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Fodera Club Part XI

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#702
nostatic said:
fwiw my churn has been heavy over the past 2+ years but now has pretty much stopped at Fodera and Rob Allen. Everything else came and went (or is going).

And it is as much as the people behind the instruments as the basses themselves...
Click to expand...

I hear you...my quest has been ongoing for years but the last 4 or 5 years has been almost non stop churn. I have been through well over 200 basses from all over the board in just the last 3 or 4 years. To address the question in the other post I have to say that out of those hundreds of basses I can actually list the ones that I loved most and would love to have back:

In Alphabetical order to be fair:

1. Alleva 3TS LG5 Supreme - The Nitro on this one was shot by a guy that shot bodies in Nitro for Fender for over 50 years!! Need I say more...
2. Alleva 3TS LG4 Supreme X 2 - Yep I had 2 different ones and they were both AMAZING and I never should have gotten rid of either of them...Both were shot by the same Fender guy...
3. Lakland AMBER 55-02 - That's right a 55-02! This is one of the best sounding basses I ever got my hands on and EASILY beat the 5 different 55-94s and countless other 55-02s I tried to replace her with...She just has IT! I JUST missed buying her back for the 5th or 6th time not too long ago...sigh
4. Musicman Stingray Classic 4 in Fiesta Red from Bass Player live in 2010
5, Musicman Stingray 5 - I have owned quite a few of these but 2 really stood out and I still own them both!! I know not fair but I HAD to put them in here...One of the 2 go out with me about 95% of the time as a backup to my latest Fodera!
6. Musicman 25th Anniversary 4HH AND 5HH - I owned both a 4 and a 5 in these and would have liked to keep them both
7. Sadowsky NYC Shoreline Gold Ultra Vintage 4 and a NYC Olympic White Ultra Vintage P - WOW These were monsters but the P went to a very famous bassist who more or less secretly played all the original stuff for a big group in the 80's and now tours with them and it is not a secret anymore...(edited as I am not sure I should disclose this...)
8. Sadowsky METRO Natural Vintage P Bass - THIS is THE most wicked P bass I ever had the privilege to pick up. Interestingly enough I had the chance to get her back a couple of months ago and didn't pull the trigger...I sent the owner an email about 20 minutes ago and am waiting to see if he still has her and wants to sell her back to me...hopefully he does and he will!
9. Sadowsky UV70 Natural Ultra Vintage 4 - This is THE 70's Jazz bass for me and I was an idiot to let her get away from me!!
10. ORIGINAL Steinberger XL2 that was serial number 00008 if I am not mistaken bought new in 86 or 87 or so from Chuck Levin's in Wheaton, MD...OH THE MEMORIES!! That bass went around the world with me for about 4 years and I was heartbroken to have to sell her or starve to death!

In total that means that out of WELL over a thousand basses there are ONLY a dozen basses that I truly would do almost anything to have back...That's it! Out of ALL the things I have owned I did love many of them but I was IN LOVE with only a very small percentage of them. In retrospect I sold almost all of them for stupid reasons or out of a feeling of guilt for having so many at a time or due to financial circumstances or lack of space to store them or what have you. Some I am not sure WHAT I was thinking when I sold them but I just did...It was not a question of NOT loving some of them it was a question I think of not KNOWING what that love was...I had to play so many to discern the little differences between them and learn to appreciate the differences in what I liked and what I LOVED. It has been a great journey for me to get to the point that I can take an instrument and pretty quickly judge it for what it is based on those experiences with so many different types of basses and even playing multiple versions of the EXACT same bass. The number one thing I have learned through it all is that every builder and every bass is VERY different...PERIOD! I have had as many as 7 more or less identical Sadowskys and as many (or more) identical Laklands in my arms reach for YEARS and I was able to really dissect the build and tone of each one side by side over an extended period of time and really learn how to READ a PARTICULAR bass and see its merits and its shortcomings. Trust me out of all those instruments some were good, some were bad, quite a few were really good but VERY FEW of them were REALLY REALLY GREAT!!!

