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Anthony Jacksons new Fodera bass

#161
joe vegas said:
i'm hearing octave+reverb, maybe something like a 60/40 ratio (60% straight signal)?
i've been listening hard to AJ for almost 30 years, and this effects combination is something new i think... it's right up there with hs deep subterranean flange work.
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This is a pretty recent shot of him with current set up (on the floor)...
 

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#164
It's so interesting that they went to this body thickness and stayed with the face lamination process. Even though they're not bending sides, there are still a lot of challenges to surmount to produce this level of excellence.

Not easy to find high grade 8/4 or 10/4 alder, keeping it in plane for the face lam after hollowing, etc. Then there are the large holly surfaces. If it's American holly, that material is usually unstable at anything beyond veneer thickness. Tough stuff to wrangle. Bracing a carved holly surface is a serious challenge no doubt. Then, a big piece of ebony for the FB, which is probably not inclined to be a well-behaved piece of wood.

All in all, the bass is an example of mastery of materials as much as an advancement of the design and a successful fulfillment of the player's needs and desires. There's a lot of potential orneriness built into that instrument. If it stays stable and true in the hands of a guy who can tell if a nut slot is 0.0001 too high, that's a great achievement.
 
#166
cnltb said:
Just wondering;
With all the talk on AJ and his instruments...how does he have them set up(high action or low, etc)? :)
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I remember years back, visiting the Fodera shop to pick up a used (new to me) Fodera. They had Anthony's bass there, and I got to check it out for a bit. The action was higher than I expected it to be... not super high, but not what I consider "low action" at all. In any case, it was killer!
 
#170
Just Thumpin' said:
Used to be fairly low. Now I would describe it as "medium." He has brought the strings a good deal further away from the FB over the past several years.

J
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I played a Quilted Ash Presentation last year . It had the best action I ever laid my hands on! The 36 scale wasn't as intimidating as I thought it would be,and this is coming from a guy with short arms and fingers. I would love to have a Presentation in a five string 33 scale. I think Fodera will only build a Presentation in Anthony's specs If I read correctly.
 
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#172
concept IS the more articulate 36" scale

this move towards shorter scales (i.e. 33 or less) is only fairly recently viable because of improved string technology

you're just not going to get that piano like tone with a shorter scale - it's physics folks
 
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#173
Davo-London said:
"Ask a bass player anywhere in the world who inspired them to pick up their instrument, and many of them will answer: the late James Jamerson, regarded by most as (quite literally) the foundation of Motown's success in the 1960s, and one of the 'forgotten heroes' of pop music highlighted in the fabulous 2002 film 'Standing In The Shadows Of Motown'. But if you ask a player to name an influence who is still alive, you'll often hear a different name: Anthony Jackson, also known as AJ."

Hmmm, maybe AJ's influence in the US is significant. I've never heard anyone mention him over here.

Davo
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My answer to that question would be Geezer Butler..lol

as far as the bass goes....I can honestly say.....it's not my thing....
 
#180
We will build a custom instrument to virtually any specs someone wants -- including a 33" scale 5er with the shape and carve of a Presentation. That said, only instruments with AJ's spec are called Presentations.

J

celinder 72 said:
I played a Quilted Ash Presentation last year . It had the best action I ever laid my hands on! The 36 scale wasn't as intimidating as I thought it would be,and this is coming from a guy with short arms and fingers. I would love to have a Presentation in a five string 33 scale. I think Fodera will only build a Presentation in Anthony's specs If I read correctly.
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