A Fodera or others

[Dingus]

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1386147271' post='2296283']
I

And I played brand new 2013 Fender American Standard Jazz/Precision Basses yesterday. While I did quite like the Precision, it didn't really do it for me but I was really impressed with the Jazz - I've always liked J-style basses but I think the revamped post-2012 Fender model is a pretty incredible instrument. So I'm considering one of those with pickup replacements - maybe the Aguilar AG 4J-HC if I can get some opinions on them.

[/quote]

I think the post -2012 Fender Am St Jazz is a great bass too , and I wouldn't be in any rush to replace the pickups either. Those Fender Custom Shop Vintage 60's that come as standard in that bass now are slightly overwound and sound very fat and beefy, but still have all the delicate nuances of a single coil pickup. I think they are just as good as the Aguilar 4J-HC , or anything else on the market, for that matter. I really don't see any need to change them , or at least give them a bit of a chance before you do so !

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1386162678' post='2296550']
I think the post -2012 Fender Am St Jazz is a great bass too , and I wouldn't be in any rush to replace the pickups either. Those Fender Custom Shop Vintage 60's that come as standard in that bass now are slightly overwound and sound very fat and beefy, but still have all the delicate nuances of a single coil pickup. I think they are just as good as the Aguilar 4J-HC , or anything else on the market, for that matter. I really don't see any need to change them , or at least give them a bit of a chance before you do so !
[/quote]

Plus one. The American Standards since 2008, and probably more so since 2012, do not need any upgrades, because they won't essentially be upgrades.

If I find a nice 2013 P or J with the new pups to go with my 2009/11 P and J, I'll be putting the money down.

[6v6]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1386162678' post='2296550']
I think the post -2012 Fender Am St Jazz is a great bass too , and I wouldn't be in any rush to replace the pickups either. Those Fender Custom Shop Vintage 60's that come as standard in that bass now are slightly overwound and sound very fat and beefy, but still have all the delicate nuances of a single coil pickup. I think they are just as good as the Aguilar 4J-HC , or anything else on the market, for that matter. I really don't see any need to change them , or at least give them a bit of a chance before you do so !
[/quote]

+1, I have a 2012 US standard Precision and I can't see any reason to change the pickups at all, the stock pickups are very good and anything else will just be different, not necessarily better IMO.

[flychris]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1386163327' post='2296561']
Plus one. The American Standards since 2008, and probably more so since 2012, do not need any upgrades, because they won't essentially be upgrades.

If I find a nice 2013 P or J with the new pups to go with my 2009/11 P and J, I'll be putting the money down.
[/quote]

+1
Since 2008, and more recetly 2012, Us P & J are very good in their own sound.
I sold all my fenders mainly due to weight on their 5ers.

[molan]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1386084465' post='2295498']
On this theme/debate/impending row over whether very high-end basses are worth the premium over more mainstream but still very respectable quality bases like the O.P lists as the alternatives to the Fodera, there really is no easy answer.

I have owned in the past and do own now esoteric custom -made basses and they are wonderful things , but are they more fun to play than an off-the-shelf production bass? No , not really. Do I play better on them ? No, definitely not. For my own tastes , I can get just as good a sound and just as much pleasure from playing a nice standard Fender bass as I can from playing a custom bass that costs three or four times as much. Most really expensive basses are just different to good quality production instruments, not neccesarilly better in practical terms , and I say that from the perspective of someone who is in a position to play any bass he wants., be it a Fodera or whatever.

[/quote]

This may be a case of 'well you would say that wouldn't you' but I've just got home from a gig where I played one of my Ritter Coras. I can honestly say that I have more fun with this bass than any I've ever owned, my playing is way better than on anything else and I've never had so many compliments about my sound.

It's a pretty expensive bass but, for me, it's in a totally different league to my '63 Fender J (which in itself is a great bass). The only hing that's come close to it was my '86 Fodera, which I also gigged regularly, but the Ritter feels even better to me.

Just an absolute joy to play. In fact I love them so much I've just bought a Roya and ordered an R8. It is entirely possible that I may need to seek professional help. . .

[thodrik]

I would happily buy a Fender over a 'boutique' bass if I found one that I really liked which played as well as a more expensive bass. The trick is actually finding the Fender that is 'the one' to you. If the OP finds a Fender, or any instrument at whatever price point that they really like, why not choose it over a more expensive custom job? The best advice is to go out and try as many basses as you can and see if what you like the best.

[Dingus]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1386380683' post='2299629']
This may be a case of 'well you would say that wouldn't you' but I've just got home from a gig where I played one of my Ritter Coras. I can honestly say that I have more fun with this bass than any I've ever owned, my playing is way better than on anything else and I've never had so many compliments about my sound.

It's a pretty expensive bass but, for me, it's in a totally different league to my '63 Fender J (which in itself is a great bass). The only hing that's come close to it was my '86 Fodera, which I also gigged regularly, but the Ritter feels even better to me.

