Fodera Club Part II

[Beepo]

It is a beauty, and the best Fodera's I've ever played have been bolt-on. The cool thing about the bolt-on and set neck (glued neck Deluxe) models is that you not only save about $1,000 on the construction versus the neck through, but you get a solid top for no upcharge. A solid top on an Elite (neck through) will cost an additional $1000.

So, a loaded bolt-on Emperor (like the one on the Bass Central site) is a great way to get into a top of the line Fodera for the measly price of around $7,500 The same identical bass in neck through would be close to $10,000 selling price.

I have an old Emperor 5 Bolt-On 35"(think it is alder/chestnut/ebony board fitted with SDs), and it sounds and plays absolutely insane! Strongly recommended if you have the dough

 

[climb]

I'll have you know I paid double that, sir.


Actually I got the bass, the original HSC, a new HSC and a gigbag (all OEM) for a little more than double. From a store. I live for weird deals.


I recently put it up for sale during a personal fundraising drive . I took it on "one last gig" and selling it once again seemed like a dumb idea. Really dumb. The same thing happened with my Marleaux Jazz. I have to stop doing that if I'm going to sell an instrument.

What store was that??? I need to head over there!

 

[Brad Johnson]

What store was that??? I need to head over there!

Guitar Center. I've had pretty good luck finding high end instruments there. My Fodera, first year MTD 635 and Surine Protocol 7 all came from their stores.

 

[bassplayer7770]

Guitar Center. I've had pretty good luck finding high end instruments there. My Fodera, first year MTD 635 and Surine Protocol 7 all came from their stores.

Not Fodera-related, but my local GC has had some nice used basses on occasion as well. A Sukop is one example I remember...

 

[CashBass]

I had a similar experience with Guitar Center on 14th St. in Manhattan. Found (and bought!) a brand-spankin'-new Modulus VJ4 with HSC for $1249. I kept looking at it to see if there was something wrong with it and couldn't find a thing - it's a perfect bass and it's my primary 4 string bass for rock gigs...

 

[mrbassman_de]

My recent acqusition:

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Specs:
Flamed Koa Top
Matching headstock and pickup covers
Passive layout, 3-position coil tap switch
SD dual coils, outer coils in 70s positions,
Ebony board with vintage style frets
34' extended B
Walnut body
5-pc Ash neck with Purpleheart stringers

 

[yybass]

That's a beauty just like your Ying Yang!

 

[mrbassman_de]

The Koa Top doesn't need sunshine or flash to bring out its exceptional flame pattern. This is a shot at midnight without flash and only some spots switched on:

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[firebass]

Thanks for the tip.
I'd never even heard of Newtone strings before.

I am very happy with what newtonestrings make me.
Fair prices and high quality strings.
Plus, fantastic customer service.

 

[firebass]

That is BEAUTIFUL!

How much does it weigh?

The Koa Top doesn't need sunshine or flash to bring out its exceptional flame pattern. This is a shot at midnight without flash and only some spots switched on:

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[The_Owl]

Oh am I happy that I chose Koa as top wood for my custom

+1 on Newtone strings. Best strings I've ever tried.

 

[The_Owl]

The Koa Top doesn't need sunshine or flash to bring out its exceptional flame pattern. This is a shot at midnight without flash and only some spots switched on:

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Can you push down the concentric pot to "lock" the tone controls?

 

[Just Thumpin']

The price list that was posted are List Prices -- wish that's what we got, but it is the rare customer that pays full list. In theory, pricing directly through us (Fodera) and Dealers should be very close, if not identical. Buying basses like these is more about relationships and who you feel most comfortable with. Before I was a partner in the Company, in bought my basses both ways -- direct and through dealers...

Cheers,

Jason

Are the prices from that price list retail? I speced out the bass that I'd want and it comes to about $10,500. It is a pretty basic Monarch with a few upgrades. Nothing too fancy.

Brazilian rosewood board, ramp, tulip inlays on the 12th and 24th, wood electronics cover, dual coil pickups with ebony covers, semi hollow, gig bag, alder body, passive, (don't know which top wood).

