Fodera 2010 price list

[Marlat]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969124' date='Sep 27 2010, 08:41 AM']Assume away. So at what age will I start thinking it's okay to spend two months' wages on a small bag to keep keys and lipstick in? Will I come to the realisation as soon as I exchange rings with my spouse, or is it a more gradual thing? And what exactly is the realisation, is it the belief that it's okay to derive pleasure from owning things that are prohibitively and pointlessly expensive, or is it more to do with the value of money becoming relative when you have lots of it?[/quote]

At a guess, in your case, I'd say its the age when you come to realise that everyone is different and you should worry less about what [b]they[/b] do and their lives and more about your own. Put simply: get over it.

As to the mistakes in your post:

Two months' wages on a bag: who said that two month's wages should be spent? Perhaps its just a weeks wage or a day's wage. What percentage of your wage is it okay for you to spend on something?

Prohibatively expensive: why assume that anything is prohibitively expensive? Clearly its affordable to some people, just because you can't afford it (or don't think its good value, doesn't mean its prohibitively expensive to the client bass of the manufacturer).

Pointlessly expesive: Just because you don't understand the point doesn't make it pointless.

Vaule of money: They value of money isn't relative, its fixed £1 for me buys the same as £1 for Bill Gates. The ability to spend it is relative, it may be harder for me to justify spending £1 than Bill Gates, but the value is fixed.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Mark Latimour

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969128' date='Sep 27 2010, 08:45 AM']At a guess, in your case, I'd say its the age when you come to realise that everyone is different and you should worry less about what [b]they[/b] do and their lives and more about your own. Put simply: get over it.[/quote]

I was under the impression that discussion forums are here for us to express our (frequently different) views without being told to shut up.

[quote]As to your the mistakes in your post:

Two months' wages on a bag: who said that two month's wages should be spent? Perhaps its just a weeks wage or a day's wage.[/quote]

It's my two months' wages, and probably around the average two months' wages of young unmarried people in the UK.

[quote]Probibatively expensive: why assume that anything is prohibitively expensive? Clearly its affordable to sum.[/quote]

That's the point of the modifier "prohibitive". The fact that it's that expensive prohibits anyone but a select few from purchasing it.

[quote]Pointlessly expesive: Just because you don't understand the point doesn't make it pointless.[/quote]

Explain to me the point of a £2.5k handbag as opposed to a £20 handbag that looks identical and does the same job. If there's some salient point I'm missing here, I'm prepared to learn.

[quote]Vaule of money: They value of money isn't relative, its fixed £1 for me buys the same as £1 for Bill Gates. The ability to spend it is relative, it may be harder for me to justify spending £1 than Bill Gates, but the value is fixed.[/quote]

That's not strictly true, is it. For a start, £1 of Bill Gates' money is about 1/21,000,000,000th of what he has in the bank, which means that he generates at a very conservative estimate around £2,000 in interest per minute. I on the other hand am poor, so I don't earn any interest on my £1.

But that's beside the point. Money's value depends on what you spend it on. To some, a two grand handbag might sound like a bit of fun. To people who don't know where their next meal are coming from (and believe me, there are far more of them), a two grand handbag is like using gold leaf as toilet paper.

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969128' date='Sep 27 2010, 08:45 AM']What percentage of your wage is it okay for you to spend on something?[/quote]

Well that really depends. I don't earn a lot of money, so the answer changes in function of how much I have left over after I've paid for rent, food and bills. Usually I'm lucky if it's more than fifty quid a month. Optimistically, if I never bought anything else, it would take me about four years to afford your wife's bag.

I mean, in theory I suppose if I made a hundred grand a year I would have tonnes of money left over after paying rent and bills and buying food. I'm not sure I would think a two and a half grand bag was a better deal merely by virtue of it being a smaller percentage of my spending money, though.

[Marlat]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969134' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:07 AM']I was under the impression that discussion forums are here for us to express our (frequently different) views without being told to shut up.[/quote]

I'm not telling you to "shut up", I'm telling you that you need to get over this chip you have on your shoulder. You will be a lot happier if you just accept that there will always be people in the world who have more than you and there will always be people in the world who have less than you. Be happy with what you have, there is no need to poo poo what others have and what others don't have.

[quote]It's my two months' wages, and probably around the average two months' wages of young unmarried people in the UK.[/quote]

...and to some people its a days wage. The point is, I never said you [b]should[/b] spend any percentage of wage on a handbag. You need to spend what you are comfortable spending. Can't afford it? Don't buy it.

