Fodera Club Part II

[Petermann]

Here´s my Fodera experience:
After a long search for a used Fodera I finally had found one that seemed to be the right one for me. Someone had ordered a Bass at Fodera and had changed his mind about wood-combinations etc. when the Bass was almost finished. That was about 1½ years ago. So I travelled from Germany to New York to pick up my Fodera Monarch 5.
My girlfriend came with me. She never wanted to go to America. She was afraid of that big city, she doesn´t speak english very well etc.
We got there and the first People we met were Martha, Joey, Vinnie and Vadim at the Fodera shop. We spent nearly 4 hours there, and it was the warmest welcome that anyone could imagine.
I´ll never forget the smell in the shop (a bit of it is still in my case, when I open it).
There were the personal Basses of Anthony Jackson an Matthew Garrison and I could play a few notes on Joeys Emperor.

Here is mine:

It´s not the perfect Bass. It had some issues with the neck/trussrod. But only minor problems. Joey helped me fixing it.
I don´t get the variety of sounds, that for example my friend Lennard´s Emperor provides. But I don´t care. It gives me the tone I was looking for.
I found my own voice and it sounds like me. What more can you get?

@JustThumping,
congratulations to your new job.
It´s good to hear that you´ve joined the company.

Schöne Grüsse
Peter

 

[J. Crawford]

Wow, thats awesome man!

 

[emjazz]

Here´s my Fodera experience:
After a long search for a used Fodera I finally had found one that seemed to be the right one for me. Someone had ordered a Bass at Fodera and had changed his mind about wood-combinations etc. when the Bass was almost finished. That was about 1½ years ago. So I travelled from Germany to New York to pick up my Fodera Monarch 5.
My girlfriend came with me. She never wanted to go to America. She was afraid of that big city, she doesn´t speak english very well etc.
We got there and the first People we met were Martha, Joey, Vinnie and Vadim at the Fodera shop. We spent nearly 4 hours there, and it was the warmest welcome that anyone could imagine.
I´ll never forget the smell in the shop (a bit of it is still in my case, when I open it).
There were the personal Basses of Anthony Jackson an Matthew Garrison and I could play a few notes on Joeys Emperor.

Here is mine:

It´s not the perfect Bass. It had some issues with the neck/trussrod. But only minor problems. Joey helped me fixing it.
I don´t get the variety of sounds, that for example my friend Lennard´s Emperor provides. But I don´t care. It gives me the tone I was looking for.
I found my own voice and it sounds like me. What more can you get?

@JustThumping,
congratulations to your new job.
It´s good to hear that you´ve joined the company.

Schöne Grüsse
Peter

That is beautiful! I'd still love to have a six string monarch someday.

 

[narud]

That is beautiful! I'd still love to have a six string monarch someday.

andy, youve talked fodera so long, just sell your car or something and order one

 

[emjazz]

andy, youve talked fodera so long, just sell your car or something and order one

Ha, ha! Yeah, don't tell Brian I'm still saying that! I love my bass, and I have a luthier that I'm VERY happy with. At the end of the day anything I can come up with I can play on my bass, and I get a great sound....but yes, when a Fodera is great, it's awefully hard to beat. Although, you could say that about a few builders....Citron, Ken Lawrence...etc. Really it's the neck on the Fodera's that kill me every time. There's a kid with a six string Fodera in one of my classes....I just checked it out the other day...that neck is amazing. WAY too wide for my taste on a six string, but with a narrow neck...that would be one COMFORTABLE bass!

....and my car just took the last of it's travels so that's out!

 

[narud]

Ha, ha! Yeah, don't tell Brian I'm still saying that! I love my bass, and I have a luthier that I'm VERY happy with. At the end of the day anything I can come up with I can play on my bass, and I get a great sound....but yes, when a Fodera is great, it's awefully hard to beat. Although, you could say that about a few builders....Citron, Ken Lawrence...etc. Really it's the neck on the Fodera's that kill me every time. There's a kid with a six string Fodera in one of my classes....I just checked it out the other day...that neck is amazing. WAY too wide for my taste on a six string, but with a narrow neck...that would be one COMFORTABLE bass!

....and my car just took the last of it's travels so that's out!

cant you get the neck shape replicated? how's the ristola different? ive had 3 foderas over the years and never really thought the necks were that different than other boutiques. i just picked up an fbass vf5 and the neck shape is just as nice.

 

[emjazz]

cant you get the neck shape replicated? how's the ristola different? ive had 3 foderas over the years and never really thought the necks were that different than other boutiques. i just picked up an fbass vf5 and the neck shape is just as nice.

The neck on my Ristola is amazing, just a little more rounded than flat like the Fodera's that I've played. My bass is very easy to play and also very stable. I can't say I'd want to change anything considering.

Great choice on the VF5....I bet that's a great bass for you.

 

[Demonator]

I love the look and sound of these basses.

 

[narud]

The neck on my Ristola is amazing, just a little more rounded than flat like the Fodera's that I've played. My bass is very easy to play and also very stable. I can't say I'd want to change anything considering.

Great choice on the VF5....I bet that's a great bass for you.

ah, you and i have different tastes then. i dig a more rounded profile than flat. hows the neck on the ibanez? this old school 5 i have has a fairly flat neck down the center with rounded shoulders.

i wasnt buying it at first, but i think im really liking this compound radius on the f. i never really enjoyed the flatness of the board in first position on the fodera. the f is a little rounder in the low register.

 

[TimothyGroovy]

Time for me to contribute to this thread...