Just an absolute joy to play. In fact I love them so much I've just bought a Roya and ordered an R8. It is entirely possible that I may need to seek professional help. . .
[/quote]

I've never played a Ritter or even seen one in the flesh yet , but I expect they play and sound about as good as a bass possibly can .

I suppose the choice between that bass and a Fender is dictated by what kind of a sound you favour at any given time . A lot of very high -end basses tend to sound very slick to me, for want of a better term, and myself personally I prefer a little bit more "grit" in my sound at the moment , and a good Fender or similar will give me that.

There are, of course, lots of different great bass sounds to enjoy, and that very modern hi- fi tone is certainly one of them that I used myself for a long time . In fact, for a long time it was what I most aspired to , so trust me, I am not knocking it . Nowadays though, I am looking for a bit more of a " contemporary retro" ( hey, I just made that term up and I quite like it !) sound, and I am choosing my basses with that in mind. I used an active Jazz as my main bass for the best part of a decade, but being increasingly concious of how overused that sound has become , now I am avoiding that sound like the plague in favour of a more mid- Seventies Larry Graham -type vibe ( I hope) with my passive . Jazz Bass.

[Dingus]

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1386416199' post='2299820']
I would happily buy a Fender over a 'boutique' bass if I found one that I really liked which played as well as a more expensive bass. The trick is actually finding the Fender that is 'the one' to you. If the OP finds a Fender, or any instrument at whatever price point that they really like, why not choose it over a more expensive custom job? The best advice is to go out and try as many basses as you can and see if what you like the best.
[/quote]

If you get a decent Fender worked on by a good luthier and finished off properly in terms of the fretting and nut ect , it really can play as well as a boutique bass.

[thodrik]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1386432753' post='2300080']
If you get a decent Fender worked on by a good luthier and finished off properly in terms of the fretting and nut ect , it really can play as well as a boutique bass.
[/quote]

My 1978 Precision has been my benchmark for all my other basses and it has never (to my knowledge anyway) been modified in a major way. I don't think that a passive Fender has to worked on by a good luthier to play as good as as boutique passive bass, though it can't hurt. There are 'good' and 'bad' Fenders in every line and if you get a good one, in my opinion they are as good as any other passive bass. Active basses are different as I don't think Fender have ever nailed a preamp to match Sadowsky and the rest of the boutique guys, but that is just personal preference

In pure playability terms though, I've passed up Warwicks, Wals, Spectors, Rickenbackers and loads of other high end/ 'boutique' 'vintage' instruments that just simply didn't feel as nice (to me) as the Fender I already owned. Only a Sadowsky and a Vigier came close enough to actually convince me to buy them. The Fender is still the number one bass though and it cost me about £400 in 1999!

[thebassist]

The Fodera Emperor I played today was awesome but after playing around with it for about 40 minutes I don't think it's going to work for me. I then played a couple of nice Overwaters that my mate had - they were superb but they're both 5 stringers and I'm after a 4 or a couple of 4s. I also played my friends American Standard Fender Jazz and Precision and loved them both. They were set up beautifully and obviously had those lovely classic vintage passive tones. Despite desperately wanting to jump in and buy some equipment I'm going to continue searching because none of those higher end basses really felt 'right' for me and I'm starting to lean more towards traditional basses right now.

Edited December 7, 2013 by thebassist

[thodrik]

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1386448618' post='2300353']
The Fodera Emperor I played today was awesome but after playing around with it for about 40 minutes I don't think it's going to work for me. I then played a couple of nice Overwaters that my mate had - they were superb but they're both 5 stringers and I'm after a 4 or a couple of 4s. I also played my friends American Standard Fender Jazz and Precision and loved them both. They were set up beautifully and obviously had those lovely classic vintage passive tones. Despite desperately wanting to jump in and buy some equipment I'm going to continue searching because none of those higher end basses really felt 'right' for me and I'm starting to lean more towards traditional basses right now.
[/quote]

Have a go of some of the high end 'super' Jazzes, should give you a blend of old and new: Sandberg, Sadowsky, Nordstrand, Mike Lull, Mayones and others. Although don't rule out a Fender if you find one that is right for you.

[thebassist]

Actually I did try an Overwater J-style bass and that was brilliant. I'll check out some of those other brands you mentioned too but those newer American Standard Fenders, post-2012, seem to be excellent. I've played three so far and they've all been pretty damn good. The second one I played locally (sunburst/rosewood) is still available and was my favourite so maybe I should just go buy it before somebody else snaffles it up. Thanks a lot for the advice.

[JTUK]

Bit confused about what you want to pay with that 'wishlist' but assuming around £3k..???

I'd add Sei's and Celinders and a NYC Sadowsky to the Fodera price tag..as well as a Ken Smith...
but there can be a huge difference in sounds and vibe from that lot..so that doesn't add up either, IMV.

You certainly have to try the one you are serious about....unless you get it cheap enough to sell on for the same money.

These basses need to be a fit...and I tried a Matt G recently and altho it was nicely made...totally inappropriate for me in
every respect.