[quote]That's the point of the modifier "prohibitive". The fact that it's that expensive prohibits anyone but a select few from purchasing it.[/quote]

By that logic everything is prohibitively expensive since there is always someone who has no money / well below the poverty line. Don't be silly, the reality is that [b]you[/b] think its prohibitive because you cant afford it. Luxury items are, by their nature, "unecessary" and relatively pricey (and by that I mean handbags, basses, sunglasses etc anything that is not necessary). Its just a question of the customer base for the product.

[quote]Explain to me the point of a £2.5k handbag as opposed to a £20 handbag that looks identical and does the same job. If there's some salient point I'm missing here, I'm prepared to learn.[/quote]

There is no £20 handbag that looks identical. A plastic tesco bag does the same job as a handbag and is about 5p. I assume that your significant over will be encouraged to only use plastic bags to carry things in?

[quote]That's not strictly true, is it. For a start, £1 of Bill Gates' money is about 1/21,000,000,000th of what he has in the bank, which means that he generates at a very conservative estimate around £2,000 in interest per minute. I on the other hand am poor, so I don't earn any interest on my £1.[/quote]

What can bill gates buy with £1 that you can't buy with £1? As I said, the purchasing power of money is fixed based on the market, the point you are trying to make is not that the value of money is relative, but the amount of money available (which differs from person to person) makes affordability relative.

[quote]But that's beside the point. Money's value depends on what you spend it on. To some, a two grand handbag might sound like a bit of fun. To people who don't know where their next meal are coming from (and believe me, there are far more of them), a two grand handbag is like using gold leaf as toilet paper.[/quote]

That operates under the mistaken assumption that if the person with the £2k handbag didn't spend the money on that handbag, it would somehow find its way to the person without the money. That's clearly not the case. If the person didn't have the £2k handbag they'd have something else or just another £2k in the bank and people who don't know where their next meal is coming from would still be no better off. Which comes back to my point, you will always be a lot happier in life if you quit worrying about the people with more stuff than you. They will always exist, no matter how much, or little, money you have.

[Musicman20]

Oh heck. I think these 'price points' have become quite a heated debate!

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969152' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:26 AM']I'm not telling you to "shut up", I'm telling you that you need to get over this chip you have on your shoulder. You will be a lot happier if you just accept that there will always be people in the world who have more than you and there will always be people in the world who have less than you. Be happy with what you have, there is no need to poo poo what others have and what others don't have.

...and to some people its a days wage. The point is, I never said you [b]should[/b] spend any percentage of wage on a handbag. You need to spend what you are comfortable spending. Can't afford it? Don't buy it.

By that logic everything is prohibitively expensive since there is always someone who has no money / well below the poverty line. Don't be silly, the reality is that [b]you[/b] think its prohibitive because you cant afford it. Luxury items are, by their nature, "unecessary" and relatively pricey (and by that I mean handbags, basses, sunglasses etc anything that is not necessary). Its just a question of the customer base for the product.

There is no £20 handbag that looks identical. A plastic tesco bag does the same job as a handbag and is about 5p. I assume that your significant over will be encouraged to only use plastic bags to carry things in?

What can bill gates buy with £1 that you can't buy with £1? As I said, the purchasing power of money is fixed based on the market, the point you are trying to make is not that the value of money is relative, but the amount of money available (which differs from person to person) makes affordability relative.

That operates under the mistaken assumption that if the person with the £2k handbag didn't spend the money on that handbag, it would somehow find its way to the person without the money. That's clearly not the case. If the person didn't have the £2k handbag they'd have something else or just another £2k in the bank and people who don't know where their next meal is coming from would still be no better off. Which comes back to my point, you will always be a lot happier in life if you quit worrying about the people with more stuff than you. They will always exist, no matter how much, or little, money you have.[/quote]

I won't itemise like last time cos otherwise we'll end up writing a novel between us.

I suppose ultimately my point is first of all that "you'll be happier if you quit worrying about..." is a phrase that turns my stomach, and second of all that a system in which some people own so much money that they happily pay ten times what an object is practically worth to satisfy what can only be described as frivolity, while other people (who more often than not work just as hard if not harder) struggle to put food on the table, is totally revolting.

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='969159' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:36 AM']Oh heck. I think these 'price points' have become quite a heated debate![/quote]
At least twice a month.

