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Fodera or Sadowsky

Sadowsky or fodera

  • Sadowsky

    Votes: 147 62.3%

  • Fodera

    Votes: 89 37.7%
  • Total voters
    236
#101
whatever floats your boat brother ..!!

i really liked my Sadowsky ... and other mid-high end basses ... but they showed me what i liked about them , so i could incorporate those things into my own pieces /parts builds ... and the desire/patience to do my own fret work ... if my bass doesn't feel or sound right , there is only one person to blame = me ..!

the fancy name on the head stock ..?! hmmm ... kinda like do i want a Cadi or Chevy ( same parts ) ... or a Porsche or VW ( again same parts ) and yes , i've had many of all of those ... maybe that's why i've grown out of ' name game ' stuff ... and not feeling the need to show off just because i can ...

but, i do understand the desire for high quality , well made stuff ... but even those things have a price point tipping point ..!
 
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#102
For me Fodera is super put of budget but it's not characterised by a definite landmark sound such as that of the Alembic or Ken Smith (the latter test are terrific basses)... When you think about Fodera can you associate a sound to them? Not that I know... But hey cost thousands of Euros... When you think about Sadowsky you can imagine a refined and somehow cleaner, brighter and more powerful sound if the immortal jazz bass so no story between the two for me notwithstanding the fact that Fodera are way more expensive.
 
#103
bucephylus said:
For the sake of argument, and allowing that I may be misunderstanding your post, I just strongly disagree with this statement.

Maybe I should first ask what you mean by "Jaco tone?" Do you mean playing staccato over the bridge J pickup? Because, if so, you are certainly welcome to your opinion; but, I have been playing that way when appropriate since about 1972, well before I ever heard of Jaco; I use the technique wherever I deem it to be an appropriate technique for the tune I am playing, and can see no rational reason for bass players not to use the technique where it is appropriate, purely because one of the great bass players happened to use it. You don't take a technique and hang it like a sports jersey in the rafters so no one can ever use the number again. That ain't musical. IMO. There isn't any copyright and it's just a technique.

I will agree that players who are trying to impersonate someone that they are not; especially to the exclusion of the needs of the song are somewhat lame. OTOH, I'm not too worried about anyone upstaging Jaco any time soon. Even when the best cats in the biz try to do it on purpose, for example in the recent WOM efforts, the differences are immediately clear. No one is stepping into Jaco's shoes any time soon. (Now, I'm getting sad)

BTW, here is a reggae derived tune I sort of used the technique on. I think it works for the tune. YMMV
Click to expand...

I have to digress for a moment.
Paul (Bucephylus), great playing and tone! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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#106
deepestend said:
One thing that you can't discount in the Sadowsky is the player feel. Compared to a fender the are generally lighter and much better constructed. All of the rough edges of fit and feel have been smoothed out. While that may not produce a "better" sound, it probably does translate into a better playing experience which adds in to how at one the player feels with their instrument.

Also, like someone said before, it's easy to dial in your sound with a Sadowsky. That is by design, not chance.
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+1. I think of the vintage, ultra vintage, and Will Lee models as _perfected J basses_. The WL 5 is absolutely a perfect fit for me, regarding the feel. Talking about fretwire, string spacing, fingerboard radius, and (on the Will Lee) the width at the nut. I like the slimmed down body, also.

That's why the OP is best advised (as several have, above) to take some time auditioning his possible choices in stores. At this level, what's the "right" bass for a particular player is gonna come down to some very fine points that make a significant difference in satisfaction with the choice.
 
#111
Lumdingo said:
I'd love to know what your favourite basses are, and what you own and play every day.
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I own and play Modulus Q6, Modulus TBX, Ken Smith, Alembic (Epic fretless 6er), Which all sort of lean more toward a Fodera thing than Sadowsky. What I play as a main axe depends on the music I'm into and currently my main axes (I guess you could call that "favourite") are a fretted-fretless pair of USA G&L L2500 blue burst. Which I guess you could say tends to lean more toward a Sadowsky tone/style. I've never played a Fodera. The best I've done is seen Victor Wooten play his both in concert and up close at a clinic. OF course just watching you can't tell how it feels, but tone wise I could see one replacing my active herd which are sort coming from the same place. but for mine, each is different in it's own thing. However, I do love my active herd and the choices it gives. Same with a Sadowsky. People say it's more versatile than you think so maybe it could do the G&L L2500 thing? Don't know. But as a huge L2500 fan, I'm not gassing to experiment to find out.
 
