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Well, I live in NYC so I have been to the Fodera workshop (and signed the wall), but I actually meant that I had seen photos of your bass when it was in progress. I did some digging, and I was mistaken about that: I saw the 2024 build date and 5-string construction, and thought of the bass @otto B commissioned (photos here and here) and later sold. As you can see, it appears to have a top from the same flitch as yours. (I like the black hardware, wood inlays, flamed neck, and turquoise butterfly on your bass more, though!). This yin-yang may as well, though from a more distant part of the flitch.
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Yes my friend, it is 35 inch scale. I'm happy to hear you appreciate my $700 butterfly! Haha turquoise with mother of pearl "f" in classic large format.Wow! That butterfly
Is it 35 scale ?
Ahhh yes, I remember that bass of Otto's, poor fella having to sell it!! It was a gorgeous bass!!! I am so very happy to hear your comments on my bass however, thank you so very much!! Nothing beats compliments on a bass that took me a long time to pick the woods and annoy the poopie out of Mike Bendy over god bless his soul!! He put up with me like a champion and as a result, this bass is just out of this world and I could not be happier!! It's my third custom bass in my life, the first an F Bass in 2001 which I still have and finally really love a lot, the second, another F Bass I didn't like at all, and then this, the third, and three times the price, and I could not be happier with it which as I said, is the best feeling in the world spending that much and getting something so great! Thank you for your kind words and clarifying as well my friend!
That is a beautiful bass. Yep, poor me that I sold that beautiful spalted maple bass. It looked beautiful, but in sound it was missing that wow sound factor, additionally I asked to build me a lightweight bass at around 8-8.5 lbs. and they missed that mark. I was very disappointed with that bass after waiting 2 years I was not blown away.
Bummer the tone wasn't what you wanted after that wait. But did they really say a 34'' with DC's, Fodera hardware/electronics, ash (at least, the type Fodera uses) a dense-ish top would come in at 8lb-8.5lb? I know it can and does happen, but it's not at all the norm and I'd be surprised if they guaranteed something like that. Fodera's just aren't that light and they've never pretended to be, at least absent some more extreme weight saving measures.
Even with mine they're not guaranteeing much of anything by way of weight. Granted, I know it's not an exact science and I make a point not to ask them to because I don't have a number in my head (the conversation is always heavier vs. lighter, not so much a target). But the above specs and an 8lb-8.5lb bass are just not guaranteed to align.
Even with mine they're not guaranteeing much of anything by way of weight. Granted, I know it's not an exact science and I make a point not to ask them to because I don't have a number in my head (the conversation is always heavier vs. lighter, not so much a target). But the above specs and an 8lb-8.5lb bass are just not guaranteed to align.
Good point. My 5-string Imperial MG is 10.8 lbs. Lighter than my old 6-string Warwick Thumb SC (a veritable 12 lbs!), but still on the heavier side for a bass. I don't mind. I love how it sounds and I have a 7.5 lbs Kelvin Daly if weight should become a problem at some point.
12lbs! Those thumbs do sound killer though. Yeah, I feel like Fodera's are always pretty "expected" weights for the type of basses they are. You can only expect them to be so lightweight when they use bell brass, heavy wound pickups, medium weight woods, have a philosophy that believes at least some heft benefits tone, etc. All of which make them sound and play killer and are central reasons they are what they are.
Here's my Fodera Emperor 5 Buckeye Burl Burst 
- Feb 8, 2021
- 155
- 443
- Disclosures
- Endorser of EBS Amplification, Neotech Straps
Otto, calm down, Those guys know what are they doing Also the weight can vary.. always! Now, if you didn't like the sound, that's anorher question.
When I talked with Mike, about woods he mentioned they had received a badge of very light ash wood, and he would save me a piece, yes, they told me that they can't promise anything around being 8lbs, but it would be under 9lbs. I began to think that after 2 years, they wouldn't hold a piece of ash, the top yes, as we select them. Anyway, I was just disappointed that I spend all that money to not being blown away. Don't get me wrong, they make outstanding instruments, it just that one bass didn't have that wow factor.
I am good brother, thank you. I would love to order another Fodera, however because the current build time is about 28 months, that is way too much time.
And that's the classic issue with Fodera … buyers 
including myself.
Truth (to me) is that, yes they are expensive, and you might need to wait a very long time, but they will only just sound like a bass. They might play well, sound great, but at the end of the day, it's a piece of wood with some strings. In my mind you only pay 3x because you want a fodera (and whatever comes with it), not because I expect to get something 3x better.
We are not in the 90's anymore, « normal » basses are incredibly better than they used to be even for a fraction of the price. The fact that cheap basses got better doesn't mean that expensive basses also got significantly better.
On top of that, the tone will vary widely depending on the specs. Not difficult to get it wrong. All my foderas sounded different enough that I loved some (2) and hated the other 2.
Just a reminder (to myself) to temper our expectations and enjoy what we get… the graal doesn't exist.
But we should keep ordering, just in case it does
including myself.Truth (to me) is that, yes they are expensive, and you might need to wait a very long time, but they will only just sound like a bass. They might play well, sound great, but at the end of the day, it's a piece of wood with some strings. In my mind you only pay 3x because you want a fodera (and whatever comes with it), not because I expect to get something 3x better.
We are not in the 90's anymore, « normal » basses are incredibly better than they used to be even for a fraction of the price. The fact that cheap basses got better doesn't mean that expensive basses also got significantly better.
On top of that, the tone will vary widely depending on the specs. Not difficult to get it wrong. All my foderas sounded different enough that I loved some (2) and hated the other 2.
Just a reminder (to myself) to temper our expectations and enjoy what we get… the graal doesn't exist.
But we should keep ordering, just in case it does
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That's fair man and I'm sorry the dust settled like that. Custom instruments are a huge purchase and you sure hope to be 2-year wait/$$$$ happy when the bass arrives.
Otto - I may have this wrong but I believe the SD DC's are the largest of the bunch and will require routing. Not exactly what you asked, but throwing out my understanding to learn in case someone corrects me on it.
Also, another tidbit on the exchange above: For what it's worth I sincerely go back and forth on whether I should be going with such oddball specs. I know there's no guarantee that it all "works" together on any custom, but even more so when you start toying with more and more specs. In your case it's really too bad it didn't, because unlike me I don't think you were gambling with that possibility at all. Your specs were perfectly reasonable. If mine doesn't hit the mark, on the other hand, well in fairness I don't think there's anyone else to blame but me!
Also, another tidbit on the exchange above: For what it's worth I sincerely go back and forth on whether I should be going with such oddball specs. I know there's no guarantee that it all "works" together on any custom, but even more so when you start toying with more and more specs. In your case it's really too bad it didn't, because unlike me I don't think you were gambling with that possibility at all. Your specs were perfectly reasonable. If mine doesn't hit the mark, on the other hand, well in fairness I don't think there's anyone else to blame but me!
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