Fodera Club Part XIV

[Hou]

Originally Posted by -Timothy-

In!

Amazing again. The little brother is comin'

[Lennard III.]

To me the soundclips do proof again that Fodera's neckthrough's do have a lot of attack and punch compared to many other brands - this is sth. that I've heard since I came across this company around 15 years ago..... and my Elite for example (Walnut, Makassar top, Ebony board) is also able to sound like a nice JB in Singlecoil mode ...

.... but as I became a true Bolt-On lover the last three years - especially in live situations I feel that the tight and focused tone of a Bolt-On delivers me the sound that I need for most of the bands that I'm playing with now I'm very glad that I've chosen the Bolt-On for my new Viceroy shaped 5 (Ash body, Singlecoils, Holly top, Pao Ferro board) that will go in production in october

Don't know why but my favorites had been the Bolt-On and second the neckthrough - somehow the set-neck clips didn't touch me like the others ...it's just a feeling.... hard to tell in words

[carlis]

Originally Posted by Just Thumpin'

Now, one point...as those of you that have listened can tell, the differences are definitely there but they are subtle. How can words possible do the differences justice? Yet our ears and brains have no problem with "subtly different." It is spoken language that gets in the way...

Jason

Have you guessed which was which correctly? I remember you put your answers in an envelope or something...

[Just Thumpin']

Yes, we listened to the sound clips "blind." Personally I found the open strings to be the real giveaway -- the place where I could best tell which instrument was which. I picked each instrument out correctly on the open strings.

Overall on the 15 sound clips I selected 13 of the 15 clips correctly. Sadly the two that I got wrong I had correct going into the final time listening and at the last minute I reversed them...oh well!

That said, and in all honesty, on everything other than the open strings I found it very difficult!

Originally Posted by carlis

Have you guessed which was which correctly? I remember you put your answers in an envelope or something...

[thehess]

Originally Posted by roadkill2309

Ah, all becomes clear. I'd been wondering about those. I'd forgotten about just how recent the Standards are. Your bass is pretty as hell. How's the neck on those?

The neck is perfect on all counts. I don't even have the action set that low, and I can really be articulate with my fingering. I can't say enough about how much I enjoy playing this bass. My others have roles for now, so additional Foderas are not planned for the near term. If I get more playing opportunities, Brooklyn is the place I'm headed...

On a related quality note, this bass had hung in the shop for several months. When I took it home, the only string that needed any intonation adjustment was the low B.

[Johannes Oehl]

Originally Posted by portraitoftracy

Back in the club for my gazzilionth time, with the nicest one yet. This one is special.

Very tasty

[Mik Walker]

In..

[nostatic]

And she landed. Crazy fun to play.

[Rich Treat]

Originally Posted by Mik Walker

In..

Wow! Any more photos of this one?

[Hou]

Originally Posted by Mik Walker

In..

Wow!

[Hou]

Originally Posted by nostatic

And she landed. Crazy fun to play.

Wow again

[fivestringdan]

Mik, you are always a tease!

Originally Posted by Mik Walker

In..

[steubig]

Originally Posted by nostatic

And she landed. Crazy fun to play.

funny. i was just thinking of you getting this and wanted to know how it was going.

you like it? gonna bust it out tonight?

[nostatic]

I don't think I'll take it tonight. Not really any spots to highlight the C in the book and sometimes it can be a bit of a tussle holding things together on some tunes. I can feel a difference between 33" and 34" and combining that with sight reading could lead to a few clams.

Tomorrow and Mon definitely though. This thing is *really* fun to play. I could see wanting a 33" scale 4-string (like Tony Grey's last one). I've already done a few passes at some of the tunes I used to do on acoustic guitar and it could work. I'm also finding the C to be really handy giving me a few extra notes in the same position. No problem damping the C when I'm not playing it (and I figured that wouldn't be an issue). Since I do floating thumb I do have to think about damping the E string when I'm on the G and C, but that string doesn't seem to ring out as obviously as a low B.

[steubig]

okay, i was bored and some of you guys wanted to see the fronts of my basses. so here are five of 'em. don't look if you can't bear to see basses that have been modified!!!

all of these started out as the reverse p configuration that was the second generation of the jackson contrabassguitar (or copies of the second generation--guess i'm sort of the 54 p-bass of fodera guy)

stickers noted in parentheses in case you want to figure out the backs/fronts :-)

from left:

1985 rosewood fb, zebra over walnut, fretted (anarchy sticker)

2000 rosewood fb, zebra over walnut, fretless (peace sticker)

2003 maple fb, zebra over mahongany, 12-string fretted (nosferatu sticker)

1985 maple fb, zebra over walnut, fretted [this bass started out as a fretless ziricote neck, ended up being a fretted maple care of rick turner's shop] (skull sticker)

2009 maple fb, zebra over walnut, fretless (mayan calendar sticker)

[steubig]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I don't think I'll take it tonight. Not really any spots to highlight the C in the book and sometimes it can be a bit of a tussle holding things together on some tunes. I can feel a difference between 33" and 34" and combining that with sight reading could lead to a few clams.

Tomorrow and Mon definitely though. This thing is *really* fun to play. I could see wanting a 33" scale 4-string (like Tony Grey's last one). I've already done a few passes at some of the tunes I used to do on acoustic guitar and it could work. I'm also finding the C to be really handy giving me a few extra notes in the same position. No problem damping the C when I'm not playing it (and I figured that wouldn't be an issue). Since I do floating thumb I do have to think about damping the E string when I'm on the G and C, but that string doesn't seem to ring out as obviously as a low B.

cool. the low strings are always the ones that ring, partially due to sympathetic vibration, partially because your hand is almost always contacting the strings at the bottom of the neck.

glad you dig it.

[nostatic]

did you mention the 14 year old Thomastik flats?

[steubig]

Originally Posted by nostatic

did you mention the 14 year old Thomastik flats?

no, and i figure i should.

as todd so graciously pointed out, i have really old t-i flats on the two maple fb basses on the right. in fact, jason et al. were cracking up because i sent them a used set of strings to put on the bass when it was being finished. (yeah, i'm eccentric.) sound effing awesome, tho', imho.

also, the pickups are a 6-coil thing that mike cooper who used to work at the nordstrand shop and i came up.

first two lines are four p coils that can be in five configurations: front two p coils, second two p coils, split p, reverse split p, all four p coils (vaguely musicmanish).

all chosen by a 5-position switch where the chicken head knob is

third line is j coils.

small toggle switch gives me only the p coils, only the j coils or access to combination of the p coils and the j coils. i think there's something like 11 variations in there.

the original haz labs preamps are all in boxes along with the original pickups.

seems kinda ocd, i guess.

[steubig]

more boredom . . .

three more. this is the 63 jazz bass version of the fodera madness . . .

from left:

1989 ebony fb, ebony over walnut, tuned low A to high Bb, fretted, waxed (to deaden) flats (sun/moon sticker)

1995 ebony fb, maple over mahogany, tuned low D to high Eb, fretted (starburst sticker)

1988 ebony fb, maple over mahogany, tuned low D to high Eb, fretless (black hand sticker)

4-coil pickups from me and mike again.

front of each pickup is p coils, back is j coils.

3-position switch under chicken head knob gives three positions: p coils, j coils, p+j coils

toggle switch gives front pickup, rear pickup, front and rear pickups.

original haz labs preamps in the same boxes.

[nostatic]

bah, this thing is too much fun. I'm taking the MGS as backup tonight. We'll see if I have the cajones to pull it out on a tune or two.