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#112
Funk³ said:
Just wondering...how do these two companies compare whatsoever in terms of price? Aren't Fodera's INSANELY more expensive than Sadowskys?
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Insane is a relative term when referring to basses. Ha. Yes, the Foderas are more expensive, the Customs can run well over $10K while an NYC Sadowsky is probably in the $5-6K range. That being said, you can get Standard series Foderas for under $5K and the NYC Satin series Sadowskys for under $3K. And you can still get a Metro Sadowsky for $2300-2400. And then there's always the pre-owned market.
 
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#113
If Anthony Jackson called me and said he needed a sub for his gig with Michael Camillo next week or Victor Wooten called up and said he needed me to sit in one night with Stanley and Marcus I'd want to bring a Fodera. The audience on the other hand would want it's money back :D

I've owned Pedulla, Alembic, Kubicki, Tobias, Yamaha, Gibson, Ibanez, Carvin, Guild and Fender and played countless other high end basses at get togethers and NAMM shows including G &L, Fodera, Ken Smith, Skjold, Reverend, MTD, Nordstrand, Lakland, Alleva Copolla, and Calender. Many were very fine basses, but to me the formula that works best and delivers the most consistency, in the largest variety of situations for me as a working bass player is Sadowsky.
 
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#117
rmayer said:
Insane is a relative term when referring to basses. Ha. Yes, the Foderas are more expensive, the Customs can run well over $10K while an NYC Sadowsky is probably in the $5-6K range. That being said, you can get Standard series Foderas for under $5K and the NYC Satin series Sadowskys for under $3K. And you can still get a Metro Sadowsky for $2300-2400. And then there's always the pre-owned market.
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'Standard Series' Foderas will still have great specs, but no, it's not relative, 10k for a bass guitar is an insane amount of money, even if you're a multi-millionaire.
 
#118
SteveBassJr said:
In the next few years I'm going to invest in a top class bass. I'm torn between Fodera or Sadowsky. Talkbassers give me your opinions!
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I have two foderas.. a custom one and a 2012 NYC! one of last NYCs produced before the standard lines!
Ive never owned a sadowsky but Ive tried one out before & heard lots of great things about them! I recommend a Fodera ! & if you'll like to save lots of money pick up a decent late model used fodera NYC!! You'll love it! Good luck on your journey! !:)
 
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#119
burk48237 said:
If Anthony Jackson called me and said he needed a sub for his gig with Michael Camillo next week or Victor Wooten called up and said he needed me to sit in one night with Stanley and Marcus I'd want to bring a Fodera. The audience on the other hand would want it's money back :D

I've owned Pedulla, Alembic, Kubicki, Tobias, Yamaha, Gibson, Ibanez, Carvin, Guild and Fender and played countless other high end basses at get togethers and NAMM shows including G &L, Fodera, Ken Smith, Skjold, Reverend, MTD, Nordstrand, Lakland, Alleva Copolla, and Calender. Many were very fine basses, but to me the formula that works best and delivers the most consistency, in the largest variety of situations for me as a working bass player is Sadowsky.
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No bring a correctly set up squier with the right amount of compression and astonish them!!! This would be great!!! :thumbsup:
 
#120
You just need to play them. I've only played a Fidera once. Not enough to make a real impression but I loved the way it felt. I have a Metro. It's my main bass. What makes a Sadowsky are the little things that aren't apparent from a spec sheet. These small things add up to how they feel and play. Fret wire, radius, micro-planing the upper fretboard, the slimmed down J body, the heel etc. These touches really make them feel great. Very practical tone for recording and gigging. I don't think Sadowsky basses are bling bling flash. They are really great tools. So yeah only you can decide what feels right.
 
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