SOLD 2008 Fodera Emperor Deluxe 5 Quilt Maple

F/S (no trades, please) is my pride and joy, a 2008 Emperor Deluxe 5-string:

Walnut body
Stunning curly-maple top
35" scale neck
Brazilian rosewood/"Kingwood" fret board[1]
3-piece maple neck
Custom wood pick up covers
18v Mike Pope preamp
Nordstrand dual-coil pickups
19mm string-spacing on bridge
10.75 lbs

Crazy-fast neck, feels sublime under the hand. "Piano-like" low B-string doesn't begin to cover it. Bass is in 'good' to 'very good' condition (I know how picky folks can get around boutique/high-dollar instruments like this). There is some play-wear, but nothing I could easily capture on-camera. Bass was Plek'd by Mike Lull in 2016, and is currently strung with black LaBella Tapewounds.

Bass is $10k+ new from Vinnie hisself, or you could get mine 2 years sooner and $2k cheaper.

Beat-to-hell Fodera teardrop hard case included. More pics available upon request.

No shipping outside of CONUS. Sorry Canadians/fans of fine instruments on the rest of the planet, blame the CITES people.

Price includes shipping (in the CONUS only). I accept payment through Paypal, Bitcoin/Ethereum, or US Postal Money Order.

[1]: The Fodera build-sheet says "Kingwood". Various sites around the 'net classify Kingwood as a Dalbergia species from Brazil, which mean it is regulated under CITES (and therefor I won't be shipping this bass outside of the CONUS). In my book, this is a purely academic distinction. In yours, perhaps not. The bass is what it is, and it's for sale. You buyin'?

Kingwood
Kingwood | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

 

Thanks for that. I do believe it IS Kingwood, but as Kingwood is a Dalbergia species originating from Brazil, that makes it a Rosewood and therefor regulated under CITES. See:

Kingwood
Kingwood | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

HTH!

 

I'll amend the listing to be more clear, but the Wood Database says that Kingwood "is a true Rosewood" and the handful of woodworkers I've asked about the matter have said that it is not misleading to call it a Brazilian Rosewood.

 

I swear, everyone on the Internet turns into some combination of a botanist, arborist, lawyer, and customs official on this topic. Reverb.com in particular Y'all are welcome to call it whatever you want. I've modified the ad with the build-sheet information so people can make a fully-informed purchasing decision, but I personally am still going to call "a rosewood that originates from Brazil" a "Brazilian Rosewood", _especially_ since there is very little functional difference (per wood-nerd sites on the Internet and Fodera themselves). "If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...", etc.

I am still not shipping the bass outside the CONUS. While we may be having a wonderful time armchair-quarterbacking what is and is not a "real" rosewood, I'm not trusting an $8k instrument to the whims of whatever customs-official it encounters between here and East Jabip. If they're a wood enthusiast with all the time in the world to argue on the Internet, they may be in the mood to educate themselves on the minute differences between Dalbergians and be swayed by the passionate intersection of ego, art, opinion, and commerce that is the CITES regulation. If they're not, they may just say "Rosewood? From Brazil? Mine now." I don't need that kind of stress in my life, and I'm confident the future buyer doesn't either.

Trainspotters, you've won. The build-sheet wood is in the ad. Please refrain from commenting further. If you absolutely must win additional Internet-arguing points, feel free to DM me so we're not cluttering up my FS ad.

 

I figure it's going to take at least a few years for all the various agencies involved to get trained up to the new standard. I am still not shipping THIS instrument internationally because of that, although I do appreciate folks' updates on the current state of the regulations.