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Fodera Emperor Elite 5

tyjacks

tyjacks

Dec 23, 2002
200
110
66
Memphis, TN.
#1
Any Fodera Emperor Elite 5 String owners, seriously considering purchasing one. Please give any advice with playability, sound and support. I played one recently and it was more than I could imagine. Trying not to become infatuated with it, but realistic. Any advice would help...
 
#2
Hi tyjacks

I don't own a Emperor 5 but I own a Emperor Elite 4 which is one of the basses I ever played. The sound is sweet and the playability is the best. I have small frets and the action is real low which I like. The bass is so easy to play. I'm not much into 5 strings but if I where I would get myself a Emperor 5. There are mostly Emperor 5 Deluxe around and not so many Elite's.
People here on TB doesn't seem to like Fodera mostly of their prices I think! But if you played a Fodera and it smoked I'll say go for it!

-Christian
 
#3
I owned and played one for a number of years. Very nice... but very big and most are very heavy. I just couldn't take the weight anymore. The Pope pre is nice, but rather mellow. The Duncan pickups will give you a little more grind, and Aero's a little more warmth IMO. The dual coil design is nice.... for both a humbucking and single coil sound... although many brands offer this (I have Aero Duals and a Pope 4 band in my Stambaugh... it's small, light and sounds great!).

If you like that very large neck profile at the nut (the necks are BIG), and the very full, warm sound, they are great.

You can see a picture of mine in my profile.... nice! If I were to do it over, I would seriously consider the bolt-on Emperor.... less costly, same look, quicker build time, and I personally like the sound and feel of a bolt on neck.... pure personal opinion. I also like the Monarch body style better (the single cut Imperial and the Garrison model are based on that smaller body style)... however, if you get the dual coils, the smaller body can seem a little crowded versus the Emperor or EmperorII.

Also.... if you order one, the wait time is very long now... I believe approaching two years or so. I have a buddy who is at 15 months now for his EmperorII Elite 5, with nothing in sight at all!
 
#4
It's a good bass, expensive yes, but you get what you pay for and even more when you buy used. The weight is about the same as in other bass in the same class and I would imagine that depends on what woods you select or the woods that have been selected. Personally I'd keep my eye out for used a much better value for the dollar unless of course you absolutely positively need to have it brand spanking new, if that's the case best to get your name in now.
 
#5
Phil Smith said:
It's a good bass, expensive yes, but you get what you pay for and even more when you buy used. The weight is about the same as in other bass in the same class and I would imagine that depends on what woods you select or the woods that have been selected. Personally I'd keep my eye out for used a much better value for the dollar unless of course you absolutely positively need to have it brand spanking new, if that's the case best to get your name in now.
Click to expand...

+1 on the body woods at least partially determining the weight. However, the Emperor body is very large. A Mahogany or Walnut body on an Emporer is REALLY heavy... in the 12 pound+ range. Ouch.

Regarding used, the good news/bad news regarding Fodera's is that due to the high demand relative to the production capabilities, the used basses go for just slightly less than new. I actually sold my Emporer for more than I payed for it. Used Fodera's are pretty expensive due to the fact that you have to wait between one and two years to get a new one.

That being said, there is a lot of variability in the Fodera line (due to the true custom nature of those basses). I would highly recommend finding one you like on the used market vs. having one built. You won't save a lot of money, but you will know exactly what you are getting.
 
#6
I think I disagree though about the bodies being large though.... I don't really find that at all. They are very comparable to a J-bass. Imperials are slightly larger but I still wouldn't consider them "big".

Anyway, you can't go wrong with a good Emperor. Just make sure you know what you want before you order one as the weight can be long and there are so many variables that influence the end result.
 
#7
Joelc73 said:
Here is mine. It was my main bass for the last four years or so. We've had a ton of Fodera here over the years.

I think I disagree though about the bodies being large though.... I don't really find that at all. They are very comparable to a J-bass. Imperials are slightly larger but I still wouldn't consider them "big".
Click to expand...

A "big" body would be an Alembic Series body.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with a good Emperor. Just make sure you know what you want before you order one as the weight can be long and there are so many variables that influence the end result.
Click to expand...

The wait can be heavy as well. :D
 
#8
Both of my Emperors sound and play amazing but are on the heavy side. The Elite (in the middle below) has a walnut body and the Deluxe (top) is alder. Excuse the inclusion of the Monarch Elite in the pic :p
three_amigos.jpg
 
#9
hippiesandwich said:
Both of my Emperors sound and play amazing but are on the heavy side. The Elite (in the middle below) has a walnut body and the Deluxe (top) is alder. Excuse the inclusion of the Monarch Elite in the pic :p
Click to expand...

will you either adopt me or marry me or something :help:

I'm a great cook, don't mind doing windows and I'm pretty handy with the power tools :smug:
 
#17
Joelc73 said:
Here is mine. It was my main bass for the last four years or so. We've had a ton of Fodera here over the years.

I think I disagree though about the bodies being large though.... I don't really find that at all. They are very comparable to a J-bass. Imperials are slightly larger but I still wouldn't consider them "big".

Anyway, you can't go wrong with a good Emperor. Just make sure you know what you want before you order one as the weight can be long and there are so many variables that influence the end result.
Click to expand...

Joel!

Your Emperor is killing me :crying:

-Christian
 
#18
fodera.gif


Just had to post a larger picture on the Emperor Elite 5 that I played on about a million gigs. Sorry for the goofy/smiley photo. It really was a beautiful bass.... five piece neck with purpleheart stringers, a AAAAA+ solid top, one of the first Fodera's with wood pickup covers (at least that's what I was told).... the cocobola covers really matched the mahogany body color. Finally, an very old piece of ebony for the fretboard... no dots... nothin'! With the Seymour dual coils, it could get very aggressive and funky in single coil mode.

Anyway, as you can see, they are big horses and my back finally had enough of it. To the credit of the Fodera brand, I played it for 5+ years and sold it for a little more than I originally payed for it... not bad!
 

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