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Fodera Club Part XXVII

#17,881
emjazz said:
I've sent folks the YouTube video of you going through the options with the BigRig pickups. I love them myself, but was curious about your comment since it seemed ambiguous. Looks like you've moved that bass on since as well
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I liked the pickups a lot. Only reason I moved on the bass was changes in gigs and latitudes, and migrating back to guitar for solo shows. I'm back in the 4-string-only camp.
 
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#17,882
extreme said:
1) Pretty heavily leaning toward a walnut body. If I am wanting an 8-8.5 lb. bass am I going to necessarily need to get it chambered? Is this what Fodera refers to as "semi-hollow" on their price sheet? Any reason to think differently on the body wood? I see so many great comments here re: walnut.
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As others have said: yes, you will likely need it chambered. I don't see any reason to think differently on the body wood. Walnut is an excellent option and Fodera is very experienced at working with it. They know how to bring out its best features.
extreme said:
2) I had been thinking I would surely go with the PJ setup, but the dual coils in the standard are really amazing. I feel like the preamp is designed to really complement the dual coils and they are unique to Fodera. That said, I have always loved the P-bass vibe. I do like that the dual coils can be run in passive mode if needed whereas I believe the EMGs are active only. Thoughts?
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I like dual coils, but this is a very personal thing. Since you "have always loved the P-bass vibe" then you should probably go P/J.
extreme said:
3) I am great with having an abundance of articulation and love that about the standard model I have (pao ferro/3-piece maple neck/alder body/walnut top). So, ebony seems like a fine choice. But, I am really heavily leaning toward a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. I love rosewood and nice natural mids. I mostly play fingerstyle. I am impressed with the 3-piece maple neck on my standard, so fine with that, but curious on thoughts re: going to 5-piece (Wenge streamers? Will they matter to the sound or not enough to care what the streamer wood is?) or even considering the white oak?
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Fodera's upcharge for a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard is frankly absurd. Brazilian Rosewood is a wonderful tonewood and indeed scarce, but it's not the only wonderful tonewood and it's not so scarce to justify the upcharge. I would go Ebony. Its durability makes a stellar fingerboard wood and its simple black color is a great way to accent a highly figured top wood. My background is in double bass so I may be biased toward Ebony because of that lol
The neck stringers aren't for sound so much as stability and aesthetics.
extreme said:
4) Top wood: Leaning toward something like a flamed koa or amboyna burl...I like the reddish hues. Any other wood types I should look at?
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Perhaps a burled or flamed Redwood? Some Cocobolo has a lot of reds as well. And if you like a lighter red, a Pink Ivory might be nice. If they have a piece of Amboyna burl that speaks to you, though, I don't think you can go wrong there.
extreme said:
5) I definitely want a bit slimmer of a neck (at least at at the nut) as compared to my standard. I will have to take some measurements from my jazz bass as I really love that neck. And I want to go with mandolin frets (remember, I'm a fingerstyle player). I have mandolin frets on my jazz bass and dig 'em. I have grown into 40-95 pure blues strings on my standard, so see myself sticking to these strings going forward.
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I don't see a question here. It sounds like you know what you want.
extreme said:
6) Other aesthetics: Probably go with pearl dot inlays and black hardware. I would love dark satin grey hardware, but doubt that's possible. I am thinking about rosewood pickup covers if going with the dual coil pickups. Large headstock? Does it matter? I would be fine to get a D-tuner, but probably would not use it much at all. Those that have it, is it annoying to have? Does it mess with the weight/balance of the instrument much?
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Fodera is a custom shop so if you ask, they can probably order dark satin grey hardware for you. I feel like black will look best with the browns and reds of the woods you have mentioned, but it's your bass so get what you want :)
Definitely get wooden pickup covers if you go with the dual coins. It's a classy look and feels great if you rest your thumb on them. Rosewood will look good if you go with a Rosewood fingerboard; otherwise I'd match the top wood or go with Ebony to match the black hardware.
extreme said:
7) Oh, I'm planning to go with the dovetail neck joint. That seems like a good middle ground, though I like the idea of the neck-through as well. I probably slightly prefer the dovetail.
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Again, this is a very personal choice. I like neck-though for the feel, construction, and sound, but a dovetail has the same feel and obviously works great as well.[/QUOTE]
 
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#17,883
I am happy to say: that after 20 months of waiting my Monarch is close to be completed.
Specs: Swamp Ash, Spalted maple top, Brazilian rosewood
 

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#17,890
RGerhart said:
Did the shop send you an update with the pics, or did you request them? I don't want to pester Mike, but my custom is due the last week of this month, but I haven't received any pics yet.
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My completion date was originally estimated on for the 12th Jan. I asked for an update and it will be completed at about the end of the month. I figured the holidays would back up the production a little. I ask for an update and mike sent me the pics. You need to contact them if you want an update.
 
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#17,893
Kmrumedy said:
Value opinion please: This bass has every spec I want. But pricing seems high to me. Especially since there seems to be a substantial knock in the back like it was dropped. At this price, I would expect "Like new, Mint".

What do you think would be a fair offer on this bass in the current condition?

Fodera 5 string 30.75 scale YinYang | Reverb
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Agreed - very cool bass but it's more than I would pay given its condition.
 
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#17,895
D to the C said:
I know it may take two years, but you might want to price out a new one with those specs. Or negotiate and see how close you can get to what you feel is fair for that one!
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Thank you. I have heard nice things about Brian but have never bought from him.

I was thinking of offering him a pretty nice custom Fodera plus cash for the bass.


I think my Fodera would sell faster for him as it's not as expensive. Then with the cash he lands okay.

I'm just not sure how much cash to offer. Which is why I am trying to determine value.

What do others think this bass is worth? I'm not a lowballer. Just want to offer what is fair. I'll want to get the back repaired so I'm factoring in that cost. Is $11-$12K reasonable?
 
#17,896
Kmrumedy said:
Thank you. I have heard nice things about Brian but have never bought from him.

I was thinking of offering him a pretty nice custom Fodera plus cash for the bass.


I think my Fodera would sell faster for him as it's not as expensive. Then with the cash he lands okay.

I'm just not sure how much cash to offer. Which is why I am trying to determine value.

What do others think this bass is worth? I'm not a lowballer. Just want to offer what is fair. I'll want to get the back repaired so I'm factoring in that cost. Is $11-$12K reasonable?
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I'm not saying lowball, you know what you feel is reasonable and he has a figure he feels is reasonable. You two need to see if there is a price that you both can agree on. Reasonable is subjective and the only way to know is to see what or if you can work something out that you both feel is fair.
 
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#17,897
Kmrumedy said:
Thank you. I have heard nice things about Brian but have never bought from him.

I was thinking of offering him a pretty nice custom Fodera plus cash for the bass.


I think my Fodera would sell faster for him as it's not as expensive. Then with the cash he lands okay.

I'm just not sure how much cash to offer. Which is why I am trying to determine value.

What do others think this bass is worth? I'm not a lowballer. Just want to offer what is fair. I'll want to get the back repaired so I'm factoring in that cost. Is $11-$12K reasonable?
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BTW your Monarch is beautiful. Is that a Macassar Ebony top?
 
#17,898
D to the C said:
BTW your Monarch is beautiful. Is that a Macassar Ebony top?
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Thank you. It's Brazilian Hickory top. Newborn specs are here: Brazilian Hickory Monarch 4 Deluxe

I was going to sell it but might be easier to trade it. Not sure. I'm looking for Fodera 5 string with 16.5mm-17.5mm string spacing. So far, the one at Lowend fits the bill.
 
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