Fodera Imperial: Good Playing, Pedestrian Tone

[Dr. Cheese]

I wasn't specifically directing my post at you, just a general comment in response to other posts.

I did not take your post as an attack. I was just saying why I started the thread.

 

[spade2you]

I thought most of the sounds were fairly good, some better than others. I think the low B string on the first bass sounded a bit floppy and would guestimate this was because the action looked really low.

 

[chadds]

First video: It sounds like the player doesn't know the instrument, has not spent enough time to feel what is in that bass. Or the player isn't really making music but just playing riffs on the bass so we are hearing the least the player and and the bass can produce.

Second: He's playing with more ease but he's not saying anything.

It's almost that the builds expose that there's no music happening.

 

[Dincrest]

I remember many years ago (I'm thinking around 2006 or 2007) I was at this party/jam with one of my bandmates (I was in an indie rock band at that time) and a few guys I used to jam with were playing. They wanted to play some of the song I knew with them and the bassist graciously let me jam on one of his basses (he brought a Pedulla and a Fodera.) He let me play his Fodera (it wasn't a fancy Fodera, but it was a Fodera nonetheless), and it was easily the smoothest playing bass I've ever laid my hands on and without a doubt, the absolute best.

But at the end of the day I thought, "I just played the Rolls Royce of basses... yet I still prefer the Warwick Corvette Standard I have at home."

The best is the best... but sometimes "the best" is not "the best for you."

(I no longer have that Warwick, but it's in the hands of an insanely talented jazz student, so it's in a better place.)

 

[Jazzjames]

The way an instrument is set up makes such a big difference to how it sounds, and how comfortable different players will feel and sound on that bass.

All the Foderas I’ve played (never owned one) have had reeeally low actions, which is not how I go about generating tone on my own basses, so found them pretty disappointing to play.

I’m sure if if they had been set up more to my liking they would have left a more positive impression tone-wise. Sounds like the action is set too low in this video, at least for thw fingerstyle riffs. The tapping and harmonic work sounds good.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I think this Fodera sounds wonderful.

 

[Flaked Beans]

Here is C. Wood playing a very simple, bolt-on bass:



Check out the tone and revert

The bass player is Jesse Murphy and I played his aluminum double bass (the double bass on this you tube video) for a couple of times. Great bass!

 

[luciens]

I think this Fodera sounds wonderful.

I thought they all sounded good, but... If I won the lotto, this could make me buy a fretted bass...

L