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Fodera Club Part XII

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#641
Sisters to Hou's Emperor, it's interesting to hear how changes in the build can yield similar yet striking differences in tone.

Both share Walnut bodies and the same top. The Imperial has a Maple neck and Ebony f/b while the Emperor has an Ash neck and Maple f/b.

The Imperial is very close in tone to a Matt Garrison Signature model while the Emperor has some of that Marcus Miller vibe with a tad more warmth coming from the Walnut body and Ash neck. It's the first time I've come across a 5 pc neck using Ebony stringers. Very classy IMHO.

Oh what fun! Good thing it's Sunday with lots of time to do more A/B'ing.
 
#642
OliveFodera said:
Sisters to Hou's Emperor, it's interesting to hear how changes in the build can yield similar yet striking differences in tone.

Both share Walnut bodies and the same top. The Imperial has a Maple neck and Ebony f/b while the Emperor has an Ash neck and Maple f/b.

The Imperial is very close in tone to a Matt Garrison Signature model while the Emperor has some of that Marcus Miller vibe with a tad more warmth coming from the Walnut body and Ash neck. It's the first time I've come across a 5 pc neck using Ebony stringers. Very classy IMHO.

Oh what fun! Good thing it's Sunday with lots of time to do more A/B'ing.
Click to expand...

Amazing pair :) Do you feel any different between the body shapes while they are strap on?
 
#643
ian_s said:
+1. Tell them how you like to play: traditional fingerstyle, slap, tapping, chords, etc. and they will work with you to get what will work for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks ...i had a pretty extensive talk with Jason already...(always blown away with jason's care and attention to detail)...i was just curious to see what others are doing...my Elrick SC 6xer evo has a 21-27" fingerboard, my Fbass is 10-19"...Im finding there is pro and cons to both...yet neither really stand out as a "Dont Go There"..if you know what i mean
 
#644
Hou said:
Amazing pair :) Do you feel any different between the body shapes while they are strap on?
Click to expand...

I own both an Emperor and an Imperial so I am at home with both body styles. To me, there isn't any difference between the two when supported from a strap. Both are super comfortable.

Jason swears by the Monarch as the most comfortable body style. I have a customer's Monarch arriving early May so I will post my thoughts on the different body styles. An A/B/C if you will.
 
#645
Randyt said:
Thanks ...i had a pretty extensive talk with Jason already...(always blown away with jason's care and attention to detail)...i was just curious to see what others are doing...my Elrick SC 6xer evo has a 21-27" fingerboard, my Fbass is 10-19"...Im finding there is pro and cons to both...yet neither really stand out as a "Dont Go There"..if you know what i mean
Click to expand...

To me Foderas just feel right in my hands ... I've never thought that much about all that different spacings in the past .... but since I only play Fender basses beside my Foderas I like it the traditional way and the "standart" spacing/shaping at Fodera feels very traditional (I love that they keep the 19mm spacing also on the 5 and 6 strings but this can start to feel big for some hands) .... I had owned two Foderas (sold one, still have my first one and do have a new one in the making:smug:) and they had the standart spacing & neckshaping - I will go with a custom spacing with my new one (Imperial 5) - 19mm at the bridge and a little less on the nut
 
#646
OliveFodera said:
I own both an Emperor and an Imperial so I am at home with both body styles. To me, there isn't any difference between the two when supported from a strap. Both are super comfortable.

Jason swears by the Monarch as the most comfortable body style. I have a customer's Monarch arriving early May so I will post my thoughts on the different body styles. An A/B/C if you will.
Click to expand...

I think it depends on your body type too and what you're used to. Small body basses, like the monarch and an old ken smith I had, tend to cramp my right shoulder when sitting down because I'm used to full size jazz bodies. I'm readjusting my technique and learning to relax because this yin yang standard is probably 10 times better than any bass I've ever played and the neck is just drop dead butter to play. So I am adjusting to the smaller body shape, it just took me some time and I'm loving it now.
 
#647
I really don't like offset (ie Jazz bass) bodies. The Monarch is a more sleek version of a P-bass body, and I love it. So much so that I just don't really like other body shapes. My Rob Allen is a totally different beast and I'm fine with that. But for other fretted traditional electrics...meh.
 
#648
Starting 1/1/12 the YYS necks (like everything else) is being made right here in Brooklyn. That said the YYS necks and the 4-string NYC Empires share a very similar profile. Of course we are no longer making any more NYCs...

Hope this helps!

J

DirtPoorRobins said:
Quick question about the YYS neck. I've heard jason say it's their standard neck shape and it's made over at the japanese shop, does that imply that the neck shape is the same as their empire series. I'm looking for another fodera bolt on that has the same neck shape and feel as my YYS, would I get that in the empire series, or the older monarch standards?
Click to expand...
 
#649
99%+ of our instruments have been made with our standard compound radius FB...the only time we really do anything but this is if someone is trying to perfectly match another favorite instrument...

J

Randyt said:
As I am in the process of specing out my Imperial I have a ...Quick question for you Fodera guys...How many of you have stuck with the factory Fingerboard Radius...(8-19")..I have played only a few Fodera's (Which were incredible..btw)...and unfortunetly did not ask enough questions at the time...to see if they recieved a custom radius on their boards...

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
#650
Remember, the Monarch is the most comfortable body style for me...ask Joey and he'll tell you its the Emperor, ask another Fodera player and they'll probably answer something different.

I am a small guy (5'6") with small hands and so I love how compact the Monarch is...again, it's all personal preference. That is why we offer so many options...we want to be building your instrument, not ours...

Cheers,

J

OliveFodera said:
I own both an Emperor and an Imperial so I am at home with both body styles. To me, there isn't any difference between the two when supported from a strap. Both are super comfortable.

