Fodera 2010 price list

[WHUFC BASS]

Anyone played a Fodera through an Ampeg SVT ??

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='949877' date='Sep 8 2010, 09:07 PM'][url="http://www.fodera.com/pdf/2010_Fodera_Price_List.pdf"]http://www.fodera.com/pdf/2010_Fodera_Price_List.pdf[/url]

Now i know Fodera are expensive but this is just obscene!!

Scroll down to page two!

They charge $499 for a hand made scratch plate made of plastic????

$750 for a wooden back panel cover???

$999 for a different radius on the fret board???


i wont even start on the $24,000 basses!!


Crikey!!


[/quote]

lolz it's like being on the sims or something.

[Bilbo]

The music business is increasingly a playground for rich kids. These prices are not for ordinary working stiffs, they are for 'celebrities' and Saudi princes; people who have money to buy £1K handbags. The basses are good but a good player will sound great without one and a bad player will still sound bad with one. They are irrelevant.

[Veils]

It is a bit of a joke what they are charging, but what I would say is that I have only played 1 Fodera and it was head and shoulders above any bass I have ever played. It was beautifully built, tonally superb and responded so well to whatever attack dynamics you could throw at it and I found myself being able to play all my most taxing chops with nil effort whatsoever. Something I've only experienced on one or two of Jon Shuker's basses previously.

Would I pay that much for one? Well, if I had the disposable income, I'd have to say yes.

And interesting what I read in a previous post about a Sei Singlecut. I played one and found it to be really average. Looked pretty and seemed to be very well put together but incredibly heavy and really dull sounding even through a very expensive rig.

[Bilbo]

My Wal is worth about £3K. Is a Fodera 8 times better? Could be, I guess, but I still would struggle to part with that kind of money for a bass. I do not live in a world where that is defensible.

[urb]

[quote name='Veils' post='950758' date='Sep 9 2010, 03:59 PM']It is a bit of a joke what they are charging, but what I would say is that I have only played 1 Fodera and it was head and shoulders above any bass I have ever played. It was beautifully built, tonally superb and responded so well to whatever attack dynamics you could throw at it and I found myself being able to play all my most taxing chops with nil effort whatsoever. Something I've only experienced on one or two of Jon Shuker's basses previously.

Would I pay that much for one? Well, if I had the disposable income, I'd have to say yes.

And interesting what I read in a previous post about a Sei Singlecut. I played one and found it to be really average. Looked pretty and seemed to be very well put together but incredibly heavy and really dull sounding even through a very expensive rig.[/quote]

I'm sure - in fact 100% sure - that if YOU commissioned Martin to make you a Sei to suit your playing style and technical tastes the resulting bass would easily match up to a Fodera - the latter basses can be wonderful but like every other custom maker, are prone to producing basses that aren't always amazing - some are - some aren't. One last word on playing another person's custom instrument is that it's more than likely to go against your own tastes - the whole point of a getting a custom bass is that in principle it should be designed to work for you - so in the hands of someone else may feel horrible - but might be perfect for YOU.

You dig?

M

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='urb' post='950784' date='Sep 9 2010, 04:24 PM']You dig?[/quote]

100%

[lanark]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='950404' date='Sep 9 2010, 11:20 AM']It's also interesting to note that the shape of Fodera, Alembic and Ken Smith basses are all fairly unpleasant to look at. However much money they make they are apparently not interested in giving any of it to designers.[/quote]

Ha!

It's certainly true that expensive basses are often excrutiatingly ugly.

[funkypenguin]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='950770' date='Sep 9 2010, 04:09 PM']My Wal is worth about £3K. Is a Fodera 8 times better? Could be, I guess, but I still would struggle to part with that kind of money for a bass. I do not live in a world where that is defensible.[/quote]

When you get to these sorts of price points, it stops being about whether an instrument is X times better than another. Its more about having "that instrument" than it being vastly superior to another top end instrument. I'm not trying to justify those prices, but some people will go for it, because its a Fodera and nothing else will do. In the same way, int he world of flash cars, the Ferrari Enzo is about 5 times more expensive than the F430. will it lap the nurburgring 8 times faster? no. its about owning the Enzo

Foderas do have a sound and a feel all their own in my experience. I played a Matt Garrison fodera a year or so back and nothing ive played before or since sounded or felt like it.

[thebeeps]

I bought a Yin Yang second hand here in 2007. Kept it for two years and sold it here last year for £3500.I think I really only kept it for the two years because it was a Fodera.Great bass, amazing pre amp
But could never see why the bass had a new price tag of £6500 then or $12.000 now.In my opinion it was way over rated and maybe I got caught up in the hype don't know

The new owner kept it six months and sold it making £1800 profit I think the guy he sold it to has it up for sale again

I personally think my Overwater is by far a superior instrument I bought the Fodera from G Major who thought the same
He said at the time " why do you want a Fodera when you have this !

There are some great basses made here in the UK which are as good if not better than some of our American friends for a fraction of the price

[Chris2112]

[quote name='Toasted' post='950325' date='Sep 9 2010, 10:04 AM']Many watch makers will charge much more than a £4000 premium to go from a Steel to a Titanium variant.[/quote]

And many car manufacturers will charge more than that to change the dashboard trim from brushed metal to carbon fibre.

Not common in the bass world and quite uncool too.

[funkypenguin]

There are some great basses made here in the UK which are as good if not better than some of our American friends for a fraction of the price
[/quote]

+1, i think the UK luthiers are among the very best in the world.

I do love the sweetness in the top end that the Fodera preamp gives, and they do sound gorgeous soloed.....but most of the time when i hear them in a band setting the sound is far too polite

Edited September 9, 2010 by funkypenguin

[elom]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='950685' date='Sep 9 2010, 02:58 PM']The basses are good but a good player will sound great without one and a bad player will still sound bad with one. They are irrelevant.[/quote]

Very true. I now own a nice bass and I still stink!

