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Fodera Club Part VI

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#381
cnltb said:
Peduly was suggested as well, no?
So was Wal.(#373)
Since he is in germany (If I am not mistaken) I mentioned some german luthiers whose basses may be a little easier to get where he is.
That's all.

That was my point. Easy. :-)
Click to expand...

sorry man... i hadn't read back far enough to see your earlier post.
took my response out after reading...
cheers
 
#384
I think I'll give it a try the next time.

I'm sure it'll become a nice fretless.

I came on that idea because I was reading an interview with Leeland Sklar where also spoke about a relationship with one of his basses that turned to life after being defretted :)
 
#385
lowerb said:
For me, defretting a Fodera is similar to doing some re-painting on an original Picasso or changing the nose on a Michelangelo statue.
Click to expand...

See, I don't agree with this at ALL- they're all just instrument, regardless of initial price. They aren't multi-million dollar storied pieces of art...they're meant to go on a gig with you.

For whatever reason, I know a lot of musicians who defretted their basses in the 90's and early 2000's, and all of the guys who defretted Foderas were completely unhappy. Maybe it's just my experience, but most Foderas are voiced really well for fretted playing, and the great sounding fretless basses they've made have been a little out of their standard specs for their fretted basses.

I've played two really, REALLY great fretless Foderas: one was a copy of Marcus' Emperor with the Bart J's, and it sounds great. The other was one of my favorite basses of all time- a wenge-necked, bubinga bodied Monarch with an ebony board and Bartolinis. It sounded amazing, even though I probably would've fretted it anyway. Both specs were pretty out of the norm for Fodera.

I've played a number that were just awful as fretless basses. The worst had Duncans, which I like otherwise. They were just terrible. The ones with the Lanes were pretty bad, the Aeros were ok, and the Barts were alright. Woods used didn't seem to matter as much. I've never tried one with EMGs.

It's just my experience of course, but they were pretty clearly categorized by what pickups it had.
 
#389
Thanks Angus for your input !!!



Angus said:
See, I don't agree with this at ALL- they're all just instrument, regardless of initial price. They aren't multi-million dollar storied pieces of art...they're meant to go on a gig with you.

For whatever reason, I know a lot of musicians who defretted their basses in the 90's and early 2000's, and all of the guys who defretted Foderas were completely unhappy. Maybe it's just my experience, but most Foderas are voiced really well for fretted playing, and the great sounding fretless basses they've made have been a little out of their standard specs for their fretted basses.

I've played two really, REALLY great fretless Foderas: one was a copy of Marcus' Emperor with the Bart J's, and it sounds great. The other was one of my favorite basses of all time- a wenge-necked, bubinga bodied Monarch with an ebony board and Bartolinis. It sounded amazing, even though I probably would've fretted it anyway. Both specs were pretty out of the norm for Fodera.

I've played a number that were just awful as fretless basses. The worst had Duncans, which I like otherwise. They were just terrible. The ones with the Lanes were pretty bad, the Aeros were ok, and the Barts were alright. Woods used didn't seem to matter as much. I've never tried one with EMGs.

It's just my experience of course, but they were pretty clearly categorized by what pickups it had.
Click to expand...
 
#392
Here is my fretless ... just like a dream for me ...
 

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#398
re the fretless question.

my two cents is to do it.

as i understand it, you like the bass, but hear it as a fretless. you have another fretted fodera that's doing it for you. so why not?

the only other option i could see is putting flatwound strings on it before you defret, just to see if that's a good change for you.

imho, people are WAY too precious about their instruments' "originality." people have been modding instruments forever: case in point is my ca. 1840s upright, which started life with three strings, and now has four and a low c extension.

again, imho, instruments are to be played, not put on a pedestal and worshipped but that's just me.

one of my favorite basses is a 85 fodera 6-string (original owner) that started life as a fretless with ziricote board, didn't like it as a fretless, got another fodera fretless 6 that absolutely killed. switched the zircicote board to fretted; still was iffy . . . now it's a maple fretted board with thomastik flats and sounds freaking amazing that way.

anyway, ymmv.
 
#400
David Yates has an alder and rosewood emperor 5 fretless that I personally think is the nicest fretless..for my taste...I've ever played. It'll punch or growl or mwah or whatever you want it to do if you know how to play it. Freakin' GREAT bass!
 
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