I seem to recall a few more exotic brand new Foderas for sale through dealers for a lot less. Is it less expensive to order through a dealer? I know I said that Fodera was now on my gear radar and I do think that they are fine instruments, but I'm not sure if I'd want to swing that.

 

[cnltb]

Thanks for the tip.
I'd never even heard of Newtone strings before.

I can imagine.
They seem to be quite a small operation.
Maybe that is what enables them to be as flexible as they are.

 

[jsbarber]

... An MTD has a really unique sonic signature, an F bass somewhat, but much less so, a Smith, even less, but I really don't believe a Fodera does, and $10,000.00 for a Garrison 5 string...



Thanks anyway.

Cheers,
Cameron

I wouldn't be too quick to jump to that conclusion - regarding Foderas. To my ears, the single most identifiable (contra)bass guitar on the planet is Anthony Jackson's Fodera Presentation. One single note and you know it's undeniably him.

Jim

 

[Christian Houmann]

My recent acqusition:

Link Removed

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Specs:
Flamed Koa Top
Matching headstock and pickup covers
Passive layout, 3-position coil tap switch
SD dual coils, outer coils in 70s positions,
Ebony board with vintage style frets
34' extended B
Walnut body
5-pc Ash neck with Purpleheart stringers

Wow! That's great looking! When you say vintage style frets does that mean that frets are small? Is it heavy?

 

[mrbassman_de]

Yes, the frets are as small as those on pre-66 Fenders. I like that very much.

The weight is approx. 4,9 kg - which is slightly more than 10 lbs. Not lightweight, but it is well balanced and shaped and therefore it's no pain to play standing with it. Of course this bass is much bigger, heavier, more difficult to play than my Fodera YinYang, which weighs 4kg and feels like a toy when comparing the handling of both.

The bigger tone knob looks a bit funny. Fodera used their custom made stack knobs for the passive tone and cut the upper shaft, which was originally used for the volume. The other pot is the pickup blend. There is no volume knob at all - the electronics were designed to get most of the pure pickup signal out of the bass, so no volume knob...

The layout of the already drilled holes for the knobs and switches allows a later preamp installation - which I'm currently considering. However - I like simple controls and it is not difficult to get a world-class tone out of this passive bass...

 

[cnltb]

I wouldn't be too quick to jump to that conclusion - regarding Foderas. To my ears, the single most identifiable (contra)bass guitar on the planet is Anthony Jackson's Fodera Presentation. One single note and you know it's undeniably him.

Jim

I think it's him rather than his instrument tho, since the same can be said of him playing any bass I recon.
And if i'm not wrong A J is pretty much the only one to call his instrument "contra bass guitar". No?

 

[KJung]

I think it#s him rather than his instrument tho, since the same can be said of him playing any bass.

+1 in a big way. And, also, that particular passive, chambered Fodera model is not representative AT ALL of the vast majority of basses they produce with dual pickups, no chambering, and active electronics.

That bass, versus the Lincoln Goines passive model, versus the passive with Bartolini's bass that Bona plays, versus the very active with EMG's bass that Victor playes, etc., etc. have very, very little in common with each other tonally, and very little in common with the more 'production' models with the Pope pre and Seymour/Aero pickups IMO and IME.

Per the above posts, bass lines like MTD and Ken Smith, where virtually every model uses the same electronics and basic design, have (IMO and IME) a much more easily identified and constant 'brand voice', for better or worse.

 

[Just Thumpin']

BTW, Bona has been playing EMG Soapbars for quite some time...

Cheers,

Jason

+1 in a big way. And, also, that particular passive, chambered Fodera model is not representative AT ALL of the vast majority of basses they produce with dual pickups, no chambering, and active electronics.

That bass, versus the Lincoln Goines passive model, versus the passive with Bartolini's bass that Bona plays, versus the very active with EMG's bass that Victor playes, etc., etc. have very, very little in common with each other tonally, and very little in common with the more 'production' models with the Pope pre and Seymour/Aero pickups IMO and IME.

Per the above posts, bass lines like MTD and Ken Smith, where virtually every model uses the same electronics and basic design, have (IMO and IME) a much more easily identified and constant 'brand voice', for better or worse.