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Fodera Club Part IX

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#181
Just Thumpin' said:
I remember my own early Fodera days...I was a diehard Jazz Bass guy at the time. I had four of them. An original '64, a Victor Bailey, a butterscotch blonde American Deluxe and a aged cherry burst Custom Classic. All of them were plek'd and played like butter and sounded great. Then I bought my first Monarch...oops.

Less than two years after that the only Jazz I still had was / is my '64. It seems almost zero playing time but I just cannot part with it. Oh yeah, I have 10 Monarchs (down from 12 earlier this year) with two more in the build schedule for later this Fall (that were ordered in 2009).

I feel like the old Remington Razor commercial..."I loved the product so much, I bought the Company." Well in this case I merely became one of the owners of the Company.

Also, in case you are wondering...all of the Foderas that I currently own were purchased BEFORE I was a partner...so I paid normal market prices! Finally, any new orders (like the two that are coming) are STILL purchased (at Dealer pricing) and I still wait in line for them to be built...

Cheers,

J
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fwiw I played a pair of Zons for a little over 10 years. And actually 97% of my time was spent playing the Zon Lightwave fretless 5. Then after a semi-hiatus for a couple years I decided to get back into gigging more regularly a few years ago I decided to change it up. That started a ridiculous amount of churn since '09 when I bought a Sadowsky then cycled through a bunch of instruments. The downside is I've flushed a bunch of money down the toilet in the process - but I think of it as "renting" to try different things. The upside is that I've gotten to own a number of really nice basses and gotten to know various owners of said brands. Reads like a who's who of TB: Sadowsky (multiples), Nordstrand, Roscoe (multiples), Elrick, Lull, Zon (multiples), Rob Allen (multiples), Fender (multiples), and Fodera.

Of those only the Rob Allens (a Deep 5 and an MB-2 4), one Fender AmDlxP, and the Fedora remain. The other good thing is that I've figured out some very specific things that I like and don't like:

- I love Rob Allens. They don't cover all of my gigs as I play in 4 different bands right now, but for my jazz stuff they just kill, and no other bass touches it for its "thing"

- I hate poly finishes. Just hate them. I also hate a lot of finish on the back of the neck. My Fender is now in jeopardy simply due to this - mostly due to the counterpoint of the Fodera which has the nicest back of the neck of any bass I've owned, and the "natural wood" body finish (which is the same type wax/etc as my Rob Allens I believe).

- I love PJs in a fretted bass, and love 3-band active. I get the "passive purist" thing, but frankly in my live situations passive drives me nuts. Give me a good preamp to deal with room issues and other variables on the fly.

- I am not a JJ guy, and don't dig the Jazz-ish body shape either. Hence my love of the Monarch body style.

- I have usually been mostly a fretless player, but am doing more fretted work as I expand my approach into chords, slap, etc. And if I have frets, I want perfect fret work. Actually my Nordy was probably my favorite due to the small fret size - just damn comfortable. That said, the Fodera is making me happy and the light string gauge is combining to make things possible that I wouldn't have previously considered.

After talking with the g/f last night though, I just can't rationalize $11K for a new YY Deluxe. Especially since I have 3 basses on order at the moment (Rob Allen Deep 4, but will sell my MB-2, and a pair of Skjold 5-strings) that should come in over the next 3-4 months :eek:

That said, I may be able to rationalize $8K for a Monarch Deluxe :D Have to keep my eyes open...and since I'm now at 100+ gigs this year, at least no one can complain that I'm not using my toys :p
 
#182
nostatic said:
After talking with the g/f last night though, I just can't rationalize $11K for a new YY Deluxe. Especially since I have 3 basses on order at the moment (Rob Allen Deep 4, but will sell my MB-2, and a pair of Skjold 5-strings) that should come in over the next 3-4 months :eek:

That said, I may be able to rationalize $8K for a Monarch Deluxe :D Have to keep my eyes open...and since I'm now at 100+ gigs this year, at least no one can complain that I'm not using my toys :p
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I've seen YY Deluxe's come up for sale used a few times -- I would hang tight. Or wait for a used Monarch 4, they come up fairly often.

Either way -- good luck!
 
#183
Well, truth be told I have no qualms about my YYS - so wanting a Deluxe is just...well, wanting. I am hankering for a dovetail neck but at this point it is all about aesthetics.

I'll keep looking for the Monarchs. I have an aversion to gold hardware though so that shrinks the pool a bit. I'm not lacking for anything at the moment so I suppose I'm not in a hurry. Except that I am :D

I was a little taken aback last night though when I picked up my Fender after playing the Fodera for a bit and going, "eeewww" to the finish feel. Geez I'm spoiled...
 
#185
According to that one on the bay...


