philw Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) And arriving unexpectedly from the left field, the first short scale, headless Fodera. http://fodera.com/imperial-mini-mg/ [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVrucp6wwNw"]https://www.youtube....h?v=rVrucp6wwNw[/url] P Edited May 3, 2016 by philw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Looks great. I love the crazy quarter-headstock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnozzalee Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Don't like the matt black, but I love all short-scale headless basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) Saw that earlier today. I think the "head" looks hidious. They could have used a bit more imagination for that, particularly on a bass that costs nearly $12000. Looks as if it has had a bad accident. As always, MG's playing is astonishingly brilliant. Edited May 3, 2016 by BassBus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Yeah...that headstock thing...😷 But Jesus! He can't half make a noise on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Similar sentiments here, yucky headstock, but presumably there to cater for the detuner only. If they're savvy, they'll offer a version with no detuner and a reduced headstock size. But overall I like it, the clincher for me is the painted neck through carve, beautiful work. Apparently it comes in Olympic white too, which will be fantastic I expect! If I played Fodera and flew....a LOT, this would be a tempting prospect, but neither is true fortunately haha. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) Superb looking bass right up until you get to the headstock. Ok, it accommodates a D tuner, but why base the design on such a feature, if that is what they have done? I imagine dropping that and doing a nice rounded carve around the butterfly would have looked great. Instead, yuk. Gorgeous otherwise! No comments on the price needed, lets not turn it into yet another of those threads Edited May 3, 2016 by Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliusmonk Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I suspect the sole reason for the chunk of wood that it has for headstock is to fit in the butterfly. It would have been better as a 12th fret abalone inlay, perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 (edited) I think it's the best looking Fodera I've ever seen - the the headstock looks like it has been chopped with a chainsaw - it's so wrong it's great. Really loving the black too Edited May 4, 2016 by Roland Rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 (edited) I agree that the headstock is 100% hideous. I think it was a size consideration, because they wanted it to fit new regulations for travelling with instruments. But I'm not sure if designing an instrument, and then just slicing a bit of it off counts as a particularly elegant design solution. Still - a short scale 5 string headless single cut which sounds this good is a pretty amazing thing. Anyone seen the price tag? $11,650 means waiting until someone with a less 'New York' sense of what money means rips the idea off and makes their own version of it. Edited May 4, 2016 by project_c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 (edited) I like the innovation, and I like how they have tried to incorporate everything into a small bass. I don't personally 'get' travel instruments. Such a niche. I'd rather just rent any old bass rather than invent serious money into something like that. That headstock. Seriously? It looks like they just chopped off 2/3 of it and thought 'yeah that'll do'. It's a Fodera, it is bound to be super high money, but it really doesn't scream $12,000..... Edited May 4, 2016 by Musicman20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 [quote name='project_c' timestamp='1462351824' post='3042236'] I agree that the headstock is 100% hideous. I think it was a size consideration, because they wanted it to fit new regulations for travelling with instruments. But I'm not sure if designing an instrument, and then just slicing a bit of it off counts as a particularly elegant design solution. Still - a short scale 5 string headless single cut which sounds this good is a pretty amazing thing. Anyone seen the price tag? $11,650 means waiting until someone with a less 'New York' sense of what money means rips the idea off and makes their own version of it. [/quote] I don't think so. It's basically a £9k bass delivered. I would wager that a LOT of us have multiple basses that total that worth, so it just takes someone who wants one bass for everything they do, who flies a lot for this to be more than worth it. Yes it's niche, but Fodera are hardly bothered with critical mass. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 I just do not get in any way how anyone would fork our 12k for a bass. But hey, market forces and such. Clearly I am not the target audience. It looks great, even like the headstock - very wrong in a very cool way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Price aside, I can't help thinking it looks like an unfinished prototype. The headstock is a huge let down. I mean for that budget, why not look to having a system like Steinberger's excellent Drop Tune bridge system for headless instruments? That looks great and will shave more off the length of the bass if that's their main driver for this travel bass. Something you can get on a 300 quid Steinberger instrument. I'm sure it plