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Fodera Club Part XX

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#61
Kmrumedy said:
That is very interesting. What kind of tone are you looking for?

I ask because I am looking at purchasing an MG style Fodera and still not sure if it the right bass or not.
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Kmrumedy: I think you can get many different tones out of a Fodera (don't know if you have one or not), based on all the various options for P/U spacing, P/U type, and wood selection. My new one, so nicely commented on here, is an MG shaped 5 string Imperial, and it was made with the intent of the warmest possible tones, without getting muddy. That's why I got the woods and options I did (walnut body with alder tone block, rosewood (Brazilian) fretboard, 60s P/U spacing, and Duncan Dual coil P/Us). I've been talking to Jason about a possible third Fodera, that one, potentially, with an Ebony fretboard, which Jason says imparts a brightness that isn't 'mitigated' by any other combo of woods. So, things to think about.
 
#63
I am on a hunt for a VW classic monarch. If anyone is interested, I have 1984 monarch elite as trade bait. Please pm me if you are interested in trading for an authentic piece of Fodera history. ImageUploadedByTalkBass1368380905.297430.jpg
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1368380923.215400.jpg
 
#64
gridchin said:
I'm looking for 60's JBass tone. The MG is a great instrument, but everything depends on your needs.
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In that case you likely need to get single coils. The dual coils will do an ok impersonation, but if you really want that tone you need to use the right pickups in the right place. Go with an alder body and bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and you'll have about the best playing J-bass on the planet.
 
#68
ursusaltered said:
View attachment 336999View attachment 337000
More pics. Again trade bait 1984 monarch elite for a VW classic
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Nice bass. I presume that's the EMG pj set with the Haz Lab?

Some interesting features on those old Foderas. It looks like it has a two piece, not a three piece neck. Schaller hardware rather than Hipshot, and it has a plastic nut rather than brass. Any sound clips?
 
#71
IIRC = if I recall correctly

As for growl - depends on how you define it. I typically don't like ash bodies - they feel like they lack midrange punch (to my ears). I prefer alder or walnut. Also, I *hate* JJ basses so take my tone opinions with a grain of salt. I am a PJ guy and also can work with dual coils but a JJ setup just doesn't work for me. ymmv (your mileage may vary)
 
#72
Nostatic's right on. It totally depends on how you define growl. For me alder has the most growl or should I say the right type of growl for me with ash having very little as I find it to be too mid shy. Walnut is better but can sound like a warmer version of ash with it's slightly subdued mid range. For me, alder and then maybe mahogany for the type of mid type growl I'm looking for.
 
#74
ursusaltered said:
I disagree with the lack of mid range punch. This bass has a great deal of mid range. Very warm and huge tone that cuts through the mix
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+1!! I sold all my alder basses years ago and ONLY have ash body basses now (including my Imperial 5) because I love that low mid growl and punch that ash delivers while still maintaining that thunderously deep low end....I guess our ears really are all different. I find alder more on the dull and deep (thick low end) side with very little growl or punch. I did have an alder body jazz once that had this weird growl in the lower mids which I really didn't like! Still not enough experience with walnut to chime in there....

Also IME, growl mainly comes from the neck/fb material, and i find maple/maple provides my favorite type of growl....
 
#75
+1 on ash/maple. I think my next Fodera will have that combo.

bassdoubler said:
+1!! I sold all my alder basses years ago and ONLY have ash body basses now (including my Imperial 5) because I love that low mid growl and punch that ash delivers while still maintaining that thunderously deep low end....I guess our ears really are all different. I find alder more on the dull and deep (thick low end) side with very little growl or punch. I did have an alder body jazz once that had this weird growl in the lower mids which I really didn't like! Still not enough experience with walnut to chime in there....

Also IME, growl mainly comes from the neck/fb material, and i find maple/maple provides my favorite type of growl....
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#76
gridchin said:
+1 on ash/maple. I think my next Fodera will have that combo.
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if you decide to go that route, I would highly suggest considering olive as a top. From what I understand, it adds a lot more to the overall tone of the bass than most other tops due to it's really high density. And density = tone. But whatever it's doing on my Imperial, it's nothing short of fabulous. I've been fighting with myself for months on whether I should just do the exact same wood combo for my NEXT Fodera with some different scale options or just try out some totally different wood combos and experiment....it's that good. :help: It can be a tad on the bright side in the studio, but nothing some playing with the pre can't fix. Live it's like mix cutting butter!
 
#77
ash/maple JJ is a classic combination. And one that I hate :D

Totally a personal bias. I also think that fingerboard is a major contributor to tone so the devil is in the details. I have owned a lot of ash body basses and sold every one of them eventually (most pretty quickly). For whatever reason in my hands I don't get a tone that I want to stick with. I'm holding steady with ebony fingerboards and chambered bodies (walnut on the Fodera, alder on the Rob Allen).
 
#78
nostatic said:
ash/maple JJ is a classic combination. And one that I hate :D

Totally a personal bias. I also think that fingerboard is a major contributor to tone so the devil is in the details. I have owned a lot of ash body basses and sold every one of them eventually (most pretty quickly). For whatever reason in my hands I don't get a tone that I want to stick with. I'm holding steady with ebony fingerboards and chambered bodies (walnut on the Fodera, alder on the Rob Allen).
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it's interesting that you would not only be so against that tone but prefer a very non-traditional sounding bass sound. Not that it doesn't sound good, but an ebony board and chambered body are going to sound anything BUT Fender-y, which at least for me, was the sound that drew me to the bass in the first place. While I love the sound of aler/rw basses, they just don't cut through live the way I prefer, and ash/maple just works for me. But both are sounds I've been familiar with most of my life. From what I hear on youtube and whatnot, I'm not a huge fan of what ebony sounds like, but like you said, the devil is certainly in the details! And there are many different factors involved in that.

I wish there was a place I could go and just play about 20 different Foderas with all different wood combinations, pickup configs, and models. I live 15 minutes by subway from the shop. Too bad Foderas are so amazing that they can't keep enough to even fill a demo room with! :( :D
 
#79
Belka said:
Nice bass. I presume that's the EMG pj set with the Haz Lab?

Some interesting features on those old Foderas. It looks like it has a two piece, not a three piece neck. Schaller hardware rather than Hipshot, and it has a plastic nut rather than brass. Any sound clips?
Click to expand...

It is a three piece maple neck. Pics gives that illusion. Schaller is what fodera use to use.
 
#80
Of all the many basses I've owned over the years, three stand out:

1. Fodera YYD PJ
2. Rob Allen Deep 4
3. Zon Lightwave 5 fretless

Not a "traditional" instrument in the lot, but for me they had the sound that made me want to play and play. With the Fodera I can get a good P tone but the ebony adds a ping that I like and the chambered walnut gives a nice airy punch. The Rob Allen sounds like the best amplified upright you've ever heard, so maybe that actually is "traditional." The Zon was just a freak of nature. It was a magic combination of graphite neck, fretless phenowood fingerboard and original Lightwave optical pickup.

I agree about alder/rw. I love the sound of it alone but find I get lost in a mix. That's why I like the ebony - it helps me hear what's going on. Wrt pickups, I just can't get into the sound of a J pickup in the neck position. It doesn't respond under my fingers like a P does. So that pretty much kills the JJ setup for me. A dual coil in the neck position is better as in dual coil mode it has more mid push than a single coil J, at least to my ear.

There's a reason there are so many choices in woods, pickups, etc. But just today I heard back from a singer/songwriter who I'm working with. I sent him a bass track I recorded for one of his tunes. YYD into an Apogee ONE straight into the laptop and sent him just the bass track alone so he could add it to the project. His direct quote from the email - "One more thing…the sound of your bass is GREAT!" That bass just kills...
 
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