• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fodera Monarch P

#61
lowdownthump said:
P style basses are my favorite , but this one just didn't wow me. I'm sure it is well made and feels good, but so are a lot of way less expensive p style basses.
I don't see anything that would make me want to spend that amount of $ for one.
Click to expand...

I think that with a relatively basic design that is as minimalist as this, the vast majority of whether you dig it or not can only be truly ascertained when you play it and hear it. Clearly we need to be intrigued by our eyes when choosing a bass, but it is the way an instrument responds to our touch and how it sounds that usually determines whether or not we end up cherishing it or selling it and moving on. At least IMHO...
 
  • Like
Reactions: odarellmc, roogbass and M Sterling
#64
I think it looks great, I'm totally into boutique basses, and I believe the price is (usually) justified by the quality.

But, all that said: This really seems overkill for a P-bass. It does sound a *little* more focused than the P-basses I've played, but it's basically the same tone that you can get for a few hundred bucks anywhere in the world, and it's hard to believe the playability can be significantly better than what you can get for a thousand (or so) bucks in today's "boutique" P-basses.

Just seems like a strange path to go down for Fodera -- other than the Butterfly, there doesn't appear to be much to compel someone to spend so much more than necessary for that paradigm.
 
#65
Eminor3rd said:
I think it looks great, I'm totally into boutique basses, and I believe the price is (usually) justified by the quality.

But, all that said: This really seems overkill for a P-bass. It does sound a *little* more focused than the P-basses I've played, but it's basically the same tone that you can get for a few hundred bucks anywhere in the world, and it's hard to believe the playability can be significantly better than what you can get for a thousand (or so) bucks in today's "boutique" P-basses.
Click to expand...

You live in NYC - go to the shop and play one and see. I played one at the show, have owned/gigged most every flavor of P-bass, and I think it plays better than pretty much everything I've had in the past and isn't that much different than my YYD. $1K doesn't even get you a Fender P these days (new). You can get a Asian-made "boutique", but a NYC Sadowsky will be north of $4K.

Videos tell you nothing about how a bass plays, how it responds to your technique, or how it feels. That's where you'll likely find a difference between this bass and instruments that cost less. Playing bass is about more than just the notes that people hear. What value an individual puts on the various aspects of that experience (looks, playability, etc) is up the them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JLY, roogbass, Christian Houmann and 1 other person
#68
nostatic said:
You live in NYC - go to the shop and play one and see. I played one at the show, have owned/gigged most every flavor of P-bass, and I think it plays better than pretty much everything I've had in the past and isn't that much different than my YYD. $1K doesn't even get you a Fender P these days (new). You can get a Asian-made "boutique", but a NYC Sadowsky will be north of $4K.

Videos tell you nothing about how a bass plays, how it responds to your technique, or how it feels. That's where you'll likely find a difference between this bass and instruments that cost less. Playing bass is about more than just the notes that people hear. What value an individual puts on the various aspects of that experience (looks, playability, etc) is up the them.
Click to expand...

I have always wanted to stop by the shop, but I'm too nervous.

Yeah, I'm sure it's awesome. I'm not trying to knock the quality of the product at all, I'm just questioning the desire to build it/own it . Not that there's a problem with wanting to own it, I just think the appeal is much narrower than the already narrow uber-high end bass audience.

I'm trying to find an analogy for what I'm feeling. Maybe it's like Oreos. It's no knock on the Oreo to call it "cheap," we love it how it is. The flavor is not nuanced or complex, but it's just good. We would never call it the best cookie out there, but there are going to be times when an Oreo is the only thing we want; a high-end, "better" alternative won't do. So what if Anthony Bourdain released a really expensive Oreo? Even if it was made with better ingredients, and we agreed it actually tasted a bit better, would we even want it?

Some would, but I gotta feel like most people would just keep spending 90% less on the old ones, and some others might even prefer the old ones even if they could afford the better ones, just because they're unique like they are.

I'm not 100% certain I have a good point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dejavu_Jones, brendanbassix, LeonD and 4 others
#69
Eminor3rd said:
I have always wanted to stop by the shop, but I'm too nervous.

Yeah, I'm sure it's awesome. I'm not trying to knock the quality of the product at all, I'm just questioning the desire to build it/own it . Not that there's a problem with wanting to own it, I just think the appeal is much narrower than the already narrow uber-high end bass audience.

I'm trying to find an analogy for what I'm feeling. Maybe it's like Oreos. It's no knock on the Oreo to call it "cheap," we love it how it is. The flavor is not nuanced or complex, but it's just good. We would never call it the best cookie out there, but there are going to be times when an Oreo is the only thing we want; a high-end, "better" alternative won't do. So what if Anthony Bourdain released a really expensive Oreo? Even if it was made with better ingredients, and we agreed it actually tasted a bit better, would we even want it?

