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Fodera Club Part VI
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
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Thanks for the comments. I don't normally like posting pictures about stuff here that much, but they did a certifiably incredible job. All I did was send away my paychecks!
Yes, they said that there will be a 100% refund as it was not delivered overnight.
No joke- they really went all out for me in a way I've never experienced from a builder. I'm incredibly impressed and thankful for their hard work.
The bass is strung E-C, and has a Hipshot bridge because i use narrower spacing, at around 16.5mm. I sometimes space it in a bit to 16.0 depending on the instrument.
The ebony stringers was chosen because I really love the sound of ebony in the neck. Some people like it, some don't, but it's an option I had before and have had great luck with. This bass was modeled after my Benavente, and thus has pretty much the same options except the Fodera has a maple board instead of ebony. Luckily, the guys at Fodera followed the spec sheet and more, which Benavente did not do (even though the end result was still an incredible instrument).
So I should relay the end of the Fedex story. I picked it up this morning, but when they brought the box out, a full third of the box was sogged out. I didn't even cut the box open- I just tore the wet cardboard off. Luckily, there was no big damage to the bass, save for what appears to be a bit of moisture in the pickup shells. It's very minor, though, so not something I'm worried about unless it suddenly gets worse. The ramp pieces might be slightly warped, too, but once they acclimate they should be fine. No real damage, though, which is lucky! They must have left it outside overnight.
Laura Fodera called me right after I'd put the bass in my car, as she had just seen the Fedex update that the package was damaged and probably thought someone had driven a forklift through it! All is more or less well, though.
I've only had a bit of time with it today plugged in, as I came back late from work and was gifted a sweet bout of food poisoning, so my impressions are still pretty young. I found that the Matt Garrison strings are not for me, and I need to adjust the neck, string height and ramps a bit, which I haven't had the chance to do. I can't really speak to the out and out playability because of it, but it's going to be good.
Initial impressions? They completely nailed every detail. The neck is the most standout detail for me, though. I had a Chestnut/Walnut MG5 a while back to get used to Fodera's "standard" setup to know what works for me and what didn't, and it had a very thin, skinny neck that I didn't particularly like. I asked Fodera for a thicker, assymetrical neck, and it came out perfect. The bass just feels incredibly substantial and solid, which I've never really experienced before. It's not solid in the sense of heavy, but it just feels unusually sturdy. I can't describe it properly, but it is a totally different experience to the other Garrison bass I had. It feels like I could split logs with it in the back yard (which I probably won't do, FYI). The thicker neck changes the whole feel of the instrument, and it made all the difference in the world to me, which I didn't expect.
The ramp setup, too, is perfectly made and was exactly what I'd hoped for. It's especially nice to have the ramp near the bridge. I missed have a ramp there. Call them silly all anyone wants, but the ramp facilitates the feel I want for my right hand, so it is important to me.
Weight is midrange, and the balance is fantastic.
The sound is another area where I need more time with it, but I'm amazed at how alive it sounds- it's the trademark Fodera thing. It is very responsive to dynamic changes and has a lot of character. There is no mistaking this instrument for any other I own! The tone is very bright and direct, which is exactly what I needed. I tend to boost the bass a bit and back the treble off and I get a sound I'm really happy with. The clarity, presence and evenness in the higher registers is particularly noteworthy. I haven't gotten enough time with it to say much more.
It's pretty quiet, but that's the fault of the pickups I chose. It's a not a worry, as luckily my amp came with a volume knob, and I've never maxed it out at a gig.
I'm so used to East preamps that Pope's preamp feels very even and tame by comparison. I haven't explored it much yet, but I'm digging the low noise and treble control that doesn't make the bass sound like tin cans when boosted. Everything is very reasonable and useful, which is a nice change!
I don't think I need to speak to how it looks, as it's obviously a breathtaking piece of craftsmanship. From about 3-4 feet away, it looks like it has no pickups!
Although one thing I should say: someone needs to tell the guys at Fodera to buy finer grade steel wool! There are scratch marks everywhere (and one small rubbed out genk), but honestly I couldn't care less. I'm going to get dents all over it over the years probably, so it doesn't matter.
Anyway, I couldn't be happier and I'm a customer for life. I've skipped over a bunch of details I'm sure, but I haven't had enough time to formulate a very thorough analysis just yet. Not only is it a keeper, but it's good enough to be the "only" bass if I needed to. It's a great instrument...and I'm really picky.
Yes, they said that there will be a 100% refund as it was not delivered overnight.
No joke- they really went all out for me in a way I've never experienced from a builder. I'm incredibly impressed and thankful for their hard work.
What made you decide on ebony stringers in the neck in combination with ash?
What bridge do you have on there?
Do you string it B-G ?
The bass is strung E-C, and has a Hipshot bridge because i use narrower spacing, at around 16.5mm. I sometimes space it in a bit to 16.0 depending on the instrument.
The ebony stringers was chosen because I really love the sound of ebony in the neck. Some people like it, some don't, but it's an option I had before and have had great luck with. This bass was modeled after my Benavente, and thus has pretty much the same options except the Fodera has a maple board instead of ebony. Luckily, the guys at Fodera followed the spec sheet and more, which Benavente did not do (even though the end result was still an incredible instrument).
