Fodera Club Part II

[black.rose1402]

Very nice.!!
Imperial 5 is really Imperial!!!!!!
Is it Tulipwood and plastic cover?

yeah it's tulip wood with plastic cover for the pu.

i'M GOING TO POST SOME MORE PICTURES TODAY

 

[FGY2]

Hey folks - just to tell to everybody that the new management of Fodera is doing his job perfectly.

My question about the finishing date of my long awaited Emperor II-5 was addressed to them and within few hours I get the answer with the EXACT delivery date.

Fodera - go ahead with the new customer friendly management

 

[lamarjones]

I've also been given a date by the 'new guys', which I am looking forward to receiving my ax around the same time. Sounds promising, and also great communication.

 

[Garey]

I am getting some long overdue work done on my Imperial....let me just say that I am SO pleased with the way things are going so far....communication is quick, clear, and precise. As long as this translates into other areas....I think we can feel secure with the new changes happening at the shop. Thanks again!

Aloha, Garey

 

[Just Thumpin']

Folks -- thanks so much for the positive feedback. I am actually out of the shop today, but just called and spoke (over speakerphone) to the whole crew and read these last three posts aloud to them. It makes the ungodly hours of the past several weeks HUGELY worthwhile. We have only just begun...

Regards,

Jason

 

[Garey]

For years I've felt, along with many others....that the guys in the shop need to be able to stick to what they do best: Building magnificent basses. NOT trying to run the entire show.

I've got a few hours of video that Steve Bailey shot inside the Fodera shop....it says more than words can. These guys are NUTS about wood, and turning that wood into over-the-top instruments.

Here's some shots of my Imperial when it was being created.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Aloha, Garey

 

[Garey]

Here is #40, which I picked up a few years ago, and now belongs to Victor W. Ash body, 5 piece neck, rosewood top:

This was a cool 1987 Monarch, walnut body, maple top, ebony board:

This was a good idea, not totally practical, but this Imperial had a bolt on neck, and came with BOTH a fretted and fretless neck. Alder body, great bass. This used to be Carlito's bass:

And probably one of my favorite basses I've sold. Monarch 5, Mahogany back, Maple top, maple board. What a bass:

Aloha, Garey

 

[CliffD]

Garey, Mahalo for the pics! You Koa Imperial is beautiful! Btw, where on Kauai are you? My family owns a condo in Princeville and we visit 2-3 times a year! Love it!

 

[CashBass]

Sweet pics Garey - thanks for sharing. Now I gotta stop reading and get back to playing... see ya

 

[Garey]

Thanks...the Imperial is headed in for some work and matching pickup covers (I've swapped pups a couple times finding what I want, of course original covers matched!), it'll be tough to part with her.

We've been on the North Shore, up Kalihiwai Ridge, for the last 10 years.

Aloha, Garey

 

[emjazz]

Gary, I love the pic of the Monarch. I'd love to have a six string bolt on Monarch.

 

[Garey]

The 5'er? Thanks...I really miss that one! I think it went to Puerto Rico, or Bahamas. IF I was going to do another order, it would be a Monarch 6 based on that Monarch 5. Although that quilted ash on the Fodera homepage currently looks pretty amazing, too!

Take care

Aloha, Garey

 

[The_Owl]

I have to say that this is the most beautifu Fodera I've laid my eyes on!

 

[cosmicevan]

My question about the finishing date of my long awaited Emperor II-5 was addressed to them and within few hours I get the answer with the EXACT delivery date.

Fodera - go ahead with the new customer friendly management

this is a HUGE win for fodera, but it's comments like that which makes me nervous about setting expecations. notice the word "EXACT" in big capital letters. unless the bass was dropped off at fedex today can you have that kind of expectation. and with the winter starting to poke it's face, weather will even start to effect those EXACT dates that fedex gives.

based on what i've read, since i've only gotten foderas 2nd hand, but am certainly familiar with the waiting game for a custom bass...i think the major thing that was missing was not only communication, but the need to set the expectation that dates are rough estimates at best when it comes to hand made instruments. a customer is way more likely to be pissed off if quoted an EXACT date that doesn't come through, than if they are educated to the concept that there are many orders and many variables and with true hand-made construction, it is extremely difficult to give an accurate estimate, but you can do your best to give an estimate within a 3 to 6 month period. anyone who isn't willing to accept that kind of wiggle room should not be ordering a custom instrument from MANY sought after luthiers' works. it isn't that fodera is any slower than anyone else, it's all about expectations.