A good Sommelier knows how to recommend a good wine with your meal but a really GREAT Sommelier KNOWS his wines by taste, by smell, by sight and he or she KNOWS why one is better than the other and can probably recommend the perfect wine for you based on what you tell them you want in a wine...I consider myself to have been fortunate enough to become a really great Sommelier of basses and paid for my education by buying and selling (and losing my ass a LOT of times) a LOT of instruments through the years. That experience has been priceless for me because it has enabled me to become very well known in the circle I play in and my reputation and earning power went up because I now KNOW what the Sommelier knows...except instead of wine I know TONE...GREAT TONE! Not good tone or even really good tone but GREAT tone. The greatest compliment I can get is when a total stranger (usually another musician) walks up to me on a gig and says "Man you have such GREAT tone!" THAT is the ONLY reason I have been a working bassist and engineer (meaning actually earning a living) since I was 12 years old...I am 46 now and continue to work and continue to get those compliments and it is very satisfying because I am a meat and potatoes player and play mostly in the first 9 frets of the fretboard...Interestingly enough I got a call from a guy I recorded a couple of years ago and he told me that Quincy Jones heard the demo I played on and engineered for him on Super Bowl Sunday and "LOVED" the bass tone and the mix!! MY bass tone and MY mix!! He didn't "LIKE" it he "LOVED" it! How much better could it get...

So how does this belong here in a thread about Fodera? Well....ALL these basses and those years of buying and trying lead me to Fodera! I have truly owned just about everything out there (keep in mind the basses listed are the ONLY ones I would kill to have back) and I have to say that I could not be happier with Coco (my wife named her in honor of the Chanel bag that she could have gotten instead of me getting Yin Yang Standard #YYS49...LOL!) After having had everything else out there that I had ANY slight interest in I have to say that Coco has trumped them all and managed to stick and become my number 1. I play her on everything and have loaned her out to a couple of friends for sessions and I could not be happier. I consider her my desert island bass and have the urge to dive straight into the deep end and get myself a custom speced YYD at some point. The ONLY problem I have is the wait time...I am impatient as hell and I am thinking about ordering through someone who has something in the pipeline that I could change and get fairly quickly at some point down the road...LOL!

I have to tell you Todd that it is actually YOU who got me on this path towards Fodera and I thank you for it! I have watched your experiences here on the boards and it was your review of the YYS that really got me interested in giving Fodera another shot. I owned 2 previously in the 90's and was just not blown away (or I didn't really know what blown away was...) by them and moved them on fairly quickly and never even thought about trying another one. Don't get me wrong I have been aware of the brand and the builders and obviously heard all the good and bad things that were out there over the years but I was just not interested due to my own experience. To be fair both were used so I never really had the experience of getting the guys to build MY bass to MY specs and that could have changed things significantly but I don't think I was in a place in my knowledge quest that I would have even known exactly what MY spec was at the time.

So thank you! Your Review gave me the push I needed to take that second look and boy I am REALLY glad I did! I envy you for having now gotten a YYD and I can appreciate the differences in the Deluxe and the Standard. I KNOW what goes into all the little details that carry the deluxe to an entirely different level and I look forward to the experience myself someday...soon....

To the disinterested... PLEASE Excuse the ramblings of a rather road worn old musician who feels so passionate about his craft...I have been out on the road for a while now and am feeling somewhat nostalgic at the moment...Hope it makes for a good read or at least gives you something to chuckle about...LOL!

Peace,

T
 
#703
Glad to be of service. As my dad used to tell me, "you're not useless son - you can always serve as a bad example." :D

I kid...

