The cost of a Fodera. Worth it?

[BigRedX]

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1457269325' post='2996852']
Sorry to dig up an old thread, I was just wondering about Foderas and came across this, so when there's guys selling Stingrays for £700 in the marketplace and Maruszczyk are putting out amazing customs below £1000 why do people buy Foderas? Is anyone using a Fodera at a paid gig, like theatre work or functions? I'm not against custom basses, but I play in a function band so my Sandberg and Musicman seem perfect for me, so I'm really interested to see if any other working musicians are using really expensive or custom stuff.
[/quote]

Do I count as a working musician? My band do about 40 paying gigs a year playing our own material and have just released our first full-length album which is currently getting airplay on 6 Music.

If so...

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/BigRedX.jpg[/IMG]

That's a Gus G3 5-string. Last time I asked - about 5 years ago - a new one to the same specification would have set you back just over £5k. I bought it because it's a fantastic looking, sounding and playing bass. Stingrays and Maruszczyk might be far more affordable but they simply don't do anything for me and I find Fender basses and their copies awkward and uncomfortable to play.

[therealting]

Those Guses are hella cool, X.

[EmmettC]

Nice, that definitely suits the image of your band, I still haven't found a bass I like that visually suits my alter-ego in my industrial band Metaltech. If I could find a nice 5 string Iceman with a full size body.......

[BigRedX]

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1457388172' post='2998123']
Nice, that definitely suits the image of your band, I still haven't found a bass I like that visually suits my alter-ego in my industrial band Metaltech. If I could find a nice 5 string Iceman with a full size body.......
[/quote]

Born To Rock F4B?

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/DSC02174-1_zps72ba13f8.jpg[/IMG]

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1457384187' post='2998066']
Do I count as a working musician? My band do about 40 paying gigs a year playing our own material and have just released our first full-length album which is currently getting airplay on 6 Music.

If so...



That's a Gus G3 5-string. Last time I asked - about 5 years ago - a new one to the same specification would have set you back just over £5k. I bought it because it's a fantastic looking, sounding and playing bass. Stingrays and Maruszczyk might be far more affordable but they simply don't do anything for me and I find Fender basses and their copies awkward and uncomfortable to play.
[/quote]crazy to think thats, and the standard series Fodera, is half the price of a Warwick these days....

[thebassist]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1457380824' post='2998017']


Not sure what your point is?
The bassist for American Idol plays a Fodera though, sounds great on the Telly



They make passive basses

Si
[/quote]

There is no point, I'm just saying.

Edited March 7, 2016 by thebassist

[BigRedX]

[quote name='thebassist' timestamp='1457389581' post='2998145']
There is no point, I'm just saying.
[/quote]

No point in what?

What are you saying?

[Skol303]

For me personally, a Fodera would certainly [i]not[/i] be worth it.

My playing ability just wouldn't do a bass of that price tag any justice whatsoever. I'd fall squarely into the "all the gear and no idea" category. It'd be like buying a Lamborghini whilst learning to drive. I'd feel like an idiot. And probably sound like one too.

But... if I were a professional musician then a Fodera may very well be worth it. £10K+ on an instrument sounds like a lot of money, but not so much when you stack it against the price of a new vehicle, or a collection of professional power tools, or a set of pro-quality golf clubs, or an accountancy qualification, or a desktop video editing suite, or may other tools of other trades.

I think what some of us are wresting with here is whether a Fodera is a 'worthwhile' investment for someone who's a hobbyist bass player, or who plays pubs for kicks - rather than for a living. On that basis I suppose it boils down to your disposable income and what you deem to be affordable, as with any consumer purchase.

Will it make you sound better? No. Well... perhaps a teensy bit. That's the one thing we can be sure of

[BigRedX]

I think a lot of the problem is for Fodera is that apart from the ring-yang bass, looks wise there's nothing really special about them.

As a bassist of below average ability I can get away with playing my Gus in a punk band because it looks the part, and the relatively high cost of the bass never comes into question.

[fleabag]

Those gusses are unique, i have to say. I'd even play one, but i wouldnt pay for it.

If i had the money to buy a Fodera , i still wouldn't. I'd take my cash to ACG and get him to build me a one off fretted and matching fretless, and still have enough sheckles left to buy a forest of sustainable cocobolo ( love that wood )

Still, everyone to their own..makes the world go round, guv

Edited March 8, 2016 by fleabag

[bubinga5]

The short of it i think is there way over priced. Why, because they can.The name Fodera carries a lot of weight. If any one tells me Fodera makes a bass that is worth £2000 (at least) more than a Sadowsky NYC or a Sei, i think they are deluding themselves. but each to there own of course.

There is no doubt they are fantastic, but you are no doubt paying for the name.

imo.

[Sibob]

I genuinely don't get the over-priced thing.
The reason why they cost so much, is because they have a workshop in Brooklyn, they employ a fair few very talented staff, they afford full healthcare to all of their employees etc etc.
Now, they started in NYC in 1983, probably before premises prices became stupid. If you want to attract some of the best luthiers in the world, all in one place, you're probably going to want to stay near a city instead of move somewhere cheaper.
Why do they want to attract the best luthiers? Because of the sheer demand for the product.
Are you just paying for a name? Not really. You're paying for all the things that are associated with that name.

Now 'worth' is largely subjective and a matter of perspective. Before i purchased my (recently departed) Matt Garrison Signature I had played a number of Foderas, did I think they were worth their price? No, for the same reason that I don't think a £50 Stagg is worth it's price, because it doesn't fit or inspire me. When I sat down and played the Matt Garrison, straight away I thought "I would pay the price for this" because of how it felt, sounded etc. Whilst I eventually couldn't justify that money being tied up in one bass because of some family changes, I still think that bass was/is worth the cost.