So I should relay the end of the Fedex story. I picked it up this morning, but when they brought the box out, a full third of the box was sogged out. I didn't even cut the box open- I just tore the wet cardboard off. Luckily, there was no big damage to the bass, save for what appears to be a bit of moisture in the pickup shells. It's very minor, though, so not something I'm worried about unless it suddenly gets worse. The ramp pieces might be slightly warped, too, but once they acclimate they should be fine. No real damage, though, which is lucky! They must have left it outside overnight.
Laura Fodera called me right after I'd put the bass in my car, as she had just seen the Fedex update that the package was damaged and probably thought someone had driven a forklift through it! All is more or less well, though.
I've only had a bit of time with it today plugged in, as I came back late from work and was gifted a sweet bout of food poisoning, so my impressions are still pretty young. I found that the Matt Garrison strings are not for me, and I need to adjust the neck, string height and ramps a bit, which I haven't had the chance to do. I can't really speak to the out and out playability because of it, but it's going to be good.
Initial impressions? They completely nailed every detail. The neck is the most standout detail for me, though. I had a Chestnut/Walnut MG5 a while back to get used to Fodera's "standard" setup to know what works for me and what didn't, and it had a very thin, skinny neck that I didn't particularly like. I asked Fodera for a thicker, assymetrical neck, and it came out perfect. The bass just feels incredibly substantial and solid, which I've never really experienced before. It's not solid in the sense of heavy, but it just feels unusually sturdy. I can't describe it properly, but it is a totally different experience to the other Garrison bass I had. It feels like I could split logs with it in the back yard (which I probably won't do, FYI). The thicker neck changes the whole feel of the instrument, and it made all the difference in the world to me, which I didn't expect.
The ramp setup, too, is perfectly made and was exactly what I'd hoped for. It's especially nice to have the ramp near the bridge. I missed have a ramp there. Call them silly all anyone wants, but the ramp facilitates the feel I want for my right hand, so it is important to me.
Weight is midrange, and the balance is fantastic.
The sound is another area where I need more time with it, but I'm amazed at how alive it sounds- it's the trademark Fodera thing. It is very responsive to dynamic changes and has a lot of character. There is no mistaking this instrument for any other I own! The tone is very bright and direct, which is exactly what I needed. I tend to boost the bass a bit and back the treble off and I get a sound I'm really happy with. The clarity, presence and evenness in the higher registers is particularly noteworthy. I haven't gotten enough time with it to say much more.
It's pretty quiet, but that's the fault of the pickups I chose. It's a not a worry, as luckily my amp came with a volume knob, and I've never maxed it out at a gig.
I'm so used to East preamps that Pope's preamp feels very even and tame by comparison. I haven't explored it much yet, but I'm digging the low noise and treble control that doesn't make the bass sound like tin cans when boosted. Everything is very reasonable and useful, which is a nice change!
I don't think I need to speak to how it looks, as it's obviously a breathtaking piece of craftsmanship. From about 3-4 feet away, it looks like it has no pickups!
Although one thing I should say: someone needs to tell the guys at Fodera to buy finer grade steel wool!
There are scratch marks everywhere (and one small rubbed out genk), but honestly I couldn't care less. I'm going to get dents all over it over the years probably, so it doesn't matter. Anyway, I couldn't be happier and I'm a customer for life. I've skipped over a bunch of details I'm sure, but I haven't had enough time to formulate a very thorough analysis just yet. Not only is it a keeper, but it's good enough to be the "only" bass if I needed to. It's a great instrument...and I'm really picky.
Just Thumpin'
Commercial User
- Mar 7, 2008
- 4,534
- 1,664
- Disclosures
- Manager and Partner, Fodera Guitars (10/14/09 - 12/16/19)
Dear Angus --
I am thrilled to hear your initial impressions of the bass and that it arrived safely. The soaking box part is pretty horrific, but I am glad that the bass seems none the worse for wear.
About the "steel wool" thing (as we are a bunch of perfectionists here), for better or worse, with a completely hand rubbed finish, there is simply no way that we have found to completely eliminate the very fine "scratches" that appear in the surface of our finish...especially on dark woods (like Katalox, Walnut, Ebony, Rosewood, etc.).
Many builders do not have this issue because they use either a polyurethane based finish or use a satin finish spray...neither of those finish methods will result in the fine scratches that you see in ours. Instead our finish process involves an ultra-thin glossy (you read the word 'glossy' correctly) urethane lacquer that is hand rubbed to a satin finish between each of the 7-10 coats. It is a painstaking process that takes a ton of hand time, but in the end, feels silky smooth to the touch, wears very well, is easily repaired AND (MOST IMPORTANTLY), allows the wood to breathe throughout its life rather than encasing it in plastic. We believe, based on a lot of tinkering, trial and error, that this is one part of the Fodera sound.
