I guess Bobby got it wrong and he's a great pro, so no shame!!
The fact that his personal bass didn't work out for him but he still pursued a Fodera "And nailed it" speaks volumes about the brand.
Me personally, I think the hardest part of the design, is that from the customer standpoint you need to relate (or rather) interpret to the builder what that sound in your head sounds like?? Sorry to quote another famous builder but I once read something by Carl Thompson that stuck with me ..not a direct quote but something like; " Can you describe exactly to me what a bright sound is....Can you describe it so that I and the whole world knows exactly what you mean, so I have no doubt in my mind about what you mean?" So for me that goes for the other composites that comprise tone (Low-Mid & upper band).
I grew to appreciate high-end audio systems (not that I could afford to buy) from Linn Sondek, Krell, Mark Levinson, Wadia & Nordost etc. This was in the mid 80's to early 90's. I'd buy mags every month and the equipment reviews were written by guys who we're knowledgable about the products specs etc but had next to no formal musical education and therefore couldn't convey what they were hearing in musical terms.
Things got a little better when a mag called "Audiophile" took on an independent staff writer and concert pianist called Santiago but he only lasted a few editions before the mag folded. They'd still use terms such as "The leading edge of notes (meaning note attack) or the seamless landscape, they later gripped and adopted the term "soundstage"...Oh they all jumped onto that one.
I went digging through a pile of old mags to find an example.
Here's a direct quote from a review of an equipment stand;
"A CD of the Beaux Arts Trio playing the second movement of Shubert's Op 99 showed that the audiophile equipment made the sound louder, warmer and better focused. The textures breathe and the centre of notes were better sustained". OK, somebody please tell me, is it possible to sustain the centre of a note (Just the centre) nothing else?
With the advent of improved recording media (digital or otherwise) we're able to convey to someone on the other side of the world with fair accuracy a sample/s of what we wish to produce. As Jason has said, this is by far the most effective way to go for anyone ordering a bass (who is unsure of what they require sonically) and better still if you and the builder can listen to that sample together. Jason, you clearly understand the fundamentals of sound and you have an acute sensory perception.
but what I truly dig most of all is that you use laymans terms that are comprehensible to the majority.
As always, many thanks to you and the team for doing what you do best.. Making the majority of us more than satisfied customers..
Salute!!
People don' like it...
