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Fodera Emperor Elite

#61
pnchad said:
Butter slathered on a 2016 Halle Berry would be just fine. But then I'm a geezer.

OTOH, I can tell you there is NO comparison. Come to my studio & I'll prove it. I don't own a pre CBS but I do have a real '68 w original guts and a Fodera Imp w JJ pups. If my tech challenged self could figure out how to post wave files you'd see. Everything else being equal the Imp is like a bazooka against a deer rifle.

We just recorded both last weekend. When you want the booty...

A reminder: serious players that can afford them play them. Fodera does not do heavy discounts for endorsements so; Wooten, Bona, Genus, Gray, A.J., Janek, Garrison, etc. etc.
Click to expand...

I have a 68 Jazz too. It's old and it's rare. It really does't compare to any of my gigging basses. Thus endeth the lesson.
;)
 
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#62
gkbass13 said:
Even when looking at the prices of Foderas (I have two and am a complete fan boy) we have it really easy compared to the cost of other (acoustic) instruments in the world. The fact that a professional level bass guitar can be had for a few hundred bucks would probably make some concert violinists weep.

Every time this thread topic comes up regarding Fodera, it is important to revisit the law of diminishing returns. Sure, the more expensive something is, the fewer "improvements" or "upgrades" over lesser priced instruments will be possible as you go on, but to someone, the mix and combination of those changes may be perfect for them and worth the extra money. To others, they might not even be improvements, as whatever the changes are, they might not mesh with that person's tastes or playing style. They don't have to be for everyone. One thing is certain though, that bass will sell, as will every other Fodera posted on their site. Something must be working.

The Porsche analogy is pretty accurate. You might be able to have just as much fun in a '99 Miata as you could in a new 911 Turbo, but that all depends on your approach to driving, how fast you want to go, who much it would affect the rest of your life as far as expenses go, etc.

I justified my used Fodera purchases in a very systematic way, and have no regrets, as after owning or playing just about any kind of bass that interests me, I know for a fact that i can do things on my Imperial 5 that i couldn't on any other instrument I've touched. I've also met the people who built it, find ti to be beautiful, and love the different sounds I can get out of it. For me that stuff matters and was worth some of the extra cost.

The rest of the justification comes from the fact that I see music purchases as a hobby, a passion, and also as my vice of choice...well, that and craft beer.
I have chosen not to have some of the expensive habits that friends of mine might have, and instead allow myself a yearly budget on music gear. I figured out what it would cost to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day for a year, divided that in half, and there it is. I generally allow myself 1500 or so a year in (new) gear purchases, so if i sell a bass for 500, I allow myself spend up to 2000 that year. It may seem crazy, but it has worked for me and I needed some way to rationalize it.

In the end, to each their own. There are tons of cool options for us to choose from, and not every one, no matter the price, will be right for everyone.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Agreed.

As much as I love my 99 Miata ( :D) I wouldn't turn down a new Turbo Porsche. Or an older one. Unless of course I'm buying it with my money in which case... Miatas Rule!
;)

I also agree on prioritization. I know I can't indulge in everything I want... hot buttered Halle Berry alone would break the bank. So I "settle" for what I have and no complaints here.
:D
 
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#64
It's two pieces of wood bolted ( or glued) together with magnets placed under metal strings in positions similar to an instrument made popular on many recordings from the 1960s till today. This one costs near 5 figures, a standard Jazz under $1000, either way the audience won't be able to tell a difference, best scenario other bass players expect you to match your talent with the price tag (many people can, I'd hate to be the guy who can't)

If you've worked hard for your money and buying this lavishly expensive instrument makes you happy or inspires you to play more/better, so be it. These threads always devolve into pricetag bashing anyway...
oldfretless said:
If by that, you mean, a Jazz bass that went to college, got a PhD, traveled the world and won the Nobel Peace Prize, I agree.
Click to expand...
 
#66
gkbass13 said:
Even when looking at the prices of Foderas (I have two and am a complete fan boy) we have it really easy compared to the cost of other (acoustic) instruments in the world. The fact that a professional level bass guitar can be had for a few hundred bucks would probably make some concert violinists weep.

Every time this thread topic comes up regarding Fodera, it is important to revisit the law of diminishing returns. Sure, the more expensive something is, the fewer "improvements" or "upgrades" over lesser priced instruments will be possible as you go on, but to someone, the mix and combination of those changes may be perfect for them and worth the extra money. To others, they might not even be improvements, as whatever the changes are, they might not mesh with that person's tastes or playing style. They don't have to be for everyone. One thing is certain though, that bass will sell, as will every other Fodera posted on their site. Something must be working.

The Porsche analogy is pretty accurate. You might be able to have just as much fun in a '99 Miata as you could in a new 911 Turbo, but that all depends on your approach to driving, how fast you want to go, who much it would affect the rest of your life as far as expenses go, etc.

I justified my used Fodera purchases in a very systematic way, and have no regrets, as after owning or playing just about any kind of bass that interests me, I know for a fact that i can do things on my Imperial 5 that i couldn't on any other instrument I've touched. I've also met the people who built it, find ti to be beautiful, and love the different sounds I can get out of it. For me that stuff matters and was worth some of the extra cost.

