Fodera Club Part VII

[TapyTap]

What we CAN do is to work them into the end of the current production schedule so that no one waits as a result of the experiment. Actually, I think that we will make that happen today which means that in 15-16 months we could actually get this answer!!

J

Sweet!

 

[Angus]

A modification I really recommend everyone do:

I put threaded inserted in place of the wood screw holes in both the control cavity and under the truss rod cover. The inserts let you use machine screws that zip in and out quickly (particularly helpful for the truss cover) and you never have to worry about wear from taking the screws in and out. They save a lot of time over the life of the instrument, and it only costs about $2 for the parts.

Aaand some quick pictures from another thread:

 

[Joelc73]

A modification I really recommend everyone do:

I put threaded inserted in place of the wood screw holes in both the control cavity and under the truss rod cover. The inserts let you use machine screws that zip in and out quickly (particularly helpful for the truss cover) and you never have to worry about wear from taking the screws in and out. They save a lot of time over the life of the instrument, and it only costs about $2 for the parts.

Aaand some suick pictures from another thread:

That's a great mod. I was always puzzled as why Fodera didn't do brass inserts.

 

[j-raj]

That's a great mod. I was always puzzled as why Fodera didn't do brass inserts.

it changes the tone of the bass.

 

[tomika]

 

[78Jazzlover]

Don't think we haven't thought about it! It's just hard to say to those that are waiting for their instrument...sorry, you have to wait a bit longer while we build three extra basses as an experiment. What we CAN do is to work them into the end of the current production schedule so that no one waits as a result of the experiment. Actually, I think that we will make that happen today which means that in 15-16 months we could actually get this answer!!

J

This jogged me into wondering about something else-

How did the new Wooten Standards impact production times? 60 instruments, even if made in batches, is a huge number to fit in without affecting the custom orders. I read you are also going to do it again for a further 60. When people are paying (often) 2x the money for a custom and are quoted a wait time are they actually waiting in part for Fodera to complete non- custom Standards? What would the custom order wait time be if you didnt build the Standards?

 

[cnltb]

That's a great mod. I was always puzzled as why Fodera didn't do brass inserts.

I am surprised they don't use inserts.
I thought they did.

 

[Angus]

That's a great mod. I was always puzzled as why Fodera didn't do brass inserts.

Same. I've always wondered why everyone doesn't use them. I think Zon is the only one I can think of who does.

I knew I had to do it the moment I got the bass, though, as 2/4 cavity screws and 2/3 truss cover screws were pretty sticky. No fault of Fodera's or anything- just the nature of wood screws. Took me 15 minutes to set up everything and install them. Done.

 

[Joelc73]

Same. I've always wondered why everyone doesn't use them. I think Zon is the only one I can think of who does.

I knew I had to do it the moment I got the bass, though, as 2/4 cavity screws and 2/3 truss cover screws were pretty sticky. No fault of Fodera's or anything- just the nature of wood screws. Took me 15 minutes to set up everything and install them. Done.

I know MTD does also.

 

[Angus]

Ah, that's right! Forgot about them.

I'm sure there are others, too.

 

[KoaFodera]

Lee Valley has them if I'm not mistaken.

Jason... perhaps an option for those wishing to have the inserts done in the shop?

 

[narud]

A modification I really recommend everyone do:

I put threaded inserted in place of the wood screw holes in both the control cavity and under the truss rod cover. The inserts let you use machine screws that zip in and out quickly (particularly helpful for the truss cover) and you never have to worry about wear from taking the screws in and out. They save a lot of time over the life of the instrument, and it only costs about $2 for the parts.

Aaand some quick pictures from another thread:

man id love to hear some recordings of this bass. lane poors and maple body right? thats gotta be a tone pretty uncommon for a fodera.

 

[Just Thumpin']

We did use them for awhile and then stopped. Generally I would NOT recommend doing this to your basses for the same reasons that we stopped using them...

1. We were getting a fair number of returns from folks that were over-tightening the screws and stripping the machine screws and / or pulling out the inserts...requiring a trip back to the shop to be replaced.

2. If you ever do strip the hole in the wood from a wood screw it is very easy to fix WITHOUT sending the bass back to the shop. We start by using very small screws when the basses are originally delivered and then can up the size of the screws if necessary. This should buy a customer a life time of use. Certainly my 1984 Monarch has wood screws and they are still serviceable 27 years later.