With the great help and assistance from Jason, new management of Fodera, I finally placed my order on a Fodera through the shop directly. Production lead time would be around 2 years, let see how this project go...

Spec:
Matt Garrison 6 String
Top: Bolivian Rosewood /Sapwood Top (two-pieces), Matching Headstock
Body: Walnut Body (Smaller version as detailed, as compact as possible), Flamed Maple Tone Block
Neck: 3 Piece Ash Neck, Purpleheart Tone Block Accent
Fretboard: Ebony Fretboard with 16.5mm Bridge Spacing, Abalone Dot Inlays
Pickups: Aero/SD DualCoil (not decided yet) with Ebony Wooden Cover, Non Exposed Pole Pieces, Gaboon Ebony Ramp
Preamp: Fodera Mike Pope Preamp with Matt Garrison Knobs Layout
Others: Black Hardware, 34' scale, 26 frets, No Extend B Headstock,

The wood top that I probably go for..Enjoy!

My Photoshopped pic:

Thanks again Jason for his kind assistance and extremely fast response.

 

[narud]

Time for me to contribute to this thread...

With the great help and assistance from Jason, new management of Fodera, I finally placed my order on a Fodera through the shop directly. Production lead time would be around 2 years, let see how this project go...

Spec:
Matt Garrison 6 String
Top: Bolivian Rosewood /Sapwood Top (two-pieces), Matching Headstock
Body: Walnut Body (Smaller version as detailed, as compact as possible), Flamed Maple Tone Block
Neck: 3 Piece Ash Neck, Purpleheart Tone Block Accent
Fretboard: Ebony Fretboard with 16.5mm Bridge Spacing, Abalone Dot Inlays
Pickups: Aero/SD DualCoil (not decided yet) with Ebony Wooden Cover, Non Exposed Pole Pieces, Gaboon Ebony Ramp
Preamp: Fodera Mike Pope Preamp with Matt Garrison Knobs Layout
Others: Black Hardware, 34' scale, 26 frets, No Extend B Headstock,

The wood top that I probably go for..Enjoy!

My Photoshopped pic:

Thanks again Jason for his kind assistance and extremely fast response.

that should be an amazing bass. congrats!

 

[Angus]

That's very similar to what I have on order (with the tight spacing), except it's a 5 string, katalox, and a few, er, special touches. Nice!

 

[emjazz]

Wow...great specs! Congrats! If you like a small body, have you considered the 33" scale? I have one and it's fabulous.

 

[TimothyGroovy]

Wow...great specs! Congrats! If you like a small body, have you considered the 33" scale? I have one and it's fabulous.

Yes, I did consider about that.. But I never play a 33' scale bass, don't know how its feel...

My ex-USA Curbow 6 got a petite body and 34' scale neck though

 

[emjazz]

ah, you and i have different tastes then. i dig a more rounded profile than flat. i wasnt buying it at first, but i think im really liking this compound radius on the f. i never really enjoyed the flatness of the board in first position on the fodera. the f is a little rounder in the low register.

hows the neck on the ibanez? this old school 5 i have has a fairly flat neck down the center with rounded shoulders.

I actually meant the back of the neck. The shoulders of the bass seem to be slimmer on the Foderas that I've played. My Ristola is a consistent flattened C shape. My Ibanez is exactly as you described. The board on my Ristola is pretty flat. I can't really compare it to anything like you're talking about as I believe all of my sixes have had pretty flat boards.

 

[narud]

I actually meant the back of the neck. The shoulders of the bass seem to be slimmer on the Foderas that I've played. My Ristola is a consistent flattened C shape. My Ibanez is exactly as you described. The board on my Ristola is pretty flat. I can't really compare it to anything like you're talking about as I believe all of my sixes have had pretty flat boards.

i was talking about the back too and then i started wandering

 

[emjazz]

i was talking about the back too and then i started wandering

Are we still talking about basses?

 

[black.rose1402]

Time for me to contribute to this thread...

With the great help and assistance from Jason, new management of Fodera, I finally placed my order on a Fodera through the shop directly. Production lead time would be around 2 years, let see how this project go...

Spec:
Matt Garrison 6 String
Top: Bolivian Rosewood /Sapwood Top (two-pieces), Matching Headstock
Body: Walnut Body (Smaller version as detailed, as compact as possible), Flamed Maple Tone Block
Neck: 3 Piece Ash Neck, Purpleheart Tone Block Accent
Fretboard: Ebony Fretboard with 16.5mm Bridge Spacing, Abalone Dot Inlays
Pickups: Aero/SD DualCoil (not decided yet) with Ebony Wooden Cover, Non Exposed Pole Pieces, Gaboon Ebony Ramp
Preamp: Fodera Mike Pope Preamp with Matt Garrison Knobs Layout
Others: Black Hardware, 34' scale, 26 frets, No Extend B Headstock,


Thanks again Jason for his kind assistance and extremely fast response.

Congrats bass brother! this will be an amazing bass I'm sure!

it reminds me when the process of my bass began, ah... memories...

the specs are simply great . can't ait to see the final result

 

[TimothyGroovy]

Congrats bass brother! this will be an amazing bass I'm sure!

it reminds me when the process of my bass began, ah... memories...

the specs are simply great . can't ait to see the final result

Ya!!! Thanks man!! I'm looking forward as well... only for 2 years...

My photoshop fun!!

I think mine will look basically like this!

 

[mhduffl]

Great photo work bro,

At the time your bass is finished, my bass do.................

Cheers,
Man-Ho