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Fodera are they worth the $

Fuzzbass said:
I believe "do they appeal to you?" and "are they worth the money?" are two different questions.

Foderas are not my cup of tea for various reasons. That said, I've auditioned a few at length, and would argue that they most definitely are worth the money. The fact that I would never buy a Fodera doesn't alter the fact that build quality and materials are top caliber, and as is often true with "boutique" manufacturers, customer service is apparently top notch as well.

I wish more people had this attitude. Just because a bass isn't for you doesn't mean it isn't worth the asking price.
 
We're doing this again? OK, yes, they're worth it. I like 'em just for their looks.

VE-Bodies-Web.jpg

My gosh those both are amazingly beautiful.
 
Anything is worth how much a buyer is willing to pay for it. If someone wants a Fodera and the price tag says $10,000 and someone buys it at that price, it was worth it to that individual. If that's too much for your blood, it's probably not worth that much to you.
 
WoodyG3 said:
I wish more people had this attitude. Just because a bass isn't for you doesn't mean it isn't worth the asking price.

I take the opposite tack on this: if I graded a given bass I'd like-- say, a Fodera Emperor 5 with an olive top and black hardware (no, I haven't been thinking about this for a while. Why do you ask?)-- on whether or not it's 'worth' it, I'd never get past an American Standard Fender. Because at these prices, you're not buying a bass that can do anything beyond, you know, be a bass.

Even though the return on investment starts to get more and more nebulous as the price climbs, I happen to like things like fancy wood and extreme attention to detail.

So I never ask 'is this worth it?' I ask instead 'does this excite me?'
 
I wish Foderas were overpriced, overrated and played/sounded like crap. I would have a much healthier bank account.

They are expensive relative to Fenders and many other mass produced basses, I have to agree with that. I would still be thinking that if I didn't make the mistake of trying a couple of Foderas last year. I ordered one that week.

They may not be for everyone pricewise, tonal qualities, the look.... but IMO they MUST be played and the construction detail looked at before deciding relative worth.
 
Never to be played, but look cool hanging on the wall..... Aaahhhhhh.;)

Seriously, that is a killer pair. I can only imagine how much time went in to picking woods/options for those.

Jason is a very patient man. The Emperor is the main gigging bass in my acoustic trio and, as soon as my classic rock band fires up again, the Viceroy will see its share of gigs.
 
Worth it? No, total pieces of crap. The guy just takes a SX bass, replaces the body, neck, headstock, electronics and all the hardware, most of it handmade and slaps a new name on it. Total sham. I just wish people would realize this and stop buying them....so that the price would go down.
 
I like Todd's thinking. I have decided to try and put money aside (granted I am not regularly gigging and I am not talking 5 figures but significant for me) and get a couple basses from a maker I feel is building the best bass I have tried - Keith Roscoe. I just bought a Roscoe fretless 5 and have a fretted 5 being built. In my experience, the Roscoe neck is the most comfortable I have played. I have always been a "bart" guy, and I have met the guys, been in the shop, and liked what I experienced.

Any bass is worth whatever you are willing to pay based on whatever criteria you decide. I struggle with this a lot. I have had many nice basses I have sold them because of the money I had into them and the fact that I don't really make money playing them. I got by with a cheap bass, but I always found myself wanting the feel and sound I had when I owned a Roscoe.