3. IF the larger screws no longer work, it is very easy to fill one of the holes with wood filler (or a portion of a toothpick and glue) and be right back in business again in 5 minutes.

Now, Angus takes phenomenal care of his instruments and is very careful as well, so the inserts probably DO work for him, but not everyone is that way and we felt that on average, the threaded inserts did more harm than good...

I am surprised they don't use inserts.
I thought they did.

 

[Just Thumpin']

It is all a question of timing and the correct product mix requires a very delicate balancing act. The Yin Yang Standard is something that we waited to do until we had taken on enough additional staff and smoothed out our internal operations enough to ensure that we could absorb them and still meet our quoted delivery schedules for custom instruments. In less than two years we have gone from a 24-27 month wait for new custom orders down to 15-16 months AND introduced the Standards.

Additionally, part of designing the Standards involved actually filling slack time in our staff's day. That is, while Vinny and Vadym were maxed out in terms of hand carving (which is how we make all of our Customs), we had excess personnel capacity for things like glue-ups, rough shaping, painting, sanding, set-up, etc. So, by designing the Yin Yang Standards (which all have an identical shapes) and having the necks made in our shop in Japan (necks are also very, very time consuming), we were able use our excess productive capacity in a way that has a very minimal effect on building the custom instruments.

Yes, it does have SOME impact, but far less than if we just tried to keep growing the number of custom instruments we were producing...

I hope that this makes sense.

Jason

This jogged me into wondering about something else-

How did the new Wooten Standards impact production times? 60 instruments, even if made in batches, is a huge number to fit in without affecting the custom orders. I read you are also going to do it again for a further 60. When people are paying (often) 2x the money for a custom and are quoted a wait time are they actually waiting in part for Fodera to complete non- custom Standards? What would the custom order wait time be if you didnt build the Standards?

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Man, that bass.....

When are you moving to Connecticut and what days will you be out of your apartment for a long time?

 

[Angus]

I'll be there in mid-July. My next job doesn't start until September so it looks like I'll be in the apartment an awful lot for a while!

But you are welcome to come by and try it out anytime. She's a keeper, for sure.

Narud, I don't have any recordings that I can hand out (ie, that I own), but I'll try and get some at some point. The bass sounds pretty rude for a Fodera- imagine a walnut/ash/ebony bass meets a Spector. I love the combination.

We did use them for awhile and then stopped. Generally I would NOT recommend doing this to your basses for the same reasons that we stopped using them...

1. We were getting a fair number of returns from folks that were over-tightening the screws and stripping the machine screws and / or pulling out the inserts...requiring a trip back to the shop to be replaced.

2. If you ever do strip the hole in the wood from a wood screw it is very easy to fix WITHOUT sending the bass back to the shop. We start by using very small screws when the basses are originally delivered and then can up the size of the screws if necessary. This should buy a customer a life time of use. Certainly my 1984 Monarch has wood screws and they are still serviceable 27 years later.

3. IF the larger screws no longer work, it is very easy to fill one of the holes with wood filler (or a portion of a toothpick and glue) and be right back in business again in 5 minutes.

Totally fair- I can appreciate that. I'm handy so I don't tend to do things like overtighten screws, but I can imagine that being an issue.

I imagine it's a lot more time consuming during manufacturing, too, because the inserts also require being much more precise in location and angle. Thanks for the perspective!

 

[Just Thumpin']

LOL, alas that NEVER factors into how we do things here, seriously. The ethos here is ALL about achieving the optimum balance of form, tone and function so the decision to stop using the inserts was actually carefully pondered, but none of the discussion involved saving time and / or money, it was more about how to best serve pro musicians all over the world with the most reliable, trouble-free solution possible.

Cheers,

J

I imagine it's a lot more time consuming during manufacturing, too, because the inserts also require being much more precise in location and angle. Thanks for the perspective!

 

[Lokire]

1988 Monarch Elite 5-String:

Shipped today, should get here next Tuesday


(I think I'll be taking a vacation day )

 

[Lokire]

Hey Jason, do you have a ballpark figure on how many 5 and 6-string Monarchs are out there? Seems like the majority are 4-strings.

 

[Spaldo]

My god!

So many gorgeous basses.

Must....burn....credit....card....