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Fbass vs Fodera?

#21
Munjibunga said:
Absurd. The F Bass build quality is equal to that of Fodera, and at a lower price point. They are, however, very different basses. F Basses typically have a more aggressive, throaty voice (ala a J on steroids as Bryan said), rich in the low mids. Certainly, wood choice will make a difference (if you're a believer in that) but, generally speaking, I would characterize Foderas as being a little more reserved, perhaps more even across the spectrum.

More on this when I get my mahogany/koa/ebony Viceroy, which I'm thinking will be more mid-focused than my walnut/maple/ebony Emperor.

Whichever brand you buy, you will have a first-rate, premium instrument.
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If you would've read my second post I did change it to a Ford Mustang Roush. :)

I made the Ford comparison because of the contrast between them and a Rolls Royce. Although Ford does make an industry standard type auto, they also make supercars like the GT-40 and powerful beefed up, hand built mustangs with 500+ horsepower. Rolls Royce is 100% customizable and one of the most expensive, to start with(Fodera :D).

I have owned an Fbass before and played many. Liked every one of them! But, I have LOVED every Fodera I have owned. No offense to all the Fbass players, just my opinion.:bassist:
 
#24
I have an F bass BN6 on order so I guess the direction of my post if predictable...

I haven't spent a whole lot of personal time with Foderas but I've played a few and from going to NAMM and BPLive year after year and hearing the greats play them, the tone is not a "sell everything I need it" kinda thing for me... It would be nice one day but I'm ok if it never happens... IMHO.

And of course the cost difference is a whole other story, and I often wonder what kind of F bass you can get for Fodera money...
 
#27
I played Fodera for 10 years, exclusively, and have owned 12. I have played great Foderas and some that were not so great. I currently own 3 Fbasses and have owned 3 others in the past. All 6 Fbasses played and sounded excellent. I loved both basses but Fbasses are within reach, foderas are $10,000+ now which i feel is unrealistic.
 
#28
nickbass79 said:
If you would've read my second post I did change it to a Ford Mustang Roush. :)

I made the Ford comparison because of the contrast between them and a Rolls Royce. Although Ford does make an industry standard type auto, they also make supercars like the GT-40 and powerful beefed up, hand built mustangs with 500+ horsepower. Rolls Royce is 100% customizable and one of the most expensive, to start with(Fodera :D).

I have owned an Fbass before and played many. Liked every one of them! But, I have LOVED every Fodera I have owned. No offense to all the Fbass players, just my opinion.:bassist:
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I might've bought in if you'd said GT-40. As I said, they're very different instruments. My F Basses definitely wouldn't work in my acoustic trio, but the Fodera hits the spot for that. In my classic rock band, I need a little more aggressive tone. The Fodera would work there, but it would be more of a stretch.
 
#30
I own both (multiple F Basses and 1 Fodera right now, but I have owned several Foderas in the past) and I love them. Great basses, but as so many people have said, very different. Every Fodera is fairly unique, while F Basses tend to be a little more similar. However, as basses goes, in general they are very different.

The "Jazz Bass on steroids" comment is often used with regards to F Basses, and it is fairly accurate. Excellent necks, great tone, my 5 and 6 string F Basses almost feel like extensions of a 4 string Jazz. My Foderas, OTOH, have all been fairly different. Easy to play, phenomenal tone ...

I have played and owned many, many basses over the years, and both an F Bass and another Fodera are on my short list of "GAS" basses, and for good reason. You can't go wrong with either of these.
 
#31
Gigged and owned both. As mentioned, very different.

Hard to talk about Fodera, since their basses really are quite 'custom', and all of them are relatively different. VERY expensive, obviously very high quality. You can pretty much spec a model to match just about anything you want, from fat, boutique soapbar tone to 'almost J or P bass tone', from the uber modern Victor Wooten models with EMG's to the passive, woody tone of the passive, single pickup builds. J type bodies (Emperor), P type bodies (Monarch), single cut J (Emperor II) or single cut P type (Imperial), etc.


FBass is a bit more standardized. The primary builds are the BN models. I describe them as 'J bass on satin' (since the 'steroid' thing usually means quite aggressive... the FBass is a more 'polite' execution of a J tone to my ear... softer up top, a bit fatter down low). The FBass pricing is actually very competitive EXCEPT if you get a fancy top.... massive upcharge. Another thing about the BN models is the very unusual/unique way the bass hangs on the strap. The very large body, horn dimensions, and strap button location results in the body hanging quite a bit further to the right (assuming you are right handed), making both the look and 'feel' of the bass very different from the more standard 'Fender' feel of the vast majority of boutiques (including Fodera). This brings the neck way in. I hated it, others love it, but you should be aware it is a different playing experience.

Both are top notch, with good service and support (Fodera had some issues for a number of years, but are totally back on track now).

VERY different basses.
 
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#32
Question for everyone, if you won $10,000 for a bass build, and that build would be the only bass that you would own for three rest of you're life, would you rather own 2 Fbasses or 1 Fodera? Its an either or question, no other basses, not counting what you currently own, one Fodera or two Fbasses?
 
#36
MVPBASS said:
Question for everyone, if you won $10,000 for a bass build, and that build would be the only bass that you would own for three rest of you're life, would you rather own 2 Fbasses or 1 Fodera? Its an either or question, no other basses, not counting what you currently own, one Fodera or two Fbasses?
Click to expand...

I was actually in that situation, more or less, and that's how I got my Fodera. I also could've chosen an Alembic, Ritter, or any other brand. I picked Fodera.

As it turns out, I already had two F Basses, though.
 
#37
I know the Fodera prices are a very high, and workmanship is very high yet, So is the FBass..... the FBass I was just quoted to build is $12k... George at Fbass can build anything you want...the only thing i havent seen him build is a single cut...which could change.
Now, Fbass also offers a lower line that feeds to the masses a little more, and Fodera is not in that market....do they sound different...yes...do they feel different...absolutely....Would I own either....Definetly!!!!
 
#39
I own a F Bass Bn4 and a Fodera Monarch. I love them both! But they are not the same. I play about two blues/R&b gigs a week, and church-pop on the weekends.

My F Bass has a sweet rich tone with a big front end attack, unless I tone it back. This bass works well across a very wide spectrum of music styles, so it is VERY versatile. Like somebody else said, its like a J bass on steroids. Cost: about $2k second hand.

My Monarch is also a very fine instrument. The tone is thin and punchy, like you would expect if you were listening to Victor. The problem is, unless you are playing in a modern jazz trio with lots of open space for the bass, the banjo timbre of the Monarch gets lost in the wall of sound coming from the band. It doesn't hold down the low end. That's not bad, just different, but it means I don't get it out to a gig very often. Cost: about $5k second hand.

If you are looking for a great gig bass, I'd have to recommend the F Bass.
 
#40
I would recommend an Fbass, and contrary to what a lot of people think about their standardized approach, they're quite flexible with most requests.

For mine, I wanted a bass with some more mid character and asked for a light ash body...no problem, no charge. I also wanted a wider nut width...done, and the cost was $150 for that. It even went so far as the model I wanted; it's one he doesn't even make anymore...he agreed to do it, and with no upcharge.

I ordered it in August and got it in October.
 

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