[Dood]

What's the name of that 'law' that suggests the perceived desirability of a commodity goes up as it's price does?

[Brave Sir Robin]

Supply and demand?

Still, charging hell for it is cheeky. Brooklyn style!

[molan]

[quote name='Clarky' post='950351' date='Sep 9 2010, 10:23 AM']Top of the range Alembics are typically in the $10-15,000 range (see link here for Bass Central's inventory [url="http://www.basscentral.com/alembicbass/mark_king.shtml#6strings)"]http://www.basscentral.com/alembicbass/mar...shtml#6strings)[/url]. Alembic only emplys 26 people and virtually everything is custom-made but they don't run anywhere near the high end of Fodera pricing.[/quote]

Apologies for the poor cut & paste job but this is the current Alembic Base price list:

Model 4-string 5-string 6-string
-----------------------------------------------------------
Excel 5500 6300 7100
Epic 5500 6300 7100

Orion 5500 6300 7100
Essence 6400 7200 8000

Rogue 7500 8300 9100
Signature Std 8000 8800 9600

Europa 8400 9200 10000
Signature Dlx 10400 11200 12000

Brown Bass 9700 -- --
Spyder Limited 14800 16100 (8-string)

Dragon Wing 10500 11300 --
Dragon Wing Dlx 14200 15000 --

Series I 14800 15600 16400
Series II 19500 20300 21100

Classico 18900 19900 21300
Classico Dlx 22700 23800 24100

I don't see a huge difference here to Fodera pricing?

Monarch & Emperor ranges from $6,249 to $9,499, Emperor II, Imperial & Imperial II all top out at $9,499 for the neck through 6 sting variant. That puts the most expensive of their core range around the Signature mark. That leaves 4 Fodera Signature priced over $10K vs about 5 fairly distinct Alembics (I'm counting Dlx as upgrades but the SII as a distinct model).

The difference in pricing from Bass Central is that they have a few Alembics that have been in stock for quite some time that they simply don't seem to be able to sell. However they are effectively selling 'futures' in Fodera stock by offering stuff for sale that's not even been built yet.

Both Fodera & Alembic obviously offer their retailers discounts but it simply looks like Fodera are more in demand than Alembic and their 'street' prices are higher at the moment?

[chardbass]

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='950126' date='Sep 9 2010, 12:26 AM']I won't defend or justify them but I can understand them. It used to be Alembic with the crazy prices. Now Fodera has the perception of being the best in the mind of those that think you can buy talent. Those are the people you should ask about justifying the price. If someone offered you $500 a week to come and take out your trash you'd be a fool for turning them down.

Outrageous price lists like this create a lot of free advertising and some people just can't break free from the myth that price = quality and the higher the prices go the higher the fans desires go.

As a small business they don't have to worry about selling thousands of basses. They only need a few people and they're getting them. Higher prices creates more desire and they will continue to raise them until they run out of buyers.

At least Fodera does make a very high quality product and are capitalizing on decades of reputation and celebrity endorsement, not like some others that put out mediocre stuff and just price it outrageously hoping to catch a few fresh fish. Ritter for example

Fodera has left the world of quality based pricing and has gone into the same kind of dynamic that makes Picasso's go for millions.

Fodera, while being top notch, can be matched in tone and playability by many other builders. But it won't make you the center of attention at Wooten camp the way a rotted chestnut 6 string with extended B headstock will.

I don't mean any of this as a slam on Fodera, they're just cashing in the same way Justin Beiber is. I would do the same thing.[/quote]

Great,great post.
Made me smile, made sense and made me smile again.

[chardbass]

[quote name='dood' post='951340' date='Sep 10 2010, 12:23 AM']What's the name of that 'law' that suggests the perceived desirability of a commodity goes up as it's price does?[/quote]

Fodera's law?

[Prime_BASS]

What makes them cost so much.?

[Vibrating G String]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='950131' date='Sep 8 2010, 04:56 PM']Well Sadowsky dont charge these prices..and there from NYC...There is no reason other than Fodera are riding on a prestigious name...[/quote]
It's pretty funny to see Sadowsky being used as an example of a bass that is not premium priced on it's name

[Kiwi]

Putting prices up to cope with a fall off in business protects the value of the brand.

[molan]

I can just picture the scene now. . .

Jason (partner & general manager of the business side of Fodera) strolls over to see Joey & Vinny in the bass building area.

"Hey guys, I realise that our reputation has really improved, quality control is now second to none, you two are amongst the very best bass luthiers in the world, some very highly regarded musicians are playing your basses regularly, we've got people queuing up to buy your basses & orders stacked up for the next two years and Bass Player magazine has just given our NYC range a fantastic review - I think we need to reduce our prices considerably though because not enough people can afford them - whaddya think?" . . .

[Born 2B Mild]

[quote name='dood' post='951340' date='Sep 10 2010, 12:23 AM']What's the name of that 'law' that suggests the perceived desirability of a commodity goes up as it's price does?[/quote]
I think you are thinking of the Giffen Good paradox. One of the few things I remember from doing A Level Economics. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giffen_good"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giffen_good[/url]

[thisnameistaken]

It's just like buying a Bentley or a Rolex though isn't it really? Although in some ways less ostentatious because most people won't know how expensive it was, and you're unlikely to ever take it out of the house. So maybe the furniture analogy fits better.

[BoomBass]

Hm... no bass is worth$25k. I have never owned a Fodera, but I have played a few. They were great, and sounded fantastic - but not like $25k fantastic ;-)

(FWIW, I support the theory that these mad prices are a way for Fodera to decrease incoming orders...)