Fodera Club Part XVI

[Munjibunga]

I was at the 48th st Sam Ash less than a few weeks ago and played the ES5. I did mention to the guy the list price of ES5s coming out of the Fodera shop ...which is also the same as the dealers...quite a bit less than what was on the tag. I'm pretty sure he said something to the affect that he would match any price. They are just not up to snuff on Fodera pricing etc. (for some reason).

So I would NOT give up checking out or even buying that ES5 at Sam Ash as most likely if you point them to the Fodera site and any other Fodera dealer they will see what the should be selling it for. Also, I'm not sure that Fodera would like them to be selling their Standards for more than they do.

BTW, it was a nice one.... and the few I've checked out so far have been very consistant.

Do you want my guess? You do? Cool. Fodera's dealer margins are thinner than those of most other brands. Someone in Sam Ash's accounting department probably looked at what they paid for the bass and slapped their usual markup on it, not realizing you can buy the bass for $5,750 at Fodera or any of their dealers.

 

[Modern Growl]

Got the chance to play an Emperor II today... Mahogany body, Morado board. To be quite honest, I didnt connect. It didnt have that immediate snap and punch I guess Im so used to out of my J's.

Perhaps it was the NT desigh vs. Bolt on? Dual coils when Im used to the response from singles? Mahogany vs. a more snapy body likeAsh? All of the above?

Dunno... but I wasnt crazy about it I wanted to love it too...

 

[Munjibunga]

Got the chance to play an Emperor II today... Mahogany body, Morado board. To be quite honest, I didnt connect. It didnt have that immediate snap and punch I guess Im so used to out of my J's.

Perhaps it was the NT desigh vs. Bolt on? Dual coils when Im used to the response from singles? Mahogany vs. a more snapy body likeAsh? All of the above?

Dunno... but I wasnt crazy about it I wanted to love it too...

Probably all of the above. I don't think I'd've been looking for a J tone out of an Emperor II, especially with those specs. I'm not much of a single-cut guy, either.

 

[gkbass13]

I still have never connected with a mahogany body either. Just not my thing.

 

[nostatic]

Got the chance to play an Emperor II today... Mahogany body, Morado board. To be quite honest, I didnt connect. It didnt have that immediate snap and punch I guess Im so used to out of my J's.

Perhaps it was the NT desigh vs. Bolt on? Dual coils when Im used to the response from singles? Mahogany vs. a more snapy body likeAsh? All of the above?

Dunno... but I wasnt crazy about it I wanted to love it too...

I love many Foderas, I hate most (all?) J basses. There might be a connection

That spec will not sound like anything near a J bass. It is "all of the above". That spec will be pretty damn mellow if you're used to an ash/maple bolt-on JJ setup.

Foderas are not for everyone - it really depends on what sound you're looking for and what playability aspects you want. Also, since most Foderas are built to a custom spec, a particular bass likely may not speak to you. I've played a few Foderas that didn't really send me. Heck, I've owned a few that I sold, so obviously I wasn't in love with them. Wood and metal put together by human hands will always have some variability, especially when you factor in custom options.

 

[jim777]

The $9999 price was probably just there as a tourist trap. That Sam Ash is located in Time Square afterall...

48th St. is within walking distance of Times Square, but it isn't in Times Square.

 

[Munjibunga]

I still have never connected with a mahogany body either. Just not my thing.

I've been buying some mahogany basses lately. Love 'em.

And an old one I have laying around.

 

[rmayer]

My recent addition, Monarch Elite, Alder Body w/ Alder tone block and Curly Walnut top. Indian Rosewood board, Vintage size frets and Fodera Dual Coils. It started out as an Imperial, but I decided that I really liked the compact Monarch shape more, even though I loved the feel of playing an Imperial (I hardly ever would actually look at it, right? Ha!). This replaced my '05 Monarch with the EMG P/Js. This is the sound I was looking for. Plays like a dream and the range of tones from the new preamp is amazing. Vinny, Joey, and Jason should get the Nobel Prize. I went for the semi-hollow option, it came in at 8lb, 4.2oz! SWEET!!!! Hey, I like light basses. It goes well with my other three, but since it arrived the second week of October, I haven't taken one of the others out of their cases. DOH!! They're very jealous, I hear them grumbling late at night. Here's the "Newborn" link:http://www.fodera.com/Main/NewBornDetails.aspx?FeaturedItemID=505

 

[rmayer]

I've been buying some mahogany basses lately. Love 'em.

And an old one I have laying around.

Sweet looking 24 Fret on the bottom.