''The new ones you will see online are being PAINTED!!''

You mean the YYS?

''This is two pieces of wood Ebony and Birdseye''

Really?
I'd love to see who would buy that without knowing that at least..

''and it IS a collectors item.''

I'm sorry, but Vinnie Fodera is still making basses :)

''The value will continue to increase since they are painting them now. ''

You mean the YYS?

sorry, that one made me laugh :rollno:

But, the bass is sooo beautiful :eek:
I love that birdseye top/fingerboard combo, so nice!
 
#186
^^^ hahah yeah...

trust me If i had the money I would buy it... but luckly i already put a desposit down for a YYS; which I'm thinking i could sell one of my kidneys on the blackmarket to pay for it :)
 
#189
that bass also has a "scratch on the back of the neck, but it doesn't affect playability" according to the owner (not that I check eBay often). Doesn't give me a warm fuzzy - I hate dings on the back of the neck. Plus for that money you'd think there would be better pictures. But plenty of people out there with disposable income...
 
#190
ok, I think I have talked myself out of a YYD - I like my YYS too much to spend the extra money for a 2nd example that wouldn't be night/day different.

BUT, that has just led me down another path. Anyone here done/played a 33" scale 5-string Monarch (strung B-G)? I prefer that body style and my aging hands increasingly like the idea of shorter scales. The other candidate would be a 4-string Monarch, PJ, and maybe 33 or 34".
 
#192
Angus said:
I have a 33" Monarch 6 on the way that will be B-C, so I can give a review of that if you need. I love the 33" on my 5 string, and it has a very strong B string when strung that way.



You know it.
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I'm diggin my 33" scale MG. It's strung E to C but when i drop the tuner down to D or C it sounds nice. I'm sure if it were strung with a low B it would sound great as well.
 
#194
Tom7 said:
Wow! Congratulations. You should do something to protect Vic's signature on the back; I've read that others have had theirs wear off.
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Thanks, yeah I've heard there's a danger of that - anyone have any suggestions on the best way to do so? I could probably get a chunk of the material they use for phone/mp3 player shields and cut it to shape, but I do hate that stuff.

The GAS attack it gave me led me to believe I had to bring a 5-string with me too and suck up the extra baggage charge, so this beauty is joining me too - http://www.fodera.com/Main/NewBornDetails.aspx?FeaturedItemID=168

Now to clear out the rest of the closet-full of basses...
 
#195
Radial said:
Thanks, yeah I've heard there's a danger of that - anyone have any suggestions on the best way to do so? I could probably get a chunk of the material they use for phone/mp3 player shields and cut it to shape, but I do hate that stuff.

The GAS attack it gave me led me to believe I had to bring a 5-string with me too and suck up the extra baggage charge, so this beauty is joining me too - http://www.fodera.com/Main/NewBornDetails.aspx?FeaturedItemID=168

Now to clear out the rest of the closet-full of basses...
Click to expand...

Why not just purchase another electronics cover from Fodera and frame the signed one?
 
#196
AndroWal said:
Why not just purchase another electronics cover from Fodera and frame the signed one?
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That's a good idea, but not the one I would go for. If I had Vic's signature on a bass, I'd like to show it with his signature bass, you know?

Besides, the serial numbers under 10 cost more in large part because of the signature.

If it were me, I'd find a way to protect it.
 
#198
I think I may possibly remember this question a month or two back. I must have just scanned it but if I remember correctly another owner of <10 YYS had a similar issue with the signature rubbing off and the guys at Fodera sold him another plate to use for everyday useage. Wouldn't hurt to call and ask at least.

Regards and grats on a very beautiful bass.
 
#199
nostatic said:
ok, I think I have talked myself out of a YYD - I like my YYS too much to spend the extra money for a 2nd example that wouldn't be night/day different.

BUT, that has just led me down another path. Anyone here done/played a 33" scale 5-string Monarch (strung B-G)? I prefer that body style and my aging hands increasingly like the idea of shorter scales. The other candidate would be a 4-string Monarch, PJ, and maybe 33 or 34".
Click to expand...

I mean honestly dude you have a standard why in the world would u get a deluxe and shell out all that money; unless your a millionaire..

I'm pretty sure the reason the deluxe is SO MUCH More is because of the two types of wood they combine which doesnt sound easy...
 
#200
Indeed, it doesn't sound easy to make, but the bass might finally sound the same as a standard, or maybe a bit different, but not necessarly in a better way!

Anyway, I'm not too much into the Yin Yang wether it's a deluxe or the new standard, I mostly love the look of the Classic Monarch Deluxe, the bigger head, tulip inlays (which sadly, I don't have in my next monarch), and that dovetail neck :rolleyes: So perfect!
 
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