ACG Bass, the "Krell" model.

This bass looks beautiful and is supposedly built extremely well .... The thing is I don't know too much about the make / company or the model.

This one I'd be buying has already been built and is used but super clean.

Does ANYONE here have any experience playing this brand or better yet, this model?

I'm intrigued by this bass and I'd love to get some feedback from the TB family if possible.

I can't even find what the street price for this bass would be ... if anyone knows, that would help too.

Thanks!

The pic attached IS the bass in question.View attachment 2777520
Click to expand...
Never played it, but it looks gorgeous!
 
#19
Here is the thread for my ACG- My ACG Recurve SC Stype - I did unfortunately have an issue with the preamp that, after shipping costs, Alan fixed for me for free. The preamp and the DFM pickups are extremely versatile and can achieve many great sounds. I'm extremely happy with the tones I am getting from this bass. The craftsmanship is phenomenal as well.

Do you know what electronics package the Krell has? @Skelf is there a build thread on your site for this bass?
 
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#20
Threadjack -- I'm currently reading a book called "Van Halen Rising" about the band's early days. Apparently, "Krell" was the band's code word for cocaine... As in, "Hey Alex, I think you need to get Krellman on the phone." It took the studio staff a while to figure out what was going on.

But I digress.
 
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