Jason swears by the Monarch as the most comfortable body style. I have a customer's Monarch arriving early May so I will post my thoughts on the different body styles. An A/B/C if you will.
Click to expand...
 
#651
So a few weeks ago, I was playing at Dizzy’s club coca-cola in NYC for a week. One afternoon, I trudged down the BQE from Queens into Brooklyn and paid the Fodera guys a visit. I was shocked to find that the entire shop is now run by robots, which use nano-bio-technology to actually grow the basses in hydroponic gardens.

But I digress…..

While I was there, I had my bass plek’d. And I’m glad I did. The results were pretty amazing. Even with the removable fingerboard section, it really brought it to a level of evenness I wouldn’t have thought that bass was capable of. It sort of had the effect of aging it a bit. Seems like it took some of the funniness out of its behavior that took a few years of seasoning to go away with my last bass.

I played with Dave Sanborn a week and half or so ago, and we played a lot more of his “hits” than we had in the past. Lisa, As we Speak, Chicago Song, Maputo, Camel Island….so the bass got to where a lot of hats. From emulating keyboard bass, to stone-cold Marcus slap pocket. The Viceroy KILLED it. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t get it to do. Plus, it was like it played itself. So easy to make it speak…and I play with a fairly high action by Fodera standards. I was kind of shocked, actually. I had more fun on that gig that night than I ever have.

Plek is for REAL. And the Viceroy, with the removable fingerboard and moveable pickup, is the most musically versatile bass I’ve ever experienced.
 
#653
thepontif said:
So a few weeks ago, I was playing at Dizzy’s club coca-cola in NYC for a week. One afternoon, I trudged down the BQE from Queens into Brooklyn and paid the Fodera guys a visit. I was shocked to find that the entire shop is now run by robots, which use nano-bio-technology to actually grow the basses in hydroponic gardens.

But I digress…..

While I was there, I had my bass plek’d. And I’m glad I did. The results were pretty amazing. Even with the removable fingerboard section, it really brought it to a level of evenness I wouldn’t have thought that bass was capable of. It sort of had the effect of aging it a bit. Seems like it took some of the funniness out of its behavior that took a few years of seasoning to go away with my last bass.

I played with Dave Sanborn a week and half or so ago, and we played a lot more of his “hits” than we had in the past. Lisa, As we Speak, Chicago Song, Maputo, Camel Island….so the bass got to where a lot of hats. From emulating keyboard bass, to stone-cold Marcus slap pocket. The Viceroy KILLED it. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t get it to do. Plus, it was like it played itself. So easy to make it speak…and I play with a fairly high action by Fodera standards. I was kind of shocked, actually. I had more fun on that gig that night than I ever have.

Plek is for REAL. And the Viceroy, with the removable fingerboard and moveable pickup, is the most musically versatile bass I’ve ever experienced.
Click to expand...

I've got a "poor man's Viceroy" in the chute. I hope to capture a bit of that vibe. I put the bridge pickup in the '70s position, which I know you favor. Mahogany body and ebony 'board, but the top is koa instead of pommele sapele. While it won't have quite the versatility without the movable pickup and fretboard extension, it should have a good range of tones. After playing YYD #1 2012 at Bass San Diego, I'm very optimistic, since the Viceroy will have the same pickups and preamp. I love my Emperor, but this smaller body will be a good fit for me.
 
#654
Munjibunga said:
I've got a "poor man's Viceroy" in the chute. I hope to capture a bit of that vibe. I put the bridge pickup in the '70s position, which I know you favor. Mahogany body and ebony 'board, but the top is koa instead of pommele sapele. While it won't have quite the versatility without the movable pickup and fretboard extension, it should have a good range of tones. After playing YYD #1 2012 at Bass San Diego, I'm very optimistic, since the Viceroy will have the same pickups and preamp. I love my Emperor, but this smaller body will be a good fit for me.
Click to expand...

Sweet. Still a bolt-on?
 
#655
thepontif said:
So a few weeks ago, I was playing at Dizzy's club coca-cola in NYC for a week. One afternoon, I trudged down the BQE from Queens into Brooklyn and paid the Fodera guys a visit. I was shocked to find that the entire shop is now run by robots, which use nano-bio-technology to actually grow the basses in hydroponic gardens.

But I digress.....

While I was there, I had my bass plek'd. And I'm glad I did. The results were pretty amazing. Even with the removable fingerboard section, it really brought it to a level of evenness I wouldn't have thought that bass was capable of. It sort of had the effect of aging it a bit. Seems like it took some of the funniness out of its behavior that took a few years of seasoning to go away with my last bass.

I played with Dave Sanborn a week and half or so ago, and we played a lot more of his "hits" than we had in the past. Lisa, As we Speak, Chicago Song, Maputo, Camel Island....so the bass got to where a lot of hats. From emulating keyboard bass, to stone-cold Marcus slap pocket. The Viceroy KILLED it. There wasn't anything I couldn't get it to do. Plus, it was like it played itself. So easy to make it speak...and I play with a fairly high action by Fodera standards. I was kind of shocked, actually. I had more fun on that gig that night than I ever have.

Plek is for REAL. And the Viceroy, with the removable fingerboard and moveable pickup, is the most musically versatile bass I've ever experienced.
Click to expand...


Contrary to popular belief PLEKs are not from Germany, they're from Uz-PLEK-istan ...

Seriously, PLEK Is the real deal. Gary Brawer Repairs here in the Bay Area has been Pleking guitars and basses for a number of years. I was amazed at what it did for an old bolt-on bass I had. I just sent my AJ 5 Hybrid back to the shop to be PLEKed. Can't wait to check it out when I visit the shop later this week.
 
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