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Fodera Club Part XXVI

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#181
I strung my E5S E-C with light SS Fodera strings last night and it sounds great in my studio. Amazing how no trussrod or bridge adjustment was required.... intonation is close to perfect but I will have to make very small adjustments if I keep it this way.

I had to cancel my rehersal tonight as it looks like my daughter has the early stages of chickenpox, but ideally the E-C E5S will cut well and be a keeper. I was looking forward to trying out my new Monarch tonight as well.:crying:
 
#182
Baird6869 said:
I strung my E5S E-C with light SS Fodera strings last night and it sounds great in my studio. Amazing how no trussrod or bridge adjustment was required.... intonation is close to perfect but I will have to make very small adjustments if I keep it this way.

I had to cancel my rehersal tonight as it looks like my daughter has the early stages of chickenpox, but ideally the E-C E5S will cut well and be a keeper. I was looking forward to trying out my new Monarch tonight as well.:crying:
Click to expand...

Oh man, kind of funny to hear this from your perspective as a father. When I was young I got chickenpox the morning my Dad and I were going to fly to Alaska to go skiing for a week - it was the only vacation he was going to take all year (very busy man), we had to stay home. I absolutely blew it for him haha.

Back to bass though, I'm not surprised your leaning towards keeping the E5S, though I must admit - I was intrigued by the prospect of seeing one pop up in the classifieds....
 
#183
Hey everyone, I was wondering if I could get some Club input on some specs I'm going to settle on within the week. I'll absolutely be talking to the guys at Fodera for their opinions, but I know many of you are very experienced with spec'ing basses and I never have before - so I think I could learn a lot from your collective input.

The specs I know it will have:
5-String Monarch
Maple neck
17.5mm spacing
22 fret
Black hardware
Dual coils with no exposed poles
Ebony or Rosewood ramp
Top will be one of the "non-upcharges", Maple or Walnut

I don't really "rock" too often, I mostly play funk, world music, jam and some hip-hop. I want a bass that is generally a tad on the warm side, but articulate with enough sizzle for a good slap tone. For this reason, I've generally been thinking of going with a warm wood for the body and a bright wood for the board. Am I wrong for thinking this, would it be better to go bright body and warm board? I would generally rather EQ into brightness, and have the default be moderately warm, than EQ out of brightness, if that makes sense.

Here are the two routes I think would fit the bill for me:
1. Walnut body - Ebony board - Ash tone block
2. Mahogony body - Pau Ferro board - Ash tone block

My preferred tone, I think, would come from:
3. Walnut body/Maple board instrument, but I don't think I can afford the up charge for the maple board. EDIT: Having said that, I've never had the opportunity to spec a bass with a tone block, so my understanding of what specs worked for me in the past might not necessarily amount to the best Fodera for me.

Weight isn't a huge issue for me, but balance is. I am also concerned that if I get a brighter board and a warmer body the balance may suffer, rather than having a denser body with a warmer board. My only other consideration is aesthetic in nature, I generally like some contrast, but not at the expense of tone. But if there is a recipe that allows for both, that'd be a plus.

Does anyone have any input/adjectives on how they would anticipate these combos would sound? Even if just in comparison to one another? Any other ideas/things/tricks I may not know about?
 
#184
I strongly advise against skimping on the details when you are paying this much for a bass. We have a saying in the software biz ... "Theres never time to do it right but theres always time to do it twice". Flipping this bass in a few years to buy the one you really want will cost a lot more than getting it right this time.
 
#185
LakeEffect said:
Hey everyone, I was wondering if I could get some Club input on some specs I'm going to settle on within the week. I'll absolutely be talking to the guys at Fodera for their opinions, but I know many of you are very experienced with spec'ing basses and I never have before - so I think I could learn a lot from your collective input.

The specs I know it will have:
5-String Monarch
17.5mm spacing
22 fret
Black hardware
Dual coils with no exposed poles
Ebony or Rosewood ramp
Top will be one of the "non-upcharges", Maple or Walnut

I don't really "rock" too often, I mostly play funk, world music, jam and some hip-hop. I want a bass that is generally a tad on the warm side, but articulate with enough sizzle for a good slap tone. For this reason, I've generally been thinking of going with a warm wood for the body and a bright wood for the board. Am I wrong for thinking this, would it be better to go bright body and warm board? I would generally rather EQ into brightness, and have the default be moderately warm, than EQ out of brightness, if that makes sense.

