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Fodera Vs Carvin

#101
Ever wash your car? Looks pretty good.

Ever detail your car? Looks really good. Was it worth the extra time?

Ever get your car ready for a competiton? Lots of extra time to get every last part sparkling looks really, really good though.

Getting that last bit of finish done takes the majority of the time and energy. In terms of product, that translates to cost. The price of luxury and the pursuit of perfection escalates exponentially.
 
#103
steubig said:
interesting that you're basing your comparison on your having played a pedulla, but not a fodera.

and a good deal of the fodera stuff is less than $6k, from what i can tell. (probably still more than you want to pay.)

for what it's worth, i've wanted/tried to like carvin basses. played more than a few in the hollywood store. neither the necks nor the pickups/electronics did it for me. i will **not** say they suck based on that.
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RichSnyder said:
If you're happy about the SB, why worry about it?
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Not worried about it, just cant go anywhere close and pick up a hi end bass. The question is what makes them so much? Honestly was just hoping for a little lite hearted insight and description for my own knowledge.
 
#104
I think a Godzilla vs Gamera thread would be way more interesting at this point.

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#106
JaredBT said:
Not worried about it, just cant go anywhere close and pick up a hi end bass. The question is what makes them so much? Honestly was just hoping for a little lite hearted insight and description for my own knowledge.
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It's been covered many times before. Fodera's cost a lot for a number of reasons including:

- location (NYC isn't cheap)
- they pay their employees a livable wage and provide benefits like health ins and 401k
- handmade means handmade, and more labor that most other basses due to construction techniques and their attention to detail
- high quality woods and parts (probably the smallest factor)
- because people will pay the price

Fodera isn't "the best" for everyone (no such thing). But they arguably are among the best made instruments around. There are subtle details that take time and talent, and both of those cost money. Plus the customer service is about as good as it gets. That costs money too. Some on TB seem to think that people's time isn't worth anything.
 
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#109
Carvin's game seems to be more volume related, so when that is your main concern as a builder, occasional quality hiccups are guaranteed to happen. Boutique builders are more concerned about everything being perfect out of the box, this takes more time. Time is money. If I had to guess, carvin is probably setup more like an assembly line, and boutique builders are more likely to use the same luthier on the same instrument throughout the build. This costs a lot more. Boutique builder employees are probably true luthiers vs skilled woodworkers, again costing more.
 
#115
jg42 said:
Maybe Fodera is worth it, maybe not. All I know so far is that when I watch Ed Friedland's bass reviews on youtube I'm enjoying listening to any instrument that he plays, be it a 2K+ boutique bass or a 300 dollar entry level instrument. It's all in your hands.
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Yep, totally agree. Ed is amazing and can make any old beater sound good. Just like I am pretty certain I can make a Squier sound just as bad as a Fodera for a fraction of the price.

Still, I would love a Fodera... or a Carvin.
 
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#116
2.6kHz said:
Carvin's game seems to be more volume related, so when that is your main concern as a builder, occasional quality hiccups are guaranteed to happen. Boutique builders are more concerned about everything being perfect out of the box, this takes more time. Time is money. If I had to guess, carvin is probably setup more like an assembly line, and boutique builders are more likely to use the same luthier on the same instrument throughout the build. This costs a lot more. Boutique builder employees are probably true luthiers vs skilled woodworkers, again costing more.
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Exactly - ones a factory with a bunch of options that can be had - the other is much closer to a guild shop - big dif
 
#119
Compared to when I started out on bass guitar in the mid 70's, there are countless great basses made at all price points. Back then, it was Fender, Rickenbacker, MusicMan, and Gibson, -which all cost a lot more than a paperboy in his early teens could afford, and junky copies.

Today's affordable Squier-series absolutely smokes the affordable basses back in my day. This is cause to rejoice IMO.

Buy what you can afford and enjoy playing it. IMO if the price of a Fodera is within your budget, buy one. Same thing goes for the Carvin. Either way, who cares what anyone else thinks, and what anyone else is playing.

If I could afford a Fodera Viceroy, I'd be all over it, and I wouldn't turn up my nose at Carvin's basses either, they're very good basses too, IMO.
 

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