I recently spent a day at Bass San Diego and played 4 different Foderas (and an Alembic SII) and I must say I loved them. I played a YY standard 4, an Emperor Std 5 fretless, a Monarch 4 custom and a MG custom. The playability was incredible and the sound was sublime. My ONLY concern was that, apart from the aesthetics, I couldn't tell the difference between a $6K standard and a $15K custom. I would have one in a heartbeat and the AJ Presentation II in holly remains my dream axe!!