Fodera vs other high end basses

[Brad Johnson]

Ha ha. Just goes to show that, like value for money, passion is in the eye of the beholder. When it comes to Fodera, I do use the word passion deliberately, though. It is my strong perception that Fodera owners (well most of those contributing to the Fodera Club thread anyway) are way more than enthusiastic about their instruments.

Without taking away from any other brands (I love the tone of Roscoes and in particular the Fbass BN series for example - would love to try them out one day), it's undeniable that the Fodera thread draws an enormous amount of traffic. Just mention Fodera on TB and look how many posts it attracts...... this thread, for example. I may be wrong but there do not appear to be that many brands attracting so much comment apart from Fender, Sadowsky and AC. (Ok, maybe Dingwall too).

So why? Is it stellar customer service as suggested by Nostatic ? Is it mainly that or are there other key factors that keep Fodera customers coming back for more even at current prices? Maybe it's lots of small things cumulatively taken into account. SRFSterling5 suggests that they must be doing something right after 30 years. The 'what' is what intrigues me.

I would agree that there are very few who have a 'one and done' attitude when it comes to their instruments - me definitely included. However, I'd be interested to know how many see Fodera as THE path to easing their GAS, particularly given the price point. This may well be a rhetorical question, but it doesn't stop me asking.

It's probably all of those reasons and more. Fodera's success is well deserved IMO. And this is taking nothing away from Fodera (I've owned a very nice one for a long time) but I have to ask...

what do enthusiastic club members really mean in reference to what "you" will really like?

There are enthusiastic players for most popular brands. What I've done is try to actually get my hands on everything I can and decide for myself. It's a fun part of this journey. "Worth it" to you is a highly personal matter. You're the ONLY one who can decide that. "Worth it" in general is fairly easy to determine. Are they selling? If the answer is yes...

they're worth it. Are they worth more than XYZ? To the individual buying it, apparently. Might even be for the person who bought something else. If a bass doesn't blow me away in the general price range we're talking, I'm disappointed. If it does I make an effort to obtain AND keep it.

So I own what I own and use what I use and life is good.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Don't forget how much a proper set up does to the playability and even tone of an instrument

I can't count the number of times I've talked to bassists who were going to get rid of an instrument, I play it and ask if they mind if I tweak it and when I'm done they're blown away. IME most bassists don't have a clue how drastically this can affect satisfaction.

There are plenty of brands that weren't mentioned early in this thread and I always get a chuckle when some say they've played all of the top brands and you find they have no lasting experience with lots that aren't mentioned and many that were. If you're not playing a bass that is set up for you, you're really not giving it a fair shot. I currently own several top end basses that were sold over setup issues. Amazing. In many cases I've let the original owner check out the bass after I've bought it and done my thing. It's almost a mean thing to do.


So getting opinions is great, getting your hands on something is even better. Understanding what you need in a bass and how to get it out of a "new" one is priceless.

 

[cnltb]

I can't count the number of times I've talked to bassists who were going to get rid of an instrument, I play it and ask if they mind if I tweak it and when I'm done they're blown away. IME most bassists don't have a clue how drastically this can affect satisfaction.

There are plenty of brands that weren't mentioned early in this thread and I always get a chuckle when some say they've played all of the top brands and you find they have no lasting experience with lots that aren't mentioned and many that were. If you're not playing a bass that is set up for you, you're really not giving it a fair shot. I currently own several top end basses that were sold over setup issues. Amazing. In many cases I've let the original owner check out the bass after I've bought it and done my thing. It's almost a mean thing to do.


So getting opinions is great, getting your hands on something is even better. Understanding what you need in a bass and how to get it out of a "new" one is priceless.

What can I say....
Agreed 100%

 

[S.O.T.G. Rich]

Brad 1000000% I own many “dream” bass guitars. Setup is key
Fretboard radius and neck shape are things to consider. Micheal Tobias seems to have a very natural shape neck that most people adapt to easily. Fodera has a very nice neck as well though.... the sound of a Canadian Dingwall is perfect to my ears. The bass guitars I find to be the most fun to play are Carl Thompson’s bass guitars (especially the “cheap” bolt on 32”s) they just feel right (to me). The best bass in my opinion will always be a Hilton 32”. Don’t need to be plekd, don’t need to be setup if you like low action. Pete is A BEAST!

Only you will find the instrument that inspires you to play more. None of the Basses listed in this thread are junk. You really can’t go wrong.

 

[Glenn Johnson]

I've owned Sadowsky and Fodera, and currently use Roscoe.

For me the bottom line is playability and the overall user experience, which is something you just have to experience first-hand. No words will convey that experience. Had I never played any of these makes I'd probably be obliviously content with my Fenders...

I am one of those who has been "obliviously content" with my Fender '58 AVRI P, Rickenbacker 4003S, EBMM Stingray 5 HH, G & L L2000, Spector Euro 4LX and EPI T-Bird Classic Pro and Jack Casady for 46 years. I would just say that the Fender P all by itself is used on more great music than all the Fodera's, Sadowsky's , Lull's, etc EVER will be. This is not a knock on any of those high end basses, it is simply a need to acknowledge that there are many examples of "non high end" basses that are every bit as good in every important way as a $5K or $10k custom bass. Also, many people prefer the sound of a Fender, or Rickenbacker, for two examples, to any high end bass they ever heard. I have played high end basses but was not compelled by what they offered at the price point: but to each their own and everyone's tastes are different. Everyone should play and enjoy what THEY like. Cheers!