I was a Fodera skeptic and had owned most every nice bass out there. I also had played a NYC or two that didn't thrill me. The YYS changed all that and has proved to be my gateway drug and I'm happy about it. It is nice to have an instrument that will give you back exactly what you put in and more. As for impatience, I understand that. My advice is to order one and in the meantime watch the classified and/or the Fodera site as stuff pops up. Then you can pick up a Deluxe along the way to tide you over until your order is done. Then you can sell it or just add to the stable (I believe Jason knows something about that).

"No excuses" instruments are hard to come by in my experience. When you do find them, the natural inclination is to get a backup or two. At least that's mine :p

Just back from a gig tonight. The Fodera/Rob Allen one-two punch. Absolutely thrilled to pick up either one and play. Getting to use tools that inspire you is worth the price of admission imho.
 
#704
Hey Tommix,

I believe I bought the Alleva Coppolo 3TS LG5 from you. such a nice bass :)

I moved back to 4 strings permanently and sold it to a friend. I believe he also sold it but I'm happy to try and track it down for you if you want?

Did the 4 string 3TS also come to the UK. If so then I think I might know where that one could be :)

Really interesting to hear your views on finding THE bass. Gave me a lot to think about. . .
 
#705
Molan said:
Hey Tommix,

I believe I bought the Alleva Coppolo 3TS LG5 from you. such a nice bass :)

I moved back to 4 strings permanently and sold it to a friend. I believe he also sold it but I'm happy to try and track it down for you if you want?

Did the 4 string 3TS also come to the UK. If so then I think I might know where that one could be :)

Really interesting to hear your views on finding THE bass. Gave me a lot to think about. . .
Click to expand...

INDEED you did! GREAT bass and I hope she served you well. The truth is I know where a lot of them are I just don't have the space or the money or time for them all. I have my eye on 3 or 4 of them now and have first dibs if they come up but I can't see myself getting them all back unless I win the lottery and build a HUGE house to keep everything in...Good to hear from you and hope you are well and happy! God Bless you and yours!

Peace,

T
 
#706
nostatic said:
Glad to be of service. As my dad used to tell me, "you're not useless son - you can always serve as a bad example." :D

I kid...

I was a Fodera skeptic and had owned most every nice bass out there. I also had played a NYC or two that didn't thrill me. The YYS changed all that and has proved to be my gateway drug and I'm happy about it. It is nice to have an instrument that will give you back exactly what you put in and more. As for impatience, I understand that. My advice is to order one and in the meantime watch the classified and/or the Fodera site as stuff pops up. Then you can pick up a Deluxe along the way to tide you over until your order is done. Then you can sell it or just add to the stable (I believe Jason knows something about that).

"No excuses" instruments are hard to come by in my experience. When you do find them, the natural inclination is to get a backup or two. At least that's mine :p

Just back from a gig tonight. The Fodera/Rob Allen one-two punch. Absolutely thrilled to pick up either one and play. Getting to use tools that inspire you is worth the price of admission imho.
Click to expand...

No need to wait on a YYS - Bass San Diego has one or two.
 
#707
ono69 said:
from ken smith forum
“Claro Walnut is a pedigree species from Northern California BUT, the species are often integrated for the 'Nut' industry by cross breeding with Top and Root grafts. Currently when buying Claro, anything bought from the west coast is called 'Claro' but is not necessarily a pedigree or even a mix with any real Claro in it. It is just grown in Calif.

Crotch Walnut is NOT a species. It is the Crotch area where two branches meet and put downward pressure during its growth often resulting in unusual figure from nature. In our Black Tiger series Basses, we take the Crotches from Black Walnut Logs. WE also see some Crotch figuring in Claro pieces if they are big enough and cut near a Crotch. To obtain the best figure patterns in Walnut, it must be cut from the log a certain way. This I am sorry to say I will not share with you but will say that commercial cutting styles do not yield the best or most possible figures from a particular log. It's a specialty kind of thing.

AS far as Black Walnut itself goes as a Species, it is mixed as well with English Walnut and other Species here in the Eastern States.

