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Fodera Emperor Standard 5 comments

#61
KJung said:
As a former Fodera owner (and also growing up and playing for decades in St. Louis... the second home of Fodera... I've played dozens) and now a new Roscoe owner (their top of the in Signature model), I don't think I've ever disagreed more with a statement on Talkbass.
Click to expand...

I agree with Ken.

I love my E5S and have a custom on order but the 2 Roscoes and the MTD 535 I previously owned are in the same class as Fodera.

I like Fodera better than any other brand, but a used $2000 SKB, LG or Century is very hard to beat as is a used $2500-3200 USA MTD. The cheapest used USA Fodera I have seen in the last few years was a Monarch Standard and that was still almost $4k.

To each their own in any case...
 
#62
Baird6869 said:
I agree with Ken.

I love my E5S and have a custom on order but the 2 Roscoes and the MTD 535 I previously owned are in the same class as Fodera.

I like Fodera better than any other brand, but a used $2000 SKB, LG or Century is very hard to beat as is a used $2500-3200 USA MTD. The cheapest used USA Fodera I have seen in the last few years was a Monarch Standard and that was still almost $4k.

To each their own in any case...
Click to expand...

+1 All great stuff, and from a pure 'quality and workmanship' perspective, I see absolutely no difference. However, the tonality of those three would appeal to different players for sure.
 
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#63
KJung said:
+1 All great stuff, and from a pure 'quality and workmanship' perspective, I see absolutely no difference. However, the tonality of those three would appeal to different players for sure.
Click to expand...

Smith is another builder that is great. I love the look, but the sound doesn't work for me at all.

I pay extra for Fodera but IMO they are the best basses for me. Tonewise, ergonomically, look, customer service, etc.
 
#64
KJung said:
+1 All great stuff, and from a pure 'quality and workmanship' perspective, I see absolutely no difference. However, the tonality of those three would appeal to different players for sure.
Click to expand...


This. Granted, I'm a Roscoe endorser so you should take my comments with that in mind, but the first time I played a Fodera I was disappointed. Not because the bass (and subsequent others) was lacking anything, per se, but I certainly couldn't see where the extra money was better spent. I could have 2 or 3 Roscoes for the price of 1 Fodera, and honestly can't see any difference in build quality or playability.
 
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#68
I would think u could put a new nut cut at the desired spacing and put a new bridge on the bass with the same spacing....only difference would be more exposed fretboard on both sides of the highest and lowest strings because there would be 3mm(1.5×2) gained from the B&E and the D&G tighter spacing in reference to the middle(D string)....
 
#70
Changing the string spacing would affect the placement of the strings over the pole pieces of the pickups, wouldn’t it?
Looking at the pic, the strings all appear to be pretty close to centered between the dual pole pieces.
Would the change in spacing make a difference in sound due to not being as 'properly' centered?

emperor_pickup-bridge1.jpg
 
#71
It would result in a complete hack job as the entire neck would be thinner and that would make the neck pocket a mess...we certainly would not recommend it nor would we do it.

Hope that makes sense.

Regards,

J

Testing123 said:
Jason,

Is it possible to change an E5S that has already been purchased from 19mm spacing to 17.5mm spacing? If so, what would be involved?

Thanks,
Allen
Click to expand...
 
#72
But the poles on the pickups are also designed around a given spacing, so this would not be optimal either.

J

jamminology101 said:
I would think u could put a new nut cut at the desired spacing and put a new bridge on the bass with the same spacing....only difference would be more exposed fretboard on both sides of the highest and lowest strings because there would be 3mm(1.5×2) gained from the B&E and the D&G tighter spacing in reference to the middle(D string)....
Click to expand...
 
#74
Testing123 said:
Changing the string spacing would affect the placement of the strings over the pole pieces of the pickups, wouldn’t it?
Looking at the pic, the strings all appear to be pretty close to centered between the dual pole pieces.
Would the change in spacing make a difference in sound due to not being as 'properly' centered?

View attachment 353477
Click to expand...

its not a big deal if the poles are centered. its more visual than anything else. i had a 17.5mm bridge on my emperor 5 for a while and definitely preferred it. i ultimately sold it because i didnt dig the 1.875 neck width. while its more of a p.i.a., you could get a new nut cut with slightly narrower spacing which can feel slightly better. on a jazz 5 i had later, i cut a new nut with narrower spacing and it made the wide neck more tolerable.
 
#75
Just Thumpin' said:
It would result in a complete hack job as the entire neck would be thinner and that would make the neck pocket a mess...we certainly would not recommend it nor would we do it.

Hope that makes sense.

Regards,

J
Click to expand...
So, this wouldn't be just a question of changing the bridge (and maybe the nut as well)...

OK, thanks for the quick response, Jason.
Much appreciated,
Allen
 
#76
polymad said:
With Fodera, you dont only just own a bass that is on a league of its own, but you become involved in the legacy that is Fodera.
Click to expand...

+1000
This is what I've always said... I've had my E5S for some time now and I love it! The only regret is not buying a Fodera years ago when I first had the chance. I'm going to order one of the customs, but am having a hard time letting my E5S go! :(
 
#78
Baird6869 said:
I am about to order my 2nd custom (a fretless Monarch 5er) and I still absolutely love my E5S. If I ever sell it, it will only be to pay off one of my Customs.
Click to expand...

That's exactly the dilemma! Lol... I would be letting go of my E5S to get the custom, but its not that easy to let it go...
 
#79
Just a note to let everyone know that I have recently purchased an E5S of my own! :hyper:

Great bass… so far, I love it! :bassist:

Thanks to Chris, George and even Munjibunga for helping me with the purchase and set up of the bass at Bass San Diego!!!

Oh, and I updated post #53 (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/fodera-emperor-standard-5-comments-918787/index3.html#post14651180) of this thread to include information about the strings that come standard with the bass.

Pics? So far, I just have a pic that George took at Bass San Diego, but I’ll be more than happy to post it.

fodera_e5s.jpg
 
#80
Glad you're liking your E5S. It's still the first bass I pick up to play. Got mine through Bass Central. Still experimenting with strings, so far the Fodera nickels are my first pick. Gonna try Elixir coated nickels just for the heck of it. The preamp has so much flexibility tha you can always dial in a good tone. Nice and punchy without being harsh or muddy and the passive tone control lends a rounder character to the attack. Construction is what you would expect---can't find any flaws even if you tried. It will hold me over until my custom build is done next year. It's a keeper.
 

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