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Fodera Club Part V

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#402
basswalker2004 said:
One of the few things I regret in my life is not buying both of the basses Vinny and Joey brought to the store that day on Long Island.. One was my 4 string Monarch the other was a beautiful 6 string they had designed with Anthony Jackson. I had never seen one before and it was so huge it scared the crap out of me LOL
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was that one of the tulip-shaped (not what they called them) basses? they were the 6-string design before the one i have (i have the second of that body shape, if i'm not mistaken).

i had one of those tulip thingies as well. a little ungainly, but serious low end. (there's a picture of that body style somewhere on that japanese fodera—club?—site.)

re jason . . . yeah, righted a listing ship . . .
 
#403
+1 Jason, Vinny and Joey have re- structured to bring customer interactions and information to the same level as their instruments ( and thats quite a standard!) Fodera has to get huge credit for realizing this vision.

Much respect to Fodera~

Cheers,
Mitch
 
#405
steubig said:
was that one of the tulip-shaped (not what they called them) basses? they were the 6-string design before the one i have (i have the second of that body shape, if i'm not mistaken).

i had one of those tulip thingies as well. a little ungainly, but serious low end. (there's a picture of that body style somewhere on that japanese fodera—club?—site.)

re jason . . . yeah, righted a listing ship . . .
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I have a pic of it somewhere... I believe it was the same one that was on the Fodera flier along with my bass and 2 guitars..
Will try to find the pic.
Here is Vic, number 11, and me...
 
#406
cnltb said:
Do you happen to have a picture of one of these tulip shaped basses?
I've never as much as heard of these and would be interested in seeing one.
:)
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i don't. there was a japanese fodera club site that had a pic of a very early one (earlier than the one i had, i think).

i think the one i had is at the shop as i traded to them for one i had made in the mid-90s or early 2000s.
 
#407
cnltb said:
+1
and... would one still be able to get a wooden one?
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I had a wooden butterfly done on my bass a few years ago......for an upcharge, of course. (Along with a rubbed oil finish to match the vibe on my old '84 Monarch (#85)
 

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#408
Garey said:
I had a wooden butterfly done on my bass a few years ago......for an upcharge, of course. (Along with a rubbed oil finish to match the vibe on my old '84 Monarch (#85)
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i've heard they're not gonna do oil finishes anymore (jason, is that correct?).

i think i got the last one. apparently it's very labor-intensive. shame, cause i think it sounds different (better for me).
 
#409
steubig said:
i've heard they're not gonna do oil finishes anymore (jason, is that correct?).

i think i got the last one. apparently it's very labor-intensive. shame, cause i think it sounds different (better for me).
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I had mine done in 2006...I know it was a PITA...so I'm not surprised they won't do them anymore. I, personally, prefer the oil finish...
 
#412
We definitely still do wooden ones from time to time. They are an upcharge and the price varies depending on the woods the customer wants us to use.

I am embarrassed to admit that with all of the trivial Fodera stuff floating around in my brain, I do not know an exact date when the wooden butterflies stopped and abalone ones started...I know that it was in the 1980's, but not exactly sure when.

cnltb said:
+1
and... would one still be able to get a wooden one?
Click to expand...
 
#414
A huge thanks to this post and the similar ones that followed. For me, being part of Fodera and helping out with the skill set that I have (business) has been nothing short of a realized dream.

Vinny and Joey's instruments touched my life in a very meaningful way (as I am sure they have touched many others' lives) and being able to work with them side by side as best friends and partners -- while building a team that we all expect will be building Foderas at the same level we build them today for many years to come -- is a wonderful gift.

Thanks for appreciating the changes that we have made already, tolerating the things that can still be improved and spreading the good word about what we are doing.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

J

mstott25 said:
Jason (Just Thumpin'),
I don't own a Fodera and am certainly not a member of this club but I do check in here frequently because I have always loved Fodera basses.

It started about 12 years ago when I first moved to LA and I got to play one that was at the LA Bass Exchange. Then I saw Tom Kennedy play and I thought he had the best live tone I had ever heard before in my life. Ever since then whether it's been former bass teachers (Baba Elefante) players I've met locally (Curtis Ohlson) or just watching videos or seeing them around, I have always been intrigued by these basses, the guys who make them and certainly the guys who play them.

I just wanted to let you know that it has been really great seeing what you have brought to the table with Fodera. Everything from the constant updates, the newer pictures, the transparency with how the business is run, how the basses are built, the price lists, order time, new website...I mean finally these basses are being represented in a worthy manner.

Thanks a lot, I know I'm not the only person who has noticed or appreciated your work and I just wanted to make mention of it.
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#415
This is correct. We are also not doing high-gloss finishes anymore.

The reality is that they represent less than 1% of the requests that we receive for our instruments and it just does not make sense to spend the time and money necessary to equip the shop to continue doing them at the highest level...

Sorry!

J

steubig said:
i've heard they're not gonna do oil finishes anymore (jason, is that correct?).

i think i got the last one. apparently it's very labor-intensive. shame, cause i think it sounds different (better for me).
Click to expand...
 
#417
Just Thumpin' said:
This is correct. We are also not doing high-gloss finishes anymore.

The reality is that they represent less than 1% of the requests that we receive for our instruments and it just does not make sense to spend the time and money necessary to equip the shop to continue doing them at the highest level...

Sorry!

J
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uhhhh Jason... I just noticed the time stamp on your last message. were you up all night or did you get up early?..
Guy
 
#419
I have the answer! I own 236 (early 1986) and it has a wooden butterfly and I owned (and recently sold) 269 which also had a wooden butterfly and was built in May of 1986...

So, this information coupled with Steuart knowing that 289 was abalone caused me to go back to our "red book," which is Vinny's handwritten notes of every bass we have ever produced, to discover...

Bass number 272 which was a 4 string Emperor and was built on May 27, 1986 was the first Fodera with a Abalone butterfly AND the smaller, "modern" peghead...

Now, knowing how the shop works, I am certain that there was some overlap, but this is the best I can do without having all of the instruments from that time period in a room together...

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

J

steubig said:
re the question about when they went from wooden to abalone butterflies.

my guess is sometime in 1986.

i have 223 (wood butterfly) from the end of 1985.

i have a picture of 289 (abalone butterfly) from sometime in 1986.

yeah, i'm a geek.
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#420
Just Thumpin' said:
. . . caused me to go back to our "red book," which is Vinny's handwritten notes of every bass we have ever produced, to discover...

Bass number 272 which was a 4 string Emperor and was built on May 27, 1986 was the first Fodera with a Abalone butterfly AND the smaller, "modern" peghead...
Click to expand...

the red book, like tolkein or mao . . . the more modern peghead sizes for the 6-string happened around the 140s, i'd wager (having had the 1st 6-string style—where joey said the peghead was "a pizza paddle"—and the second, where it is much smaller).
 
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