Figure and Tone are somewhat related. The Figure cause from the growth of the Tree results in more fibers or Molecules being pressed together resulting in wavy grain patterns, Flame figuring and various figures from the Crotch area regardless of the Species or hybrid species from the East or West Coast or anything in between. The more compressed the wood it, the heavier it is in weight. In Walnut, I see this as slightly brighter sounding. I am talking about Walnut topped models as we would never make a solid body in figured Walnut due to its rarity and expense.

Is there a difference in tone between west (Claros) or east (Blacks) walnuts? Maybe, but with all the other woods mixed to make a Bass, who is to say exactly which piece is changing the tone?”
Click to expand...

At one time, BSD had an MTD with a walnut top that actually had the graft in it, so the grain on the neck end of the bass was completely different than that near the bridge, and the graft line looked really cool.
 
#709
It's really funny to see that Tony wnt with a 4 string - I always felt that his "sound" lives from a high C since he was using it so much in the past :)
 
#715
:hyper:

Just placed the deposit with Glenn from Austin Bass Traders. He's been very helpful and I've enjoyed chatting with him in conjunction with following this thread since I got the Fodera bug 6 months ago.

Here's the specs on my new one:

FODERA Matt Garrison 5 string (B-G) elite. medium
weight ash body/ solid crotch walnut top,
mahogany tone block, 34" scale, 24 frets, 3 piece
maple neck/ Brazilian rosewood fingerboard,
extended "B" headstock, black hardware, Duncan
dual coil pickups in black plastic covers, Fodera
Pope preamp

I'll be dispatching with my Emperor II, which is a great bass as well, but there's nothing like having something made exactly to your specifications! :p

I've gotten some good input from Glenn and this thread (and youtube!) and have been using my current Fodera as a reference of what would be perfect for me. I knew when I bought this Emp II that it would be close to what I wanted but that I would probably end up ordering something new after I had used it a bit, though this is sooner than I expected. I even did my due diligence and looked around to see if any other builder looked like they could deliver what I wanted, but only Fodera really seemed to fit my increasingly high and exact standards. Life is short; sometimes you've got to for what you really want.

Of course, I have to wait for it . . . til July! (I think someone backed out of an order just before it was finalized and the slot opened up.) Don't hate on me too much if you're in line as well ! :D
 
#717
kamakiriad7 said:
Hey Robin. Congrats on the new bass order! That sounds like a really cool build, I love ash bodies too and I'm sure it'll sound perfectly balanced with a Brazilian board.

You're exactly right about life being short and having to go after what you really want... hope the next 5 months are good to ye :smug:
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Meanwhile, I have a pretty decent Fodera to play that's still the best bass I've ever owned. :p

Love doing the by one used to see how you like it- order one new after you know the brand better and play the used one till the new one is done and not spend any extra $ thing.
 
#718
Robin Ruscio said:
Meanwhile, I have a pretty decent Fodera to play that's still the best bass I've ever owned. :p

Love doing the by one used to see how you like it- order one new after you know the brand better and play the used one till the new one is done and not spend any extra $ thing.
Click to expand...

It's a nice "pre-upgrade" for sure. :) I'm excited about getting my E5S, and I have a feeling it'll serve me in that purpose too. Although, I'm pretty sure I'll want to keep it forever... Ash/Bolt-on is definitely me, and while I used to think I was a maple guy, my main bass for the past year or so has been a '99 Fender USA jazz 5, with a pau ferro board. It sounds unbelievable, and I'm totally hooked on PF as a fingerboard material from here onward. Warm like indian rosewood but still has a bite that kills when slapping. It's definitely one of the most underrated woods out there, so I like that Fodera has made it the fb wood of choice for 2/3rds of their standard models.

By the way, Robin, I checked out your YouTube channel. Nice stuff there. I especially appreciate the video on left-hand fingerings; using that hybrid approach is something I've preached for years, but many still stick to the one-finger-per-fret concept all across the neck, and have sharp wrist angles, etc. Kudos for bringing it to the masses. :)
 
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