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Fodera Imperial: Good Playing, Pedestrian Tone
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I think it sounds pretty good. More mid forward than you usually hear in videos like this but I bet it would sound great in a mix. I dig that top!
Also gonna learn that harmonic riff on lunch, that's awesome.
Also gonna learn that harmonic riff on lunch, that's awesome.
I think it all depends on how it’s recorded, I’m guessing that the different clips are with different settings. To me it sounds like the Fodera/Duncan duel coils. I like duel coils as @ole Jason said it would probably sound great in a mix.
I'd use the term "neutral" to describe it, personally. I think of it as "wide band" or even "hifi"; kind of the way Anthony Jackson sounds for example.
I bet it fits in mixes really well because of that - if you want the bass to be more of an "ensemble" instrument that doesn't stand out in any particular way and I mean that in a good way, that's a good kind of tone to have, in my opinion.
That's part of why the fender precision is such a popular bass. It has a kind of neutral tone without any really super exceptional characteristic that makes it stick out like a sore thumb. You can force that out of a precision by really hammering on it with a pick for example, but you have to work at it. So it works well in a lot of different styles of music.
So personally, I think it sounds really good. I guess for what is it, 10 large, it ought to sound good but...
Basses played by themselves without other instruments can be deceiving - they can sound kind of blah on their own but in a particular musical situation with other instruments can sound great. And the other way around...
L
I bet it fits in mixes really well because of that - if you want the bass to be more of an "ensemble" instrument that doesn't stand out in any particular way and I mean that in a good way, that's a good kind of tone to have, in my opinion.
That's part of why the fender precision is such a popular bass. It has a kind of neutral tone without any really super exceptional characteristic that makes it stick out like a sore thumb. You can force that out of a precision by really hammering on it with a pick for example, but you have to work at it. So it works well in a lot of different styles of music.
So personally, I think it sounds really good. I guess for what is it, 10 large, it ought to sound good but...
Basses played by themselves without other instruments can be deceiving - they can sound kind of blah on their own but in a particular musical situation with other instruments can sound great. And the other way around...
L
Perhaps they are recording it to sound good through phone/tablet speakers? Sounds great to me on my phone in the loo.
This is from 5 years ago so the recording quality isn't the greatest. This guy makes any bass sound good so if he were to record it today it would sound amazing.
That being said, you are correct that even the most amazing basses can sometimes sounds meh..
That being said, you are correct that even the most amazing basses can sometimes sounds meh..
What you think sounds average, might sound great to someone else...
To be clear, I know it is a super high quality bass, and although I did not like the tone in that clip, I have no doubt it can sound wonderful.
Pick any bass company and you'll find examples of basses that sound lifeless in comparison to its siblings. I've sat in the Sadowsky showroom and played amazing sounding basses back-to-back with basses that were less than amazing. Same with any number of other brands. The variety of sonic nuance which can exist even when comparing basses with matching specs is part of the beauty of it all. Of course, it's also part of the frustration. 
Agree with bass12.
No amount of money spent will guarantee a bass sounds really good. It just guarantees that it will be well constructed. Wood is unpredictable and each bass is unique
No amount of money spent will guarantee a bass sounds really good. It just guarantees that it will be well constructed. Wood is unpredictable and each bass is unique
In that case, Doc, I think your leading statement would have been more accurate as "This just proves even a great bass can be made to sound bland."
That would be like the idea that even a mediocre instrument can be made to sound excellent when it is played by a great player.
I hand picked a Fodera for a friend of mine when I worked at Sweetwater. I pulled 7 different Same model Fodera basses that we had in stock. All except for one was “meh” to me. The one that stood out was absolutely fantastic. The rest weren’t worth the money for me, personally.
If we're talking about the basic tone of the instrument then the thread title may very well be perfectly legitimate (depending on how - or whether or not - the person in the video tweaked the bass' EQ). Some instruments just sound more (fill in the blank) than others - regardless of who is playing them.
I think the B on that bass sounds a bit flabby and dead but otherwise I think it sounds ok. It's nothing spectacular but that could easily be down to recording variables.
The variation in pickups, preamps and construction materials can make Foderas quite varied in sound. In sure we've all heard them sound great and we've heard them sound bad, I know I have. It's very much up to how the bass is specified by the customer and they EQ and amplify or record it.
The variation in pickups, preamps and construction materials can make Foderas quite varied in sound. In sure we've all heard them sound great and we've heard them sound bad, I know I have. It's very much up to how the bass is specified by the customer and they EQ and amplify or record it.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
I have heard many a bass that sounded unremarkable until in the hands of a master; in consequence, the only thing that matters to me is what a bass sounds like in my hands because a master will not come along and play it for me. 
I have heard many a bass that sounded unremarkable until in the hands of a master; in consequence, the only thing that matters to me is what a bass sounds like in my hands because a master will not come along and play it for me.
If I am buying, I want the bass to sound great in my hands and showcase whatever skills I have in their best light.
A lot of the sound of a B is where and how you're picking it; right over the neck pickup and pluck it hard like in the video is the very worst place to do a B string. I think it sounds good even under the circumstances. Softly plucked over the bridge PU and it probably sounds great.
That said, the best B I ever owned was my Carvin Brian Bromberg 5 string fretless with the radiused humbucker pickups in it. Plucked over the bridge PU with the bridge PU soloed and it had the cleanest B of any 5 or 6 I had owned prior or after. I have no idea why, but it was just super clean and smooth. Even my Bunny 6 string's B was woolier and little muddier, as good as it sounded too.
I bet this bass has an incredible B in a mix and plucked with a light touch near the bridge....
L
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I remember this. Took me ages to learn that African groove but it was worth it. I've played that model and I promise it sounds divine. Was really surprised when I first heard this.