The rest of the justification comes from the fact that I see music purchases as a hobby, a passion, and also as my vice of choice...well, that and craft beer.
I have chosen not to have some of the expensive habits that friends of mine might have, and instead allow myself a yearly budget on music gear. I figured out what it would cost to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day for a year, divided that in half, and there it is. I generally allow myself 1500 or so a year in (new) gear purchases, so if i sell a bass for 500, I allow myself spend up to 2000 that year. It may seem crazy, but it has worked for me and I needed some way to rationalize it.

In the end, to each their own. There are tons of cool options for us to choose from, and not every one, no matter the price, will be right for everyone.

Cheers!
Click to expand...


I think a lot of people get hung up on the point you made about the "miata vs Porsche" example. A professional level driver can take a tricked out miata and drive it just as fast as the Porsche, and even after 15 grand worth of upgrades the miata would still cost half as much as the Porsche. The Porsche will hold value better, and will have an overall higher level of trim quality, but the end result will be the same on the track.

I.E. Hadrien Feraud sounds pretty much the same on his "cheap" mayones jazz bass as he does on his Ken smith or fodera. Pino paladino would make the same sounds on a fodera that he gets out of his fender P bass.
 
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#69
I don´t mean to be rude. I have a Xotic 5 stringer, and have read some comments about it too on TB about being too expensive for a Jazz Bass, but I have been at gigs where engineers just go up and ask "what bass is that? it sounds great!" and they heard other Jazz basses on the same venue. Point being, jazz sound? Sure... but one hell of a jazz bass sound!
 
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#71
I never said that Fodera was too expensive; I said it sounded like a Jazz. I understand full well diminishing returns. I listen to music on my iPad and iPhone with Klipsch $100 earbuds, and I have often carried $200-$600 pocketknives. When I was single, younger, and slimmer, I wore expensive designer clothes.

Great musicians play Foderas. I don't think Anthony Jackson or Lincoln Goines play Foderas for the status. I'm at peace with my opinions and choices.
 
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#72
Somehow this thread morphed from Fodera on jazz to butter on Halle Berry with a Porsche on the side and a bazooka and Miata thrown in for good measure.

Never having owned a Fodera my take away from this thread is if I can afford to buy Halle Berry and slather her in butter then put her in a souped up Miata she'll sound like a jazz bass but look a whole lot better and cost a whole lot more. I guess my first question would be - what's the best butter for Halle Berry? Followed by, tort or no tort?
 
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#73
Dr. Cheese said:
I never said that Fodera was too expensive; I said it sounded like a Jazz. I understand full well diminishing returns. I listen to music on my iPad and iPhone with Klipsch $100 earbuds, and I have often carried $200-$600 pocketknives. When I was single, younger, and slimmer, I wore expensive designer clothes.

Great musicians play Foderas. I don't think Anthony Jackson or Lincoln Goines play Foderas for the status. I'm at peace with my opinions and choices.
Click to expand...

You weren't misunderstood by me.
 
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#75
Eidolon0274 said:
It's two pieces of wood bolted ( or glued) together with magnets placed under metal strings in positions similar to an instrument made popular on many recordings from the 1960s till today. This one costs near 5 figures, a standard Jazz under $1000, either way the audience won't be able to tell a difference, best scenario other bass players expect you to match your talent with the price tag (many people can, I'd hate to be the guy who can't)

If you've worked hard for your money and buying this lavishly expensive instrument makes you happy or inspires you to play more/better, so be it. These threads always devolve into pricetag bashing anyway...
Click to expand...


If I were worried about others' opinion of me I'd save up my money and then buy them a bass.
:D

The audience can't tell is still one of those things that makes me shake my head. Why change your socks? The audience can't smell your feet.
;)

The audience hears what you do with your instrument. You OTOH fully experience the bass. Which you find more important is up to you. You can probably guess which side I land on.
:D
 
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#78
Brad Johnson said:
...The audience hears what you do with your instrument. You OTOH fully experience the bass. Which you find more important is up to you. You can probably guess which side I land on.
:D
Click to expand...

This is so very true. A $229 Affinity J-Bass truly sounds like a Jazz, but it does not play or feel like my DJ5. This is probably the hardest thing for a non-playing spouse or friend to understand.

It is also why I have flipped for the Music Man Caprice. It sounds great, but it is absolute joy to play!
 
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#80
GBassNorth said:
Somehow this thread morphed from Fodera on jazz to butter on Halle Berry with a Porsche on the side and a bazooka and Miata thrown in for good measure.

Never having owned a Fodera my take away from this thread is if I can afford to buy Halle Berry and slather her in butter then put her in a souped up Miata she'll sound like a jazz bass but look a whole lot better and cost a whole lot more. I guess my first question would be - what's the best butter for Halle Berry? Followed by, tort or no tort?
Click to expand...

She can sound like any bass she wants.
;)
 
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