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Fodera Vs Carvin
- Thread starter JaredBT
- Start date
Some people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
I grew up in San Diego and have been around Carvin instruments for 40+ years. Last night I gigged this bass at a local club. For *me*, it certainly plays way better than any Carvin I've touched, and the extra money is certainly worth it. To *me*. YMMV.
Hey I own a Carvin bass. It's great. And I've never played a Fodera bass but I did stand in the back of the room when Victor Wooten played his at a GC clinic (I was late and the place was packed). So I think that entitles me to an opinion on TB!
Good God LOOK at that bass. I ask you who in the world would spend all that money for bunch of cosmetic Yin-Yang nonsense. A Jens Ritter bass has more "art" in the lower horn that that one has in the WHOLE BASS! YECH! At least with Carvin you get some VALUE. Sure it's just ordinary features but you get to select from a wide variety of them and and best of all you know just what each one cost.
I remember whining to Mica about the defects in my Alembic. I was saying why can't alembic make a fretless fingerboard as decent as the diamond milled one on my Carvin? (Note end of Alembic fingerboard has developed a couple of small cracks, the Carvin has not) Well, She said, "Alembic just has a different "handmade" philsophy". Later I bought a few "handmade" SX basses and that is when I understood that boutique basses simply aren't worth the money. Why get a Fodera when you can have a Carvin? Just for the Yin-yang thing? Phooey! Why get a Carvin when you can buy SX or Squier. I think this pretty much settles it.
No Foderas in my stable....yet....
I do have a variety of instruments from Fender, Wal, Ric, and CT which are valued at Fodera prices and I will say there are things that online specs, woods and other misconceptions that skew our view of 'value'. The truth is simple- things are worth what people pay for them, and that's that. Last I checked, Fodera is constantly working against a backlog of orders, so it's pretty hard to say they're not with it when so many people are still ordering them and they continue to grow as a company. This is not a fad- people are actually buying these and have been for decades.
I do have a variety of instruments from Fender, Wal, Ric, and CT which are valued at Fodera prices and I will say there are things that online specs, woods and other misconceptions that skew our view of 'value'. The truth is simple- things are worth what people pay for them, and that's that. Last I checked, Fodera is constantly working against a backlog of orders, so it's pretty hard to say they're not with it when so many people are still ordering them and they continue to grow as a company. This is not a fad- people are actually buying these and have been for decades.
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,589
- 18,607
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
I ordered my 3rd Carvin custom (a JB4) 5 weeks ago. ( I owned an LB back in the early 90s and now have a custom Sb4000)
I picked out what was important to me- Gloss black finish, red tort pick guard, black block inlays and maple neck. And today (UPS willing) I shall have it and play it. 5 weeks!! Nobody is going to even touch that unless your last name is Trump or you have robber-baron levels of money to throw at people. Talk about value- a custom JB for just under $1K built and delivered in that short amount of time. A comparable US made Fender would cost me $1600, and I don't think they have one with those exact features.
Game over. Thanks for playing- feel free to pick up a lovely door prize on the way out of the building.
I picked out what was important to me- Gloss black finish, red tort pick guard, black block inlays and maple neck. And today (UPS willing) I shall have it and play it. 5 weeks!! Nobody is going to even touch that unless your last name is Trump or you have robber-baron levels of money to throw at people. Talk about value- a custom JB for just under $1K built and delivered in that short amount of time. A comparable US made Fender would cost me $1600, and I don't think they have one with those exact features.
Game over. Thanks for playing- feel free to pick up a lovely door prize on the way out of the building.
I just want to throw some perspective in here from upright land, where you don't get to touch a pro-level instrument for less then $8k (if you'r really lucky), and an "american made" instrument of any repute will probably cost you $20-30K. The equivolent of a fodera, a Ham or somthing like that, will run around $50k or so.
And vintage instruments? Oh dear God, ya better have a first born child to spare (thay will take and arm and a leg too, but the bass won't be much use to you then...)
I don't know if it's worth the money, I definitely live towards the low end of that spectrum, and my bass seems to suit my needs; but my original $8k factory bass ended up not cutting it for some of the orchestra work I do, so I had to upgrade to a "mid-level" instrument that cost me more than a Fodera would have (and I got a hell of a deal).