Here are the two routes I think would fit the bill for me:
1. Mahogony body - Ebony board - Alder tone block
2. Walnut body - Pau Ferro board - Alder tone block (Or ash?)

My preferred tone, I think, would come from:
3. Walnut body/Maple board instrument, but I don't think I can afford the up charge for the maple board.

Weight isn't a huge issue for me, but balance is. I am also concerned that if I get a brighter board and a warmer body the balance may suffer, rather than having a denser body with a warmer board. My only other consideration is aesthetic in nature, I generally like some contrast, but not at the expense of tone. But if there is a recipe that allows for both, that'd be a plus.

Does anyone have any input/adjectives on how they would anticipate these combos would sound? Even if just in comparison to one another? Any other ideas/things/tricks I may not know about?
Click to expand...


I've found walnut body, ash block, ash neck & ebony board to be very balanced tone, but heavy. The ash body alder block, brazilian is also very balanced tone, but considerably lighter with a tad less mids and low fundamental, but clearer brighter tone. If you are a slapper I'd want some ash on the bass IMHO. Ebony pau ferro and maple boards all seem to slap well. I haven't hung a fodera that didn't balance well, so no worries there. So out of your choices #2 with ash block is where I'd head. Pauferro always felt a little empty compared to ebony to me. Ebony has a lot of fundamental and can pump out nice mids too with a little eq. No matter what you pick I'll bet it will sound great.
 
#186
pickles said:
I strongly advise against skimping on the details when you are paying this much for a bass. We have a saying in the software biz ... "Theres never time to do it right but theres always time to do it twice". Flipping this bass in a few years to buy the one you really want will cost a lot more than getting it right this time.
Click to expand...

I know your right, but the price that the above spec's add up to isn't arbitrary - its exactly how much I think I could get from selling all the basses I currently own + a few pedals. So I'm going to spec it as if that is the limit, and if before the time rolls around to lock in my specs for good I feel like I can afford it I may upgrade few things - but they mostly are just aesthetic (PUP covers) so if they don't happen I'll still be thrilled. I appreciate your input and I think your opinion definitely has significant merit.
 
#187
nuwavedc said:
I've found walnut body, ash block, ash neck & ebony board to be very balanced tone, but heavy. The ash body alder block, brazilian is also very balanced tone, but considerably lighter with a tad less mids and low fundamental, but clearer brighter tone. If you are a slapper I'd want some ash on the bass IMHO. Ebony pau ferro and maple boards all seem to slap well. I haven't hung a fodera that didn't balance well, so no worries there. So out of your choices #2 with ash block is where I'd head. Pauferro always felt a little empty compared to ebony to me. Ebony has a lot of fundamental and can pump out nice mids too with a little eq. No matter what you pick I'll bet it will sound great.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, that is really helpful. Walnut/Ash/Ebony or Pau sounds very intriguing. Thanks for pointing out the need for some ash, I may have been overlooking that.

What would be your take on Mahogany/Ash/Ebony or Pau? Do you think that might be a little lighter and still reach the same tonal spectrum as your suggestion?
 
#188
If the couple hundred extra for the maple board that you say would be ideal puts the cost over the edge, then wait. It's a single digit percentage of the price. Totally understand not getting Brazilian board and top, but if maple is right for you, get that and wait until you can afford the relatively small upcharge.
 
#189
LakeEffect said:
Thanks a lot, that is really helpful. Walnut/Ash/Ebony or Pau sounds very intriguing. Thanks for pointing out the need for some ash, I may have been overlooking that.