I just keep a bag of popcorn next to my computer these days.

[Marlat]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='969159' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:36 AM']Oh heck. I think these 'price points' have become quite a heated debate![/quote]

Yeah, it's ridiculous. If you really think about it, if I went into a Ferrari forum and started posting about how overpriced Ferarris are in how they are pointless and unaffordable it would, by definition, be trolling. Yet for some reason it seems to be a legitimate form of discussion to whinge about basses / amps / pedals etc that you can't afford. I could totally understand the whinging if there was some new Coalition government law implemented that said that everyone had to own a Fodera Anthony Jackson Signature with Titanium Bridge, a Millenia STD-1 Preamp and two Berg IP310s with a collection of DAM Pedals or they were not allowed to play bass. Yeah, in that scenario it would be totally justified to whinge about the price of that gear. However, its not the case. No one has to buy any bass gear at all. THose who choose to make money from bass playing need to buy sufficient gear to enable them to make money, but you can do that on a SX bass through a Beringer Amp if you want. Basses are by their nature luxury items and I can't fathom how people don't seem to understand that you will always have a scale of "cheap" to "expensive" in any category of unecessary (or for that matter, necessary) products. So long as you arn't forced to buy them, what does it matter if FOdera wants to make a £25,000 bass? Am I going to buy it? No, but what difference does it make [b]to me[/b] if someone does?

[Marlat]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969160' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:38 AM']I suppose ultimately my point is first of all that "you'll be happier if you quit worrying about..." is a phrase that turns my stomach[/quote]

Try a pepto bismol. Seriously, what else can you do but quit worrying? I'm being honest here. It is absolutely true that in life there will always be people with more than you. Who cares? Strive to be happy. That's not to say you shouldn't try to earn more money to make yourself more comfortable, but just that if you are constantly worrying about stuff that others have that you don't (or can't) have, then you will never apprecaite the stuff in your life that is good.

[quote], and second of all that a system in which some people own so much money that they happily pay ten times what an object is practically worth to satisfy what can only be described as frivolity, while other people (who more often than not work just as hard if not harder) struggle to put food on the table, is totally revolting.[/quote]

That's capitalism and it's hardly Fodera's fault. If you want to chagne that you will need to do that by either running for parliament or voting. I won't enter further into the "worth" debate only to say that an item is "worth" what the market is willing to pay for it. Just because you don't think its "worth it" is irrelevant to any assesment of an item's market worth unless you are the customer base targetted by the product.

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969166' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:44 AM']Yeah, it's ridiculous. If you really think about it, if I went into a Ferrari forum and started posting about how overpriced Ferarris are in how they are pointless and unaffordable it would, by definition, be trolling. Yet for some reason it seems to be a legitimate form of discussion to whinge about basses / amps / pedals etc that you can't afford. I could totally understand the whinging if there was some new Coalition government law implemented that said that everyone had to own a Fodera Anthony Jackson Signature with Titanium Bridge, a Millenia STD-1 Preamp and two Berg IP310s with a collection of DAM Pedals or they were not allowed to play bass. Yeah, in that scenario it would be totally justified to whinge about the price of that gear. However, its not the case. No one has to buy any bass gear at all. THose who choose to make money from bass playing need to buy sufficient gear to enable them to make money, but you can do that on a SX bass through a Beringer Amp if you want. Basses are by their nature luxury items and I can't fathom how people don't seem to understand that you will always have a scale of "cheap" to "expensive" in any category of unecessary (or for that matter, necessary) products. So long as you arn't forced to buy them, what does it matter if FOdera wants to make a £25,000 bass? Am I going to buy it? No, but what difference does it make [b]to me[/b] if someone does?[/quote]

I think the difference there is that all Ferraris are incredibly expensive, and in most cases the prices are more or less justifiable.

Fodera's twelve grand bass, however, makes it somewhat of an oddity, if not entirely unique, and the consensus is that a lot of the items on that price list come with entirely unjustifiable price tags attached.

What's weird, if anything, is that people pointing out that given the circumstances buying anything that overpriced would be a completely idiotic move has been met by a few people saying, "yeah well you're just jealous of the people who can afford it".

