Does fodera make any instruments that are not over 7000$ ?. like if I went to order a custom bass and ordered a very simple bass, with a bolt on neck, passive electronics, 20-21 frets, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and a alder body, would it still be very expensive or would it be cheaper?
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I think the Monarch P is the lowest price model at about 4K.
I had a quick look at your posts and it seems you are fairly new to bass - welcome to TB 
EDIT yes, there are no “cheap” Foderas! Not real ones anyway...
There are now plenty of great basses out there for affordable prices - Ibanez, Yamaha, Sire, used Fender, Squier... it’s a great time to be a beginner in that respect.
good luck!
EDIT yes, there are no “cheap” Foderas! Not real ones anyway...
There are now plenty of great basses out there for affordable prices - Ibanez, Yamaha, Sire, used Fender, Squier... it’s a great time to be a beginner in that respect.
good luck!
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Welcome to TB.
Let me be the first to say "Tone is in the hands". You don't need a Fodera to be a great bassist.
Let me be the first to say "Tone is in the hands". You don't need a Fodera to be a great bassist.
This....I wouldn’t stress buying a Fodera early in my bass playing development unless the money was absolutely there no problem....so many much cheaper bass options out there that can hang with a Fodera all day long..
Fodera Standards can be had for under $7k. Customs are higher. Most of the Standards are visually different from Customs so they're easy to spot as "cheaper" Foderas. Some Standards or non-Customs are over $7k.
I have seen used Fodera NYC Jazz style basses for about $2,500, a few years ago. I just did a quick search and found three under $4K. I have heard that those in the know don’t consider them true Foderas, and others say they are not any better than other boutique Jazzes. Ultimately, is there something about Foderas that makes you want one or do you just like the idea of owning one? I am not judging because it is your money and your life.
A cheap Fodera is called a Cort Artisan, an Ibanez BTB or a Schecter Stiletto.
As noted, there are many Fodera basses for less than 7k, though none are really cheap.
Basses from the discontinued Fodera NYC line (I believe that it was made with Japanese luthiers) might be the cheapest options, but they will still cost at least 2k. And they are not always regarded as "real" Foderas.
Fodera's standard line is made in the same shop as their custom basses are, but in batches and with material and design choices that lower costs. These can be had new for 4-6k and used for less.
I doubt that you would be able to get a full custom for under 7k, though you might be able to have them modify a standard for you.
Basses from the discontinued Fodera NYC line (I believe that it was made with Japanese luthiers) might be the cheapest options, but they will still cost at least 2k. And they are not always regarded as "real" Foderas.
Fodera's standard line is made in the same shop as their custom basses are, but in batches and with material and design choices that lower costs. These can be had new for 4-6k and used for less.
I doubt that you would be able to get a full custom for under 7k, though you might be able to have them modify a standard for you.
I recently picked up a lightly-used Monarch standard (two Duncan soapbars) on Reverb for $3500 including shipping. I don't count myself as an expert on Fodera prices, but it seemed like a pretty good number.
Here's some pix: Well, I finally went and did it...NBD
Here's some pix: Well, I finally went and did it...NBD
Check out May Custom Basses. Exceptional hand-built quality, built to your spec. Way cheaper than Fodera. Did I mention "exceptional"?
You might find an "inexpensive" Fodera, but they are never "cheap".
OP, the instrument you described is their Monarch P-bass. But for a few more bucks their Monarch Standard 4 string is a far better value.
OP, the instrument you described is their Monarch P-bass. But for a few more bucks their Monarch Standard 4 string is a far better value.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Why would you want what is basically a Fender Precision, but pay near Folders prices?
For what you're looking for, there are likely better options.
Fender USA, G&L USA, Mike Lull all come to mind.
There is a pretty easy way to shop Fodera Basses. Sweetwater is a dealer.
I don’t want to violate any rules, but I think this link would take you right there.
Fodera Bass Guitars | Sweetwater
(I have no relationship personal or professional with the above mentioned companies.)
I don’t want to violate any rules, but I think this link would take you right there.
Fodera Bass Guitars | Sweetwater
(I have no relationship personal or professional with the above mentioned companies.)
The Foderas I've tried haven't convinced me they're worth the premium prices. Fine carpentry, but a flat, non-blooming, unengaging sound
I've never owned a bass that I got a better tone from than my current Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro cheap budget main bass, despite having owned a couple of 1000$+ basses in that past, but that no doubt has more to do with me actually knowing what I am going for tone wise and know how to achieve it with a little help from preamps/low gain overdrive, compressors and equalizers, getting the settings just right, and actually non of them doing anything really radical to the basic tone of the bass, just just the right kind of fine tuning, applied fairly subtly, because I know exactly what needs tweaking to get there, despite it might sound like a lot of additional gear/pedals, but in my opinion if it sounds right who cares how you achieved it, plus in the case of the Mikro admittedly having to upgrade the cheap pickups with a proper quality ones that match the kind of tonal goal I am aiming for (that and being lucky to get a bass with a truly great neck, the most stable I ever had on any bass or guitar, with close to perfect fretwork, making me able to get just the right setup for me that makes it feel just perfect for me to play on, and otherwise sounding great acoustically too).