I know it's apples and oranges, but again, just to put the whole thing in perspective. Also, how lucky are we to be able to have these kind of debates? A Squire Affinity still costs more than the average monthly income in many parts of the world (like, say, the part of the world where they are made). Again, perspective.
And vintage instruments? Oh dear God, ya better have a first born child to spare (thay will take and arm and a leg too, but the bass won't be much use to you then...)
I don't know if it's worth the money, I definitely live towards the low end of that spectrum, and my bass seems to suit my needs; but my original $8k factory bass ended up not cutting it for some of the orchestra work I do, so I had to upgrade to a "mid-level" instrument that cost me more than a Fodera would have (and I got a hell of a deal).
I know it's apples and oranges, but again, just to put the whole thing in perspective. Also, how lucky are we to be able to have these kind of debates? A Squire Affinity still costs more than the average monthly income in many parts of the world (like, say, the part of the world where they are made). Again, perspective.
Like the old saying goes... "There's no accounting for taste." Especially true for those who taste with their wallet.
But it is understandable how someone who pays more than something is worth feels compelled to defend themselves.
PS; An entry level Ferrari does cost 3x more than a Corvette, but at least the Corvette is more reliable.
Hmmm.
But it is understandable how someone who pays more than something is worth feels compelled to defend themselves.
PS; An entry level Ferrari does cost 3x more than a Corvette, but at least the Corvette is more reliable.
Hmmm.
I've owned a couple foderas ... Nice but not 8-10k nice ... I am loving my sb5001 ... And thinking Of ordering a JB-5 ... The SB kills ! Playability - tone - looks - fit - finish ... There's no way I could justify the price difference vs the tone / playability of both for the money ... Just my 2 cents id rather own 7 different wood combo and finishes sb's 5001's then 1 fodera ...
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,589
- 18,607
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
I agree Carvin makes a great instrument.
Especially for the money, no doubt at all.
However these threads are liking playing with a porcupine.
Especially for the money, no doubt at all.
However these threads are liking playing with a porcupine.
Though I must say, I think maybe we're talking about two different sets of people that don't tend to overlap so much...
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That's funny! A while back I was watching a cracked Warwick Buzzard on ebay that belonged to John Entwistle. Had some doodles of his on the case. IIRC they were asking $32k for it. Nobody bought it, but I'm thinking that bad boy would have sounded at least 3.2X better than the Fodera. Probably an even greater multiple since it was played by John Entwistle.
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This was posted a little while ago in the DB section, it puts things in perspective: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/sell-a-bass-buyer-pays-for-new-build.1112753/#post-16568082
And now the question rises: does a 10000 $ Fodera is as good or better then a 50000 $ Double bass?
theyre very different instruments. play both and decide for yourself. a lot of people are happy with either.
In this case, I think it's very difficult to compare the two brands.
And IMO, there's a certain price point where sound quality kind of plateaus, and one begins paying for boutique-ness. But where that price point is depends from brand to brand.
And IMO, there's a certain price point where sound quality kind of plateaus, and one begins paying for boutique-ness. But where that price point is depends from brand to brand.
Good post. Everyone is different for sure. I own 2 Foderas and the thought of trading/selling them for 14-20 Carvins makes zero sense to me? How could I play that many Carvins?
Squier? I don't need or even nearly want 60-100 Squiers instead of my 2 Foderas either.
I like Carvins and currently own 3 Squiers BTW.
No right or wrong. I wouldn't drive my F150 along side a Hummer and tell the owner that he could get by with a truck like mine any more than I would tell a Carvin owner that his bass is only 1/7th or 1/10th as good as mine.
Everyone should just play what makes them happy but I guess TB would be an awefully boring place if that was the case!
sorry but i cant stand jaco - his tone sounds like farts. you seriously use mixed speaker cabs?! i once ordered an american fender custom bass and it shipped without a neck - never had that happen with a squier. if you play with a pick you are a horrible person. wait...where am i?
Just calm down and stare at a sunburst P with a tort guard. You will be fine.
But look at the bright side , you get to develope a great close relationship with your Ferrari service manager!----and a free rental car once every month or so
