0128 Finn SC Classic 5

Spec Level: Custom

My ACG review by M C Ruiz

0118 Finn Classic 5 by AC Guitars (Alan Cringean)
Flame Bubinga top with Black Limba core with Satin finish.
5 piece Wenge/Bubinga neck with Acrylic Impregnated Birdseye Maple board with side inlay fret markers and 35′ scale length.
Hiscox case, Hipshot bridge, Gotoh tuners, Dunlop strap locks, Neutrik locking socket, ACG FB humbuckers and the ACG EQ03 5K pre-amp.

First impression out of the case was impressive!
On picking it up I noticed that it is not the lightest instrument that I have played but certainly not an unreasonable weight at all. Too light gives me the impression of wimpiness!
When strapped on, the excellent balance made any further comment on weight, negligible!

Looks:
Beautiful to look at. The joints are solid and tight with no visible glue marks.
The Black Limba body was suggested by Alan and I wasn’t disappointed in look and sound. The finish is enough to protect the lovely Bubinga top without hiding any of the beauty plus keeping the organic feel of the instrument.
The fingerboard is just exquisite. The contrast of the lighter Birdseye maple to the darker body works for me. The 5 piece neck looks and feel great to the touch plus the side inlays are useful while still adding a custom touch.
A nice touch was matching the back of the body to the back of the headstock and matching the front with the front of the headstock! Consistency rules….
Black hardware completes the look and keeps with the ‘pro custom’ image.
The electronics cavity is well screened and neat with little excess wiring.

Playability:
I requested a wider string spacing (20mm) and due to the great carving of the neck its easy to move around without any noticeable strain.
The single cut adds stability to the neck and I can get to all 24 frets on all strings!
The carving along the top ‘horn’ is perfect. With proper technique of ‘thumb behind the neck’ there are a lot of notes available to play. Guitar players look out!!
As mentioned before the balance is wonderful with about a 45 degree angle on a strap. I love the strap pin placements.

Sound:
This new pre-amp is very different to ones I’ve used previously but I spent some time getting to grips with great results. I followed Alan’s suggestion of finding a good sound per pickup and then using the blend to fine-tune. There is a lot going on here so get a cuppa & mute the phone.
My usual preference is a bolt-on neck bass for slap but with a combination of the chosen woods and this pre-amp I’m getting into ‘Marcus Miller’ land!
The neck-thru sustain is also there with the notes following my left hand nuances/bends etc…
The ‘B’ string rings nice and true (35′ scale helps this), with nice depth/growl/sustain.
I suspect this would make a great fretless too (with a more traditional fingerboard).

Overall I’m pleased with this world class instrument and would encourage fellow bassists to support this fine British luthier.

I would like to thank Michael for taking the time to write the review and put the sound clip together it is very much appreciated.