 

[Christian Houmann]

My recent addition, Monarch Elite, Alder Body w/ Alder tone block and Curly Walnut top. Indian Rosewood board, Vintage size frets and Fodera Dual Coils. It started out as an Imperial, but I decided that I really liked the compact Monarch shape more, even though I loved the feel of playing an Imperial (I hardly ever would actually look at it, right? Ha!). This replaced my '05 Monarch with the EMG P/Js. This is the sound I was looking for. Plays like a dream and the range of tones from the new preamp is amazing. Vinny, Joey, and Jason should get the Nobel Prize. I went for the semi-hollow option, it came in at 8lb, 4.2oz! SWEET!!!! Hey, I like light basses. It goes well with my other three, but since it arrived the second week of October, I haven't taken one of the others out of their cases. DOH!! They're very jealous, I hear them grumbling late at night. Here's the "Newborn" link:http://www.fodera.com/Main/NewBornDetails.aspx?FeaturedItemID=505

That's a great looking bass. Congrats

 

[Munjibunga]

Sweet looking 24 Fret on the bottom.

It's one of the twenty-five 25th Anniversary instruments Roger made. There's a bit of a story behind that one, but we shouldn't be talking about it in the Fodera thread.

 

[Munjibunga]

My recent addition, Monarch Elite, Alder Body w/ Alder tone block and Curly Walnut top. Indian Rosewood board, Vintage size frets and Fodera Dual Coils. It started out as an Imperial, but I decided that I really liked the compact Monarch shape more, even though I loved the feel of playing an Imperial (I hardly ever would actually look at it, right? Ha!). This replaced my '05 Monarch with the EMG P/Js. This is the sound I was looking for. Plays like a dream and the range of tones from the new preamp is amazing. Vinny, Joey, and Jason should get the Nobel Prize. I went for the semi-hollow option, it came in at 8lb, 4.2oz! SWEET!!!! Hey, I like light basses. It goes well with my other three, but since it arrived the second week of October, I haven't taken one of the others out of their cases. DOH!! They're very jealous, I hear them grumbling late at night. Here's the "Newborn" link:http://www.fodera.com/Main/NewBornDetails.aspx?FeaturedItemID=505

That top is breathtaking. Cool bass.

 

[Modern Growl]

Im still pondering what a bolt on ash/morado Monarch (or Emperor) would sound like. Anyone in the NJ/NY area have one I could check out? I can bring any bass in my current stable for you to check out as well

Getting back to the Fodera vs. MTD thing... do you guys feel a Fodera has a more "focused" sound? I know Michael's designs are to provide the widest spectrjm of sounds possible. Me, I like a more focused mid punch.

 

[cnltb]

Getting back to the Fodera vs. MTD thing... do you guys feel a Fodera has a more "focused" sound? I know Michael's designs are to provide the widest spectrjm of sounds possible. Me, I like a more focused mid punch.

I think it depends on the individual instrument.
Instruments from both can sound real focused.

 

[rmayer]

That top is breathtaking. Cool bass.

That's considered a "standard", non-surcharge top too. Just the "solid top" option. It took three trips to the shop to decide on this one. Jason and company were the best, I'm sure they were getting sick of seeing me again. One of the benefits of only living a state away from the greatest luthiers in the world, in my opinion.

 

[otto B]

I've been buying some mahogany basses lately. Love 'em.

And an old one I have laying around.

I second that. I love the mahogany sound.

 

[Munjibunga]

That's considered a "standard", non-surcharge top too. Just the "solid top" option. It took three trips to the shop to decide on this one. Jason and company were the best, I'm sure they were getting sick of seeing me again. One of the benefits of only living a state away from the greatest luthiers in the world, in my opinion.

I had to bother Jason by email. I vacillated a lot on my Emperor, not quite as much on the Viceroy.

 

[Damian Coccio]

Got the chance to play an Emperor II today... Mahogany body, Morado board. To be quite honest, I didnt connect. It didnt have that immediate snap and punch I guess Im so used to out of my J's.

Perhaps it was the NT desigh vs. Bolt on? Dual coils when Im used to the response from singles? Mahogany vs. a more snapy body likeAsh? All of the above?

Dunno... but I wasnt crazy about it I wanted to love it too...

How were the ergonomics?

 

[Modern Growl]

How were the ergonomics?

Felt great. Wish the back of the neck was satin, but otherwise it felt great.

 

[nostatic]

Satin? What kind of finish was it? Typically Foderas are a satin finish but they develop shine as they wear in.

Regarding tone, I certainly think Fodera's generally have a focused sound but depends on your definition. Also, why morado? I vastly prefer ebony fingerboards, but that is a personal bias. Also, I do find Foderas to be more flexible than MTDs, but the MTDs I've played have all had the same top-end sizzle tone that I could not dial out of them. To me they have their own distinct sound, at least the half dozen or so I've played over the years. But again, different set of hands and ears can give different results.