What would be your take on Mahogany/Ash/Ebony or Pau? Do you think that might be a little lighter and still reach the same tonal spectrum as your suggestion?
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Cool, I'm glad. Someone else is likely to have a different take, it's very subjective. I like mahogany on fretless it's a little warm and textured for a wide purposes bass for me. I have two Mahoney basses right now, both fretless and love them. Sometimes if you go really warm that sizzle you spoke of is tougher to get. Once again IMHO. There's a couple youtube vids I did with 3 diff foderas I've had, you can compare the tone to your own ears. Christian ( Hou ) also has a few as do some others.
 
#190
Angus said:
If the couple hundred extra for the maple board that you say would be ideal, then wait. It's a single digit percentage of the price. Totally understand not getting Brazilian board and top, but if maple is right for you, get that and wait until you can afford the relatively small upcharge.
Click to expand...

I hear you, but understand I'm only speaking from experience of what I've played (very few boutique basses), and I've never spec'ed a bass that had the option of a tone-block to influence the tone, so I'm not even sure that it is the right choice. It might be, might not?
 
#191
nuwavedc said:
Cool, I'm glad. Someone else is likely to have a different take, it's very subjective. I like mahogany on fretless it's a little warm and textured for a wide purposes bass for me. I have two Mahoney basses right now, both fretless and love them. Sometimes if you go really warm that sizzle you spoke of is tougher to get. Once again IMHO. There's a couple youtube vids I did with 3 diff foderas I've had, you can compare the tone to your own ears. Christian ( Hou ) also has a few as do some others.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll have to watch them!
 
#192
IMHO, you should tell Jason those things you said, and take his advice. People can give you input based on their experience, but he plays every or almost every bass that leaves there. I like the ash, but I really like the walnut, and the different neck and fingerboard woods change that. Two I have I wasn't thrilled about until I changed the mid jumper in the pre. They became completely different, to my ear. I'm just sayin', congrats, ask questions, but just don't pick a bunch of woods without Jason telling you they fit your vision. Good luck!
 
#194
oldfretless said:
IMHO, you should tell Jason those things you said, and take his advice. People can give you input based on their experience, but he plays every or almost every bass that leaves there. I like the ash, but I really like the walnut, and the different neck and fingerboard woods change that. Two I have I wasn't thrilled about until I changed the mid jumper in the pre. They became completely different, to my ear. I'm just sayin', congrats, ask questions, but just don't pick a bunch of woods without Jason telling you they fit your vision. Good luck!
Click to expand...


+1. Absolutely. I'll be talking to him this week.
 
#195
oldfretless said:
IMHO, you should tell Jason those things you said, and take his advice. People can give you input based on their experience, but he plays every or almost every bass that leaves there. I like the ash, but I really like the walnut, and the different neck and fingerboard woods change that.
Click to expand...

It is good to know stuff like ebony is not unlike maple tonally and that a walnut bodied bass can be as heavy as hell before buying an expensive custom bass. Jason and the Fodera team are good at explaining/making customers aware of this stuff.
 
#196
LakeEffect said:
I hear you, but understand I'm only speaking from experience of what I've played (very few boutique basses), and I've never spec'ed a bass that had the option of a tone-block to influence the tone, so I'm not even sure that it is the right choice. It might be, might not?
Click to expand...

IMO, the tone block effect is very small, especially compared to the fingerboard.
 
#199
Nuwavedc, the videos on your youtube channel were extremely helpful, thank you for directing me towards those. Angus/Narud, thanks for your take. I suppose I should give more considerate not alder/ebony, Ive only played a YYS with that combo before and the tone wasn't for me, but EMGs are apples to oranges with Dual Coils, so I suppose I shouldn't rule out the wood combo just based on my experience with that bass.

I really appreciate everyone's input, the bits of info I picked up will go a long way to getting the conversation rolling with Jason. I have a few more questions to ask that I didn't have before, and thats very important!
 
#200
You are correct that EMG's and DC's will change the whole thing. To me, it's interesting to note that there are several dealers that have ordered the same bass over and over with maybe one tweak. My EII is one of about 4 or 5. When we spoke, he told me his vision and exactly how it would sound. My point is, the only way to get your sound exactly is if you play that bass and it's you. Then order those woods. I'm lucky to have several "sounds" available, but I don't look for a specific tone. Hope this helps.
 
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