Now if someone thinks that a Fodera is not 'worth' the money for whatever reason, then I fully expect they have never played one that really suited them, which is absolutely fine, everyone clicks in different ways.

For what it's worth, I think Gus Basses are ugly as sin, and a 5 string variant couldn't look less punk IMHO.......but who cares, if that's the bass that causes the player to enjoy themselves the most.....buy it and play the hell out of it

Si

[RhysP]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1457616429' post='3000152']
I genuinely don't get the over-priced thing.
[/quote]

"Overpriced" = "Can't afford it" in the majority of cases.

[BigRedX]

In terms of supply and demand, if you look at the waiting times for a new Fodera they are probably still underpriced.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1457616429' post='3000152']
For what it's worth, I think Gus Basses are ugly as sin, and a 5 string variant couldn't look less punk IMHO.......
[/quote]

So what am I expected to play? A boring old P-Bass? That's such a cliché.

[Sibob]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1457622963' post='3000285']
So what am I expected to play? A boring old P-Bass? That's such a cliché.
[/quote]

Well that's the point isn't it, a Pbass doesn't do it for you, a Gus does, so it's worth £5k to you (assuming you can afford it)......who cares what the Genre is
My point was simply that I don't like them to look at, so they're not worth the price to me.....that's not to say that they're objectively overpriced though.

Si

[EmmettC]

I think it's great they treat their staff well, and they demand is still very high. I still think if I went to a good British Luthier (ACG, Overwater etc) I could spec something very similar for a lot less money.

[CamdenRob]

I really like the standard series... especially the classic ones.

Unlike the custom stuff, the prices are comparable with similar builders and the quality still looks top notch.

... been GASing for a Monarch standard classic for a while now. Classic vibe and modern pickups / preamp etc, would fill the gap in my current stable for a modern sounding fretted four very nicely



Would have to swap out the PG for a black one though...

[Sibob]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1457624785' post='3000328']
I really like the standard series... especially the classic ones.

Unlike the custom stuff, the prices are comparable with similar builders and the quality still looks top notch.

... been GASing for a Monarch standard classic for a while now. Classic vibe and modern pickups / preamp etc, would fill the gap in my current stable for a modern sounding fretted four very nicely



Would have to swap out the PG for a black one though...
[/quote]

I believe you can specify that with them

But yes, if ACG had started his business in the 80's, in London, and now employed 20 other employees, due to high worldwide demand, that his prices would still be as good as they are? No of course not.

Si

[BigRedX]

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1457624055' post='3000314']
I think it's great they treat their staff well, and they demand is still very high. I still think if I went to a good British Luthier (ACG, Overwater etc) I could spec something very similar for a lot less money.
[/quote]

But it wouldn't be a Fodera, and wouldn't have all those details that someone who wants a Fodera would expect. That's not to say that any of our brilliant British luthiers don't make great basses, but each has it's own individuality and that should be why a player will pick one luthier over another to build their bass.

Otherwise if you just wanted a bass guitar I'm sure that for most people something like a Squier P or J would be fine.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1457624785' post='3000328']
I really like the standard series... especially the classic ones.

Unlike the custom stuff, the prices are comparable with similar builders and the quality still looks top notch.

... been GASing for a Monarch standard classic for a while now. Classic vibe and modern pickups / preamp etc, would fill the gap in my current stable for a modern sounding fretted four very nicely



Would have to swap out the PG for a black one though...
[/quote] I like how that looks

[Owen]

I played a GUS when they first came out. It was lush beyond. Fodera overpriced? If someone is buying them, then obviously not.

[Twincam]

Its all very subjective isn't it.
Too me fodera's look boring they have horrible headstocks too. Ive never played one but I'm sure the sound and quality is there.
I would own one (custom) if I was well off though, mainly for the quality.

Alot of these high end basses or one off customs do have a lot more attention to detail in them that many of the more mass produced or pseudo custom basses don't have. Some wont see or hear it but others do and its definitely there. All those little tiny details really do add up!.

[therealting]

Looks aside, and price aside, I have found Foderas to be somewhat inconsistent - I've played several that I thought were awful instruments at any price level (dead sounding, terrible feeling necks). I have also tried a couple which were incredible. I've found others like Sadowsky, Marleaux or Dingwall to be consistently good basses even if they weren't what I wanted. But hey, everyone's different.

[juliusmonk]

Not all of them are ugly, most are simply dull imo. Fbass are sexy. ACGs are daring. Alembics are beautiful (but not very ergonomic). Fenders/MM are classic. Dingwalls are futuristic. For me, Foderas are neither here nor there.

The question about what is overpriced or not is debatable, but it simply cannot be justified in terms of higher costs - when you have so many top notch luthiers using the absolute best materials and components and building to perfection, who sit firmly in the 2000-4000£ bracket. Location is part of it, but to quote Flight of the Conchords 'what are your overheads??!'

It has to be mystique (= marketing), which is fine. We all succumb to this one way or another. Look at how many people want to trade Foderas for other Foderas with opposite specs... Ah, but it has to be a Fodera (and please not one of those cheapo standards). Same with Alembics. C'mon guys. These 2-3 brands have prices that double or triple most other expensive basses. The question of overpricing is legitimate. It's a bit like when you have to go Custom Shop to have a matching headstock from Fender. Really?

I've tried two Foderas and they were ok. My Sire M3 is fantastic. If I remember the price, I'm twice as happy. I've had (and still have) cheap and expensive. If Fodera is good for you, fine. You don't have to argue about best quality or high production cost.

Personally, if I had a Fodera and it had just one knob not turning precisely, one high fret or slightly loose screw, a hint of hum or any other minor niggle, I would be bitching.