 

[thepontif]

Fact is, the new management is inheriting many years of accumulated results of less than perfect organization. It will take a while before everything is absolutely perfect and predictable. Let's just be happy for them...and ourselves...that things are on a decidedly positive track now. Undoubtedtly things are already greatly improved.

 

[Garey]

As usual.......well said, Mike.

Aloha, Garey

 

[TimothyGroovy]

Fact is, the new management is inheriting many years of accumulated results of less than perfect organization. It will take a while before everything is absolutely perfect and predictable. Let's just be happy for them...and ourselves...that things are on a decidedly positive track now. Undoubtedtly things are already greatly improved.

+1

 

[cosmicevan]

Fact is, the new management is inheriting many years of accumulated results of less than perfect organization. It will take a while before everything is absolutely perfect and predictable. Let's just be happy for them...and ourselves...that things are on a decidedly positive track now. Undoubtedtly things are already greatly improved.

agreed. i hope my point didn't come across as negative because i firmly fall on the side of thinking this is a good thing for the business. my comments are directed more as advice towards success, than criticism of the changes. i have a strong understanding of product and setting customer expectations and the top things people are interested in is honesty and accuracy/quality...especially at this kind of price point. bringing in more people so that everyone can focus on their strengths is exactly how to make things as good as they can be, but as you said, these things take time and for folks to be getting an EXACT delivery time 2 years out is kind of like going all in with a pair of 2's. being 3 months off on an estimation 2 years out is pretty good...unless you are the person wondering where your bass is every day for 3 months after you were promised a delivery date.

good management not only gets things done, but is also realistic about what can be done while maintaining the integrity of the brand and that seems to be a priority from what we've read. you'll find many threads on TB from people whining about late deliveries from little guys in one man shops all the way up to the huge name brands that you can find in every major chain. you'll also see threads of praise and recommendation since a company handles the education of the buyer at the onset and provides accurate ranges of estimation and expectations on those estimations. this is a partnership that was formed less than one week ago so making those kinds of bold promises really is going all-in on those 2's. with major change like this comes the chance for great success. may the flop bring you more deuces.

 

[FGY2]

this is a HUGE win for fodera, but it's comments like that which makes me nervous about setting expecations. notice the word "EXACT" in big capital letters. unless the bass was dropped off at fedex today can you have that kind of expectation. and with the winter starting to poke it's face, weather will even start to effect those EXACT dates that fedex gives.

Sorry if the word "EXACT" (in big capital letters) in my previous post confused some of the participants in this thread. My English is very bad... . Actually Fodera specified the period (a week) when my bass will leave the shop - that is more then enough for me - and as per my understanding it is EXACT date (or maybe I am wrong again )

 

[Just Thumpin']

I do want to be clear about expectations...the closer an instrument is to being finished, the more "exact" a date can be. New orders are given a window based on our best current estimate of when their instrument will be complete...presently that window is roughly 24 months from the date of a deposit. An instrument that is due ship in two weeks is already 90% finished and we can give a very good estimate of a ship date. Clearly if while doing the final finish rub out, someone dropped it and it had to be completely rebuilt -- yeah, we'd miss the date. But we would pick up the phone and explain it to the customer and let them know exactly what we expect the resolution to be...

YES, delivery times are an estimate, very educated ones, but we could easily be off because of many factors. What is 100% certain is that as we get new information, we will PROACTIVELY update customers with any significant changes to the last estimate we provided them. This is what I have historically found to be the most frustrating thing in my personal dealings with several custom shops (of all different sizes and types, including Fodera) -- the shops seem like black holes. Call me old fashioned, but at these prices, our customers deserve US to call THEM when their is a problem and we are going to try our very best to instill that mindset in how all of us work together at Fodera.

But please remember...we are human and we are trying to create art, not "product," and, so, sometimes S*@& will happen. But we'll tell ya' if it does...