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969175' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:51 AM']Try a pepto bismol. Seriously, what else can you do but quit worrying? I'm being honest here. It is absolutely true that in life there will always be people with more than you. Who cares? Strive to be happy. That's not to say you shouldn't try to earn more money to make yourself more comfortable, but just that if you are constantly worrying about stuff that others have that you don't (or can't) have, then you will never apprecaite the stuff in your life that is good.[/quote]

I can keep worrying. I believe the world would be a better place if people put more thought into this kind of thing rather than follow the system's instructions to look the other way.

And I don't equate money with comfort. I don't think poverty's a bad situation to be in as long as it doesn't actually harm you. And again, I don't give a sh*t about what people [i]have[/i]. What I care about is what people [i]waste[/i].

[quote]That's capitalism and it's hardly Fodera's fault. If you want to chagne that you will need to do that by either running for parliament or voting. I won't enter further into the "worth" debate only to say that an item is "worth" what the market is willing to pay for it. Just because you don't think its "worth it" is irrelevant to any assesment of an item's market worth unless you are the customer base targetted by the product.[/quote]

I'm not blaming Fodera. They're apparently trying to dissuade people from buying their stuff. If that's true then why not, even if it is a weird way of going about it. If however they're actually trying to sell their products for stupid prices, then what they're doing is moving their stuff further out of reach of the people for whom it was intended (i.e. professional musicians looking for tailored custom instruments) and in the process losing their integrity. I realise that "integrity" isn't a word that capitalism takes seriously.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969178' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:54 AM']I think the difference there is that all Ferraris are incredibly expensive, and in most cases the prices are more or less justifiable.[/quote]
Really? In what way?

It's all a question of what it's worth to you. IMO paying buying a Ferrari is a waste of money - it's only a car and not a very useful one at that as you can't get a couple of basses and your amp in the the back, but that's only my opinion, and all it means is that I'm unlikely to be buying one.

I was going to ask you what you spent your money on but if your disposable income really is only £50 a month then I have to assume that you're either a student, in a minimum wage job or have made lifestyle choices that don't leave you with much spare cash. If it's one of the first two you have my sympathies, if it's the later then your circumstances are up to you.

[Marlat]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969178' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:54 AM']I think the difference there is that all Ferraris are incredibly expensive, and in most cases the prices are more or less justifiable.

Fodera's twelve grand bass, however, makes it somewhat of an oddity, if not entirely unique, and the consensus is that a lot of the items on that price list come with entirely unjustifiable price tags attached.[/quote]

I don't understand how you come to the view that Ferraris are justifiably priced but Foderass are not. Can you explain?

[quote]What's weird, if anything, is that people pointing out that given the circumstances buying anything that overpriced would be a completely idiotic move has been met by a few people saying, "yeah well you're just jealous of the people who can afford it".[/quote]

Given what circumstances? If you don't know the circusmtances of the buyer, how can you say a decision is idiotic? You're saying its overpriced, but reality is its not overpriced, its just "priced" and you happen to not like the price. Why is it not overpriced? There is a two year waiting list and the basses are selling. If anything, its "underpriced" since they can't keep up with demand. Here's a thought experiment. If 2 years ago, you placed an oder for a Fodera at the Fodera pricing 2 years ago. You could take delivery of the bass today and sell it used for quite a bit more money than you paid for it 2 years ago (because of price inflation). There's a good chance if you ordered a bass today at their current prices you could do the same thing 2 years from now when it is delivered. Would it really be an idiotic move to buy somethign that, two yearsfrom now when its delivered, could be sold for more than what you paid for it?

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969199' date='Sep 27 2010, 10:13 AM']I don't understand how you come to the view that Ferraris are justifiably priced but Foderass are not. Can you explain?[/quote]

I'm not saying that Ferrari Ltd. (or whatever they're called) don't take a tidy profit on each sale, but the price of a Ferrari is largely justified by the huge development and design costs for comparatively small production runs, and the cost of parts and labour, as well as what I understand is a fairly impressive aftercare plan.