Some would, but I gotta feel like most people would just keep spending 90% less on the old ones, and some others might even prefer the old ones even if they could afford the better ones, just because they're unique like they are.

I'm not 100% certain I have a good point.
Click to expand...

I like your analogy, mainly because I'm fat and LOVE Oreo's, but it's a good analogy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: purpleflyhunter, TrustRod, BlueAliceOasis and 3 others
#71
Eminor3rd said:
So what if Anthony Bourdain released a really expensive Oreo? Even if it was made with better ingredients, and we agreed it actually tasted a bit better, would we even want it?

Some would, but I gotta feel like most people would just keep spending 90% less on the old ones, and some others might even prefer the old ones even if they could afford the better ones, just because they're unique like they are.

I'm not 100% certain I have a good point.
Click to expand...

Fodera is not selling basses to 90% of the players. They are selling to the 10% who are willing to pay extra for what they think are better ingredients, better taste, and an overall better experience in playing. I mean eating.

Sorry, I prefer Milanos.... :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: thumbs&fingers, Christian Houmann and Eminor3rd
#72
markjazzbassist said:
so the cheapy uses aguilar pickup and the deluxe uses a fodera hand wound pickup and preamp?
Click to expand...

To be fair, Fodera doesn't wind any pickups. Or build any preamps. The Fodera dual coils (which really are fantastic pickups) are wound to Fodera's specs by Seymour Duncan. They also use Duncan single coils, EMGs and Aguilar DCBs as regular options and will use other pickups (I've seen Nordstrand, Fralin, transplanted Wal guts etc) when requested by the customer. The preamps are built by Mike Pope.

I'm guessing they use the Aguilar P because it's the P pickup that they liked best. As far as cost, yes their lowest cost model now sports a $109 pickup but then again a Yin Yang Deluxe starts at $12,700 and it uses the normal $159 EMG P/J set.
 
#74
The price seems totally reasonable to me, very competitive with options like Pedulla Rapture, Rob Allen Solid, Dingwall Super P, Sadowsky...

I've been a Pedulla player for decades, so you don't have to convince me the value of dropping a few $$ on a locally-handcrafted instrument.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wmmj and I Can't Dance
#75
peterpalmieri said:
Fender CS Pino $4700
Fender CS closet classic P $4700
Fender CS P $3600

I would just remind folks you can play a $500 P bass, nobody is gonna complain, just more options out there...
Click to expand...

And more than any of those options this one makes me want to keep playing the s$%^ out of my $500 P until I can afford it. (And get good enough to justify buying it).
 
  • Like
Reactions: peterpalmieri
#76
If I was ever going to buy a Fodera, it would be this one over every single other one they make. I think it was wise to use a basic passive pickup. It would seem like a waste to have the sonic results of all that craftsmanship masked and squandered by a run of the mill set of EMG's.
 
#77
Just Thumpin' said:
Actually, there were a number of additional considerations, one of which is the whole P-Bass "aesthetic." We felt that the way we handled the logo / Fodera Butterfly needed to be more understated on the Monarch-P. Obviously everyone has the right to their own opinion, but the reason for the difference was not based on cost alone.
Click to expand...

Now that makes sense.

One of the many things to love about TalkBass, getting answers directly from the horses mouth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: P. Aaron
#79
Eminor3rd said:
I have always wanted to stop by the shop, but I'm too nervous.

Yeah, I'm sure it's awesome. I'm not trying to knock the quality of the product at all, I'm just questioning the desire to build it/own it . Not that there's a problem with wanting to own it, I just think the appeal is much narrower than the already narrow uber-high end bass audience.

I'm trying to find an analogy for what I'm feeling. Maybe it's like Oreos. It's no knock on the Oreo to call it "cheap," we love it how it is. The flavor is not nuanced or complex, but it's just good. We would never call it the best cookie out there, but there are going to be times when an Oreo is the only thing we want; a high-end, "better" alternative won't do. So what if Anthony Bourdain released a really expensive Oreo? Even if it was made with better ingredients, and we agreed it actually tasted a bit better, would we even want it?

Some would, but I gotta feel like most people would just keep spending 90% less on the old ones, and some others might even prefer the old ones even if they could afford the better ones, just because they're unique like they are.

I'm not 100% certain I have a good point.
Click to expand...

That is a truly eloquent post. I know there is a market for an incredibly well made and refine
P-bass even though the beauty of the actual P-bass is more like a Volkswagen Beetle instead of an Audi A3.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wmmj and Eminor3rd

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back