That said I don't think I could scrap those extra pedals I use to achieve my tone by just getting a higher end bass than my Mikro, since I have very specific preferences now, that I didn't really back when I owned those kind of basses, or even that I necessarily could get it to sound better, according to my personal tonal preferences (a very specifically build custom instrument might be able to do that for me, that is if I knew exactly how to achieve it, and I am not a luthier or an expert in pickups, I know what could possibly get me in the ballpark, but then we are back at still needing additional external fine tuning).
Point being, a higher end bass by far most likely will sound and play better out of the box, and certainly the build quality and quality of the materials used is much more consistent than is the case with lower end basses, pretty much guaranteeing that the wood and build quality is perfectly in order from factory, but nothing that proper knowledge and a bit of work on most cases can't make up more or less entirely with a lower end bass, at least at these times where even cheap budget basses in by far most cases are actually at very least of a pretty decent build quality (though as said still largely suffering from rather inconsistent production quality, quality control and by default still all are equipped with cheap electronics and hardware, even if the quality of that has also improved vastly though the years), that means: trying basses before you buy them and knowing what to look/look out for (as in the exact unit you are pondering on buying, not just one of the same model), the right kind of upgrades (in most cases upgrading the pickups will be the single most important one, and in some cases even really all the needs to be done to take a cheap budget bass from a fairly decent to a great instrument, if it otherwise happens to be one of the more lucky turning out ones from a budget production), and finally the right kind of extra equipment for fine tuning the tone and not least knowing how to use it properly to achieve exactly what you have in mind.
Personally if I had that kind of money I would go the custom route, getting the exact instrument of my dreams, and then still likely ending up having spend less money than if I had bought a Fodera model with predetermined specs.
Of course for some a Fodera might be their dream bass, I just don't really understand how that can possibly be.
I guess that ended up a very long rambling just to come to that conclusion.
To each their own.
At least let me contribute with at least 1 valid, I would claim reasonably objective, point, which is that above a certain price point and the further up you get from that point you end up getting extremely unproportionally few additional improvements (I would claim non valid really) compared to (and in my personal opinion to possibly justify) the extra money you'll have to pay for them.
That said I don't think I could scrap those extra pedals I use to achieve my tone by just getting a higher end bass than my Mikro, since I have very specific preferences now, that I didn't really back when I owned those kind of basses, or even that I necessarily could get it to sound better, according to my personal tonal preferences (a very specifically build custom instrument might be able to do that for me, that is if I knew exactly how to achieve it, and I am not a luthier or an expert in pickups, I know what could possibly get me in the ballpark, but then we are back at still needing additional external fine tuning).
Point being, a higher end bass by far most likely will sound and play better out of the box, and certainly the build quality and quality of the materials used is much more consistent than is the case with lower end basses, pretty much guaranteeing that the wood and build quality is perfectly in order from factory, but nothing that proper knowledge and a bit of work on most cases can't make up more or less entirely with a lower end bass, at least at these times where even cheap budget basses in by far most cases are actually at very least of a pretty decent build quality (though as said still largely suffering from rather inconsistent production quality, quality control and by default still all are equipped with cheap electronics and hardware, even if the quality of that has also improved vastly though the years), that means: trying basses before you buy them and knowing what to look/look out for (as in the exact unit you are pondering on buying, not just one of the same model), the right kind of upgrades (in most cases upgrading the pickups will be the single most important one, and in some cases even really all the needs to be done to take a cheap budget bass from a fairly decent to a great instrument, if it otherwise happens to be one of the more lucky turning out ones from a budget production), and finally the right kind of extra equipment for fine tuning the tone and not least knowing how to use it properly to achieve exactly what you have in mind.
Personally if I had that kind of money I would go the custom route, getting the exact instrument of my dreams, and then still likely ending up having spend less money than if I had bought a Fodera model with predetermined specs.
Of course for some a Fodera might be their dream bass, I just don't really understand how that can possibly be.
I guess that ended up a very long rambling just to come to that conclusion.
To each their own.
At least let me contribute with at least 1 valid, I would claim reasonably objective, point, which is that above a certain price point and the further up you get from that point you end up getting extremely unproportionally few additional improvements (I would claim non valid really) compared to (and in my personal opinion to possibly justify) the extra money you'll have to pay for them.
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