Hellzero

Maybe one day, some people will understand that some maker are just profit maker. As I also wrote, Paris (France) is the real expensiver place to live in the whole world (according to the renowned and awaited UBS annual report), but the most expensive Vigier bass with all (stupid) options possible will cost you €10.055,10 EUR (£9.081,59 GBP at today's exchange rate)... Think about it. And Vigier instruments are close to perfection on all aspects. Still think these American boutique basses (where the most expensive maker doesn't have even a regulated temperature and humidity controlled wood stocking room !?!) have justified priced ? Wake up and go to your local real luthier to get your (craziest) dream bass for a maximum of £5.000 GBP... Still don't believe me : a Wyn bass with all the possible options will cost you $8655 USD (£6780,07 GBP at today's exchange rate) and Randall FULMER is working totally alone in one of the most modern facility, with extraordinary woods, in Los Angeles (certainly not the cheapest place to live). Check this : http://wynguitars.com

Interesting indeed, but sometimes paradoxal when you read between the lines. I agree with everything he's saying and already wrote it earlier, even the price tag of a handmade bass as I've been playing luthiers basses for more than two decades. And as he's explaining it really good, the extra money you pay is for the extra work and/or extra rare supplies, not the quality of the instrument. That's were the paradox lies for Fodera as there is nothing extra for their instruments. You are only paying for having the privelege to own their basses, that's all. So they are not worth the money as there is no added value, but a (self-made) reputation. What you should also keep in mind is to buy locally by someone you can talk to to explain what you really want : he is the only person able to tell you if it can stick to your budget or if you are a dreamer. Bbut there must be some mutual trust and respect or it won't work.

Historians, philosophers and economists don't know it. Marx and Hegel wrote that communism was the next step IF AND ONLY IF people had experimented the excess of capitalism, but some people imposed it in 1917 without the main condition and it became a disaster. So another type of society will take place, taking into account that capitalism and communism don't work, but which one is still a mystery. And don't even mention social nationalism, please.

Funny to read, just because I'm pointing out capitalism, I must be a communist. 🙄

This is one of the main reason why we are living the end of capitalism. 😉

Do the maths, as written. Huge profit makers would be best than crooks, I must admit it and I'm correcting it right now.

Here is the UBS (end of 2018) fare prices for renting a flat for 3 persons for 1 month, which is one of the best life level indicator : https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/en/explore/?indicator=Prices_Housing_(USD)&split=false And then the earning levels : https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/en/explore/?indicator=General_Wage Level (gross)_(New York %3D 100)&split=false&category=Earnings And now the purchasing power : https://www.ubs.com/microsites/prices-earnings/en/explore/?indicator=General_Domestic Purchasing Power_Net (New York %3D 100)&split=false&category=Domestic Purchasing Power Do the maths and you'll understand where are the huge profit makers. Again sad but true. I'll just tell you that Paris (France) is certainly the worst place to live, but the luthiers installed there are not mobing their customers with unjustified delirious selling prices. Take a look at Vigier price list, nothing wrong there and top notch quality level. Patrice Vigier also has some registered patents for his instruments.

I used to build and repair guitar, basses and amps, just in case. But being honest, I didn't earn enough money to live. Maybe, I'll start again when money won't be an issue, say when I'll be retired.

Mike TOBIAS is a terrific master luthier, crafting instruments in New York chity too and his basses are way much cheaper and way far better than any Fodera. He's got a small crew, just like Fodera. So if you read between the lines, profit is the only added value for Fodera. Christophe LEDUC is working totally alone, has some registered patents for his instruments, has made lots of research for the best ergonomics ever for an instrument, crafts some of the best basses around with carefully chosen woods (he's got a stock of very old woods) and components. His expensiver bass reaches the price of the cheapest Fodera, except for his L series which are really unique instruments only made once. This guy is a true genius, respected and even sometimes worshipped by his fellow luthiers for his extraordinary knowledge. He also taught lutherie in France. This is also the only luthier who is able to craft an instrument where you'll hear the fundamental of each and every note, even the low B, with more harmonics content than any other. And he's a good friend of ours who likes to enjoy life. It's always a pleasure to meet him and his wife and enjoy a meal or just a cup of coffee talking sci-fi, food, wine, philosophy, mathematics, life, art, culture, universe, mankind, ... As I always say, the best Fodera is a Ken Smith.

You got it quite right @NJE, but the main reason for this price difference is called cupidity on the seller side and stupidity on the buyer side. And the Fodera team has not such extraordinary luthiers, that said. If these guys were so terrific they would do a differential fretboard dressing and certainly not that stupid unscientific string anchorage called "extended B"... Any real luthier knowing his job will build you a terrific bass, with terrific woods, extraordinary pickups and fantastic preamp for 3000 to 5000 quids, depending on the number of strings you want. And exactly as you want it. Think twice about the price tag of such high end basses, there is absolutely no reason for it. It's just like in the audiophile world, prices are totally unjustified. It's only the marketing department making his job. I had an original Fodera Richard Bona, simply the worst bass I ever played or owned, stupidly heavy, dull sound without the preamp loudly engaged : always thought it was a cheap Chinese copy ... but it wasn't. I know I won't make friends here, but truth always hurts.

I won't make friends... A brand new Fodera Richard Bona that was such a bad instrument that I was sure it was a cheap Chinese copy : nope it was the real deal (urm, not really at a mere £10.000 GBP price tag). Awful sounding bass and not that terrific craftsmanship, I would say it was worth 1/100th of the asking price. I was simply gutted and hated it so much that I decided that I will never ever play a Fodera again. The reason is certainly that I've been playing high end and high quality luthier basses for over 30 years, so I was just amazed how common it was. And of course all the Japanese deep sh*tty basses from the 60's and early 70's and the nowadays Chinese crap.

Yes, and the wood grades can go up to 11 ! From grade 5 on, you have the real luthier woods. And Christophe LEDUC is not the next corner luthier, but THE French luthier and is only using top grade woods. In 1998 and 1999, he made a very small series of instruments with these grade 8 woods for his best clients (I also had a 5 strings headless fretless made at that time, sold to a friend of mine now). Try this bass and you'll consider any other bass, yes even a Fodera, a cheap toy. No, it's no for sale, as it would be like selling my soul.

Here is my main bass, a 1998 Leduc Masterpiece MP 628 SF in close to pristine condition as I'm a total maniac. The woods are : one piece AAAAAAAA birdseye maple (the brown spot on the back is the heated sugar of the maple which is the proof of its high quality) with AAAAAAAA legal 150 years old Brazilian rosewood fret board and the headstock front veneer for the neck through, AAAAAAAA highly flamed maple on AAAAAAAA ash body (with walnut veneer everywhere between two different woods). The pickups are the famous Leduc/Benedetti single coils (with dummy coil for total hum-cancelling) coupled to the also famous Leduc/EBS EL5 preamp (not made anymore) with the bass pot fitted in the electronic cavity. The bridge is the Leduc aluminium with brass locking saddles. The tuners are Hipshot Ultralite.  The strings spacing is 18/9 mm.  Action is my typical 1.5 to 2 mm at 12th fret.  The weight is 4.1 kilos.