We actually stopped using steel wool (0000 steel wool) for final rub out over a year ago as we get better results with Abralon Pads (which we use in successively finer grades up to 1000 grit). Consider the marks a little bit of our humanity left behind to remind you that your bass was built completely by hand and rubbed out completely by hand as well...and, if we could figure out a finish that sounded as good and did not have any scratches, Joey and Vinny would have switched to it 20 years ago. LOL
Play it in good health!! It was a real pleasure to build it for you...
J
I am thrilled to hear your initial impressions of the bass and that it arrived safely. The soaking box part is pretty horrific, but I am glad that the bass seems none the worse for wear.
About the "steel wool" thing (as we are a bunch of perfectionists here), for better or worse, with a completely hand rubbed finish, there is simply no way that we have found to completely eliminate the very fine "scratches" that appear in the surface of our finish...especially on dark woods (like Katalox, Walnut, Ebony, Rosewood, etc.).
Many builders do not have this issue because they use either a polyurethane based finish or use a satin finish spray...neither of those finish methods will result in the fine scratches that you see in ours. Instead our finish process involves an ultra-thin glossy (you read the word 'glossy' correctly) urethane lacquer that is hand rubbed to a satin finish between each of the 7-10 coats. It is a painstaking process that takes a ton of hand time, but in the end, feels silky smooth to the touch, wears very well, is easily repaired AND (MOST IMPORTANTLY), allows the wood to breathe throughout its life rather than encasing it in plastic. We believe, based on a lot of tinkering, trial and error, that this is one part of the Fodera sound.
We actually stopped using steel wool (0000 steel wool) for final rub out over a year ago as we get better results with Abralon Pads (which we use in successively finer grades up to 1000 grit). Consider the marks a little bit of our humanity left behind to remind you that your bass was built completely by hand and rubbed out completely by hand as well...and, if we could figure out a finish that sounded as good and did not have any scratches, Joey and Vinny would have switched to it 20 years ago. LOL
Play it in good health!! It was a real pleasure to build it for you...
J
Angus That bass is amazing...its beautiful....
all the best with it.
Awesome job Fodera !!
Mine is also ready. Its pictured to the left of Angus' bass.
Take a look.....
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
all the best with it.
Awesome job Fodera !!
Mine is also ready. Its pictured to the left of Angus' bass.
Take a look.....
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
about that finish...
My Beez (pics posted previously in this thread) has the same finish (obviously), and I must say that I agree with Jason in that there is something organically characteristic about it. Jason spoke to the sonic advantages of this finish, this is about the aesthetic.
All of my other high end basses have super glossy mirror like finishes, which are nice to look at and on initial observation are quite impressive. However, aesthetically speaking, I always had this sense that my Beez had this earthy/human quality, which in my mind elevates its status among other instruments. If you run you hand over the finish you can also feel the slight undulations of something that had obviously NOT been cut from a CNC machine.....and as Jason mentioned it is super smooth, more-so than those aforementioned glossy finishes.
I'd take the slight (im)perfections of someting hand-made any day over something production made; same goes for other things like jewelry, automobiles (Ferrari is not in my price range though..
), clothes, etc., etc..
My Beez (pics posted previously in this thread) has the same finish (obviously), and I must say that I agree with Jason in that there is something organically characteristic about it. Jason spoke to the sonic advantages of this finish, this is about the aesthetic.
All of my other high end basses have super glossy mirror like finishes, which are nice to look at and on initial observation are quite impressive. However, aesthetically speaking, I always had this sense that my Beez had this earthy/human quality, which in my mind elevates its status among other instruments. If you run you hand over the finish you can also feel the slight undulations of something that had obviously NOT been cut from a CNC machine.....and as Jason mentioned it is super smooth, more-so than those aforementioned glossy finishes.
I'd take the slight (im)perfections of someting hand-made any day over something production made; same goes for other things like jewelry, automobiles (Ferrari is not in my price range though..
), clothes, etc., etc..
57pbass..
WHOA!!! ...what is that top wood?.....
P.S. that is NOT a 57 P-bass...
Walnut Burl......
about that finish...
My Beez (pics posted previously in this thread) has the same finish (obviously), and I must say that I agree with Jason in that there is something organically characteristic about it. Jason spoke to the sonic advantages of this finish, this is about the aesthetic.
All of my other high end basses have super glossy mirror like finishes, which are nice to look at and on initial observation are quite impressive. However, aesthetically speaking, I always had this sense that my Beez had this earthy/human quality, which in my mind elevates its status among other instruments. If you run you hand over the finish you can also feel the slight undulations of something that had obviously NOT been cut from a CNC machine.....and as Jason mentioned it is super smooth, more-so than those aforementioned glossy finishes.
I'd take the slight (im)perfections of someting hand-made any day over something production made; same goes for other things like jewelry, automobiles (Ferrari is not in my price range though..
i agree totally.. love the finish on my MG... it feels very similar to the oil finish on number 11... and lets the tone come through just as well....
Oh I love the finish- I was just trying to be fair. I don't care one bit about the visible scratches...I'm going to be put them in the instrument myself anyway!
I don't care one bit about the visible scratches...I'm going to be put them in the instrument myself anyway!
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