[quote]Given what circumstances? If you don't know the circusmtances of the buyer, how can you say a decision is idiotic? You're saying its overpriced, but reality is its not overpriced, its just "priced" and you happen to not like the price. Why is it not overpriced? There is a two year waiting list and the basses are selling. If anything, its "underpriced" since they can't keep up with demand. Here's a thought experiment. If 2 years ago, you placed an oder for a Fodera at the Fodera pricing 2 years ago. You could take delivery of the bass today and sell it used for quite a bit more money than you paid for it 2 years ago (because of price inflation). There's a good chance if you ordered a bass today at their current prices you could do the same thing 2 years from now when it is delivered. Would it really be an idiotic move to buy somethign that, two yearsfrom now when its delivered, could be sold for more than what you paid for it?[/quote]

Given the circumstances that in [i]any[/i] situation paying many, many times what a product cost to develop and fabricate is an idiotic decision, especially when similar products of similar quality are available for a fraction of the price. I don't accept that the value of an object is "whatever someone will pay for it", because it's proven that some people will buy pretty much anything with a ridiculous price tag [i]just because it's so expensive[/i]. I don't debate that people are still ordering Foderas, probably including the £12k one, and the reasons for that will be that they either fetishise the brand, or because they're under the mistaken impression that a £12k bass is six times better than a £2k bass - neither of which have anything to do with the actual cost of the instrument.

I'm not going to comment on buying stuff because you think it'll accrue in value. That has even less to do with the real value of the instrument.

[CHRISDABASS]

Does anyone ever question the price of violins, double basses, classical guitars?? Some can make fodera's prices look cheap!

At the end of the day Fodera as a company would not exist if people didnt think they were worth the money! I bet there's plenty of ordinary folk out there with one or more of their instruments! Good for them i say, whatever they're level of playing!


I'd love to own one!! One day maybe i will

But for now lets just let people buy what they like!! it doesn't affect anyone else!

[maxrossell]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='969195' date='Sep 27 2010, 10:11 AM']Really? In what way?

It's all a question of what it's worth to you. IMO paying buying a Ferrari is a waste of money - it's only a car and not a very useful one at that as you can't get a couple of basses and your amp in the the back, but that's only my opinion, and all it means is that I'm unlikely to be buying one.

I was going to ask you what you spent your money on but if your disposable income really is only £50 a month then I have to assume that you're either a student, in a minimum wage job or have made lifestyle choices that don't leave you with much spare cash. If it's one of the first two you have my sympathies, if it's the later then your circumstances are up to you.[/quote]

I actually work a less than minimum wage job. I'm a carer. I'm not complaining, my situation has numerous advantages that make up for the disadvantages, and although I've never worked harder I still think it's the most worthwhile job I've ever done. The government doesn't, but f*ck 'em.

I also agree with you that a Ferrari is a waste of money. The point I'm making is that when you buy a Ferrari you're not paying ten times what the car actually cost to make.

[CHRISDABASS]

And before anyone starts, ive been doing a bit of research on fodera and my opinion of them has become more positive!

Im happy that there are people out there who continue to strive for excellence and make incredible instruments in the process all while making their customers very happy

Can i afford one?? No! Would i like one? Yes!!

There was a time when i never thought i'd own a sadowsky, i now have 3! Based on that I dare say i could probably aquire a Fodera one day, if of course they're actually to my taste sound wise etc

Edited September 27, 2010 by CHRISDABASS

[Marlat]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969237' date='Sep 27 2010, 10:49 AM']I also agree with you that a Ferrari is a waste of money. The point I'm making is that when you buy a Ferrari you're not paying ten times what the car actually cost to make.[/quote]

Do you honestly believe that Fodera are making a 900% profit margin on their guitars?

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969265' date='Sep 27 2010, 11:15 AM']Do you honestly believe that Fodera are making a 900% profit margin on their guitars?[/quote]

No, I don't. I was using hyperbole.

However there are far smaller luthiers than Fodera out there charging one-third or less of what Fodera are charging for handmade custom basses of similar quality and spec.

That said, I'm pretty sure they're making at least 900% profit on their pickguards.

[mcgraham]

Many factors are involved in this IMO: Supply, demand being the most obvious. Workmanship, quality, customer service, overheads, repute, exclusivity, etc, coming afterwards.

Ultimately you pay for what you get. Sometimes people are willing to pay more for the repute attached to the label than you they are for the workmanship, quality, materials, or detail in the actual item itself.

You could well ask what makes one person's time worth more than another person's time? e.g. McDonald's worker vs solicitor, what about a rural based solicitor vs a London based solicitor, or even a generic London-based solicitor vs a highly reputable London-based solicitor?

[Marlat]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969288' date='Sep 27 2010, 11:37 AM']No, I don't. I was using hyperbole.

However there are far smaller luthiers than Fodera out there charging one-third or less of what Fodera are charging for handmade custom basses of similar quality and spec.

That said, I'm pretty sure they're making at least 900% profit on their pickguards.[/quote]

WHilst I would probably have to get Jason from Fodera to explain it better than I could, I can imagine why they charge what they do for a pickguard:

IIRC there are only 3 or 4 buidlers at FOdera (and I believe only 3 who actually work on the basses). If someone is spending an hour making a hand cut pickguard, that's a hour that they are not spending on a making an actual bass. I'd imagine that the pricing reflects the fact that the builder's time has been unitised and they now assign a time cost charge to each "option". So, for something like a pickguard, you arn't paying for materials at all, but for having a builder hand cut one. For me, I would rather have a third party cut the pickguards (or hire a more "low cost" worker to do tasks like that), but it seems clear that Fodera want to maintain their small shop feel and therefore have to proce accordnigly. Its a good thing no one forces you to buy a pickguard!

[maxrossell]

[quote name='Mark Latimour' post='969332' date='Sep 27 2010, 12:15 PM']WHilst I would probably have to get Jason from Fodera to explain it better than I could, I can imagine why they charge what they do for a pickguard:

IIRC there are only 3 or 4 buidlers at FOdera (and I believe only 3 who actually work on the basses). If someone is spending an hour making a hand cut pickguard, that's a hour that they are not spending on a making an actual bass. I'd imagine that the pricing reflects the fact that the builder's time has been unitised and they now assign a time cost charge to each "option". So, for something like a pickguard, you arn't paying for materials at all, but for having a builder hand cut one. For me, I would rather have a third party cut the pickguards (or hire a more "low cost" worker to do tasks like that), but it seems clear that Fodera want to maintain their small shop feel and therefore have to proce accordnigly. Its a good thing no one forces you to buy a pickguard! [/quote]

That's just weird.

You pay $500 for a pickguard because they guy who made it could have been doing something else at the time...

That's totally bizarre.

I mean, I see the point, but you see how that's kind of bizarre, right?

[birdy]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969345' date='Sep 27 2010, 12:25 PM']That's just weird.

You pay $500 for a pickguard because they guy who made it could have been doing something else at the time...

That's totally bizarre.

I mean, I see the point, but you see how that's kind of bizarre, right?[/quote]

Life is bizarre. If you got Wayne Rooney to cut the pickguard when he could have been playing for manure it would cost you more.

Seriously the best thing to do is not to get so tripped up on it all. Things will find their own level and nothings really 'fair' or 'right'. I try and counter balance this by trying to be happy in myself and trying not to worry about the craziness of the world. If I could earn thousands of pounds doing something then I would as would we all.

[Marlat]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969345' date='Sep 27 2010, 12:25 PM']That's just weird.

You pay $500 for a pickguard because they guy who made it could have been doing something else at the time...

That's totally bizarre.

I mean, I see the point, but you see how that's kind of bizarre, right?[/quote]

I don't really see it as bizarre because I work in a time unitsed environment. My time has a certain value that would be paid by someone if it was not being used by you. Therefore, you pay the going rate for my time. I'd imagine that's basically how Fodera came to their option pricing. If someone wasn't using Vinnie's time on making a pickguard, it would be being used to make a bass (as they have a 2 year waiting list). They arn't going to make their bass customers wait even longer for basses because they are now making $25 hand cut pickguards. That said, I still think their pricing is more than I would pay, but then again, I am not their target audience (at least not at the moment!)

[molan]

So here's a little practical example of the Fodera pricing policy.

To have pickup covers made in wood that either match the front of the bass or the fretboard there's an upgrade charge of $450.

To perfectly match, cut, finish & fit the covers amounts to 5 hours of labour from either Vinny or Joey (and let's not forget these are two of the foremost luthiers in the world so their time is highly demanded).

That's a charge of $90 and hour or approx £60.

I recently saw a BMW man hour charge of £115 an hour and, whilst I accept that BMW have to cover some pretty heavy equipment costs, I have a sneaking suspicion that Vinny & Joey are going to be a shade more skilled than the guy who works on my car.

In fact even an average service guy for the plumbing or gas is charging about £35 for half an hour around my way!

Of course the argument here then becomes whether it should really take them 5 hours to do a job like this. My view is that if it ends up looking absolutely immaculate & that it takes 5 hours to achieve this level of perfection then you pretty much get what you pay for.

If you want some beautiful matched pickup covers, which I'm sure have no sonic value whatsoever but make you feel more inspired (or even just make you smile when you pick up the bass), then why not pay to have them fitted?