Fodera Club Part XX

[Robin Ruscio]

Seymour Duncan single coils, koa top, no tone block. I actually don't own a Fodera but I built a Warmoth and made it as Fodera-ish as possible with Seymour Duncans, brass Hipshot bridge, a Mike Pope Flexcore pre-amp, Fodera Nickel Strings, and a natural satin finish. Took some liberties with a bone nut and stainless steel frets. Not too concerned about the nut (my luthier didn't have any brass wide enough at the time) but if I ever get a re-fret I'll probably swap out the stainless steel for nickel / nickel-silver

Pics please!

 

[Vic]

theres a video on youtube that bobby watson from rufus posted talking about how his custom order fodera effectively sucked. he ended buying one on ebay and was happy with it. it happens.

This one? It is an honest and interesting vid.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_dnfM6fUTxY

FWIW, that's a TERRIBLE video... first of all, he should have used a DI input and used a mic to mix his voice/comments in, or at least a much better recorder. Not only is the sound distorted, but it's also got a strange "eq" to it... seems very scooped, which is not at all my experience with this style of Fodera.

Plus the bass is set up too low for him, because he chokes/ganks notes out from time to time, especially really badly at the beginning.

He's obviously a great player, but not much of a demo vid person. I don't think he's fairly representing the bass.

In short, narud, I'm not surprised.

IMHO!

 

[kamakiriad7]

I definitely agree that he's a bolt-on guy. Different strokes for different folks!

I wish I could combine the punch and attack of a bolt-on with the aesthetics, tone block potential and upper fret access of a neck-through... something to discuss with the Brooklyn boys at a later date

 

[Robin Ruscio]

I definitely agree that he's a bolt-on guy. Different strokes for different folks!

I wish I could combine the punch and attack of a bolt-on with the aesthetics, tone block potential and upper fret access of a neck-through... something to discuss with the Brooklyn boys at a later date

Um, Dovetail?

 

[narud]

FWIW, that's a TERRIBLE video... first of all, he should have used a DI input and used a mic to mix his voice/comments in, or at least a much better recorder. Not only is the sound distorted, but it's also got a strange "eq" to it... seems very scooped, which is not at all my experience with this style of Fodera.

Plus the bass is set up too low for him, because he chokes/ganks notes out from time to time, especially really badly at the beginning.

He's obviously a great player, but not much of a demo vid person. I don't think he's fairly representing the bass.

In short, narud, I'm not surprised.

IMHO!

its ****ing bobby watson. dude is one of the greats, not a youtube gear reviewer i find it insightful that a guy like that would put up a video.

 

[kamakiriad7]

Um, Dovetail?

Yeah. That does seem to be the middle ground. The only thing that's bothering me about the dovetail is the extra height of the strings from the body. I'm used to playing (and slapping) on Fenders, so I'd need to have a pickguard if I went that route.

Not that that's a bad idea... ok, I've clearly got to go think about this.

 

[Baird6869]

I just got my E5S back from a super duper pro setup (my tech is a maestro with my basses!) and man does this bass kick ass now.

I spent an hour with my tech getting the string height and intonation perfect as I wanted it set up low and for Eb tuning. Also threw on a stainless set of Fodera .040 to .120 strings.

I was Fodera-less for over a week and I was actually excited to get my bass back. it has been a very long time since I was excited to play a bass that I already owned!

 

[Steveman]

Pics please!

Give me a couple days, I need to borrow my friend's fancy camera

About setups, how does everybody set up their bass? I tried super low action for the first time and felt that I lost the tone I loved that came with the resistance of a higher setup. Jason recently said he used to have super low action but changed his ways later on, how / why does everybody set their basses?

 

[Christian Houmann]

I made this video with my iPhone about Fodera slap sound on a elite model
http://youtu.be/n4MaNtHZYYQ

It's not the best video People don' like it...

 

[anezthes]

I liked the Watson vid. Just a guy talking about his love for his bass. Sound-wise not the greatest, other than that, no complaints from me.

 

[Lugzy]

Thank you! Bobby Watson is one of the funkiest dudes on the planet.
To suggest that he should've taken time to get the DI out, make sure levels & EQ are spanking, Get the background and lighting perfect, wear a better shirt and don't forget your make-up and brush your teeth in case they catch that smile - for a youtube vid is nuts!!

Bob Watson is about spontaneity, that's his character, listen to some of his non-million seller basslines i.e Michael Ruff's - Once in a Lifetime album. Spontaneous and tastefull as hell..

Easy.

its ****ing bobby watson. dude is one of the greats, not a youtube gear reviewer i find it insightful that a guy like that would put up a video.

 

[Vic]

its ****ing bobby watson. dude is one of the greats, not a youtube gear reviewer i find it insightful that a guy like that would put up a video.

Exactly. But I think some people forget that fundamental perspective sometimes.

 

[Vic]

To suggest that he should've taken time to get the DI out, make sure levels & EQ are spanking, Get the background and lighting perfect, wear a better shirt and don't forget your make-up and brush your teeth in case they catch that smile - for a youtube vid is nuts!!

Ok, now, let's be fair. I didn't pull out all that crap, AND I also said "or a better recorder". I know what his focus is and isn't. Let's not do the strawman thing here, ok?

 

[Lugzy]

Gotcha, and I'm pulling your leg But it is what it is and if he intended for you to hear a "Better representation" he would've. Again, by virtue of it's "Terribleness" you know that he's excited as hell and just has to tell the world of youtubers at that very moment that "This is the bass he's always wanted," it is totally spontaneous..I love it for that very reason.

BTW who's Strawman?

Ok, now, let's be fair. I didn't pull out all that crap, AND I also said "or a better recorder". I know what his focus is and isn't. Let's not do the strawman thing here, ok?

 

[Just Thumpin']

Yes!

J

Jason - you once said the Tulipwood you have in stock for fingerboard is only big enough for a 4 string. Do you have enough Tulipwood for a 5 string with 16.5 mm spacing?

 

[Just Thumpin']

If I Remember Correctly...

J

Thanks Jason for the info. Now what does IIRC mean (after Hum cancelling)?

 

[Just Thumpin']

We never built with 2-piece necks or Plastic nuts (except for on the NYC's). It's probably just the lighting as I am certain that instrument had a 3-piece neck. Also, the nut was probably changed somewhere over the years...and, yes, we originally used Schaller hardware.

Cheers,

J

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?

 

[Belka]

IIRC mahogany is often the most balanced body wood out of the "big four" (with alder, ash, & walnut). Neither lows, mids, nor highs are compressed or emphasized more than each other. This is why Mike Pope went for Mahogany & Ebony for his Viceroy - to give it the most neutral-sounding basis to be shaped by the movable pickup and preamp.

But this is just what I've read. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

I agree with this 100% I own 4 customs: one with a walnut body, an alder body, a northern ash I got recently second hand and which is still being refurbished and I haven't really played at all, and a mahogany bodied fretless. Mahogany is the most neutral sounding of them all. It's not overly bright, middy, low or compressed. It lets the pickups and fretboard wood, and even strings I guess really impart their tone.

 

[Just Thumpin']

If it had Duncans in it, it was not a Bona as he uses EMG's...

Was the bass properly set up? Were the strings new? Batteries fresh?

I am definitely not trying to be defensive, but we sometimes have customers come in with a bass that they say "just doesn't sound good" and after a proper set up and all necessary adjustments it's back singing beautifully....

J

I don't like the tone that Bona
gets. A friend of mine briefly owned a Bona Imperial and it was about the worst sounding high-end bass either of us has ever heard. It had a very weak B string and just got lost in the mix. I believe the pickups were Duncan duals. That said, Bona's tone is better sounding than that particular bass.

 

[Just Thumpin']

Did he ever contact us to send the bass in and see if there was something wrong?

J

In all conditions. New strings, different amps, gigs, recording, etc. It just didn't sound good to either of us or any of our bass playing friends. He owned it for 3 or 4 months trying to make it work but had to sell it. I believe he sold it to the original owner(not who he bought it from) who I believe is happy with the bass. This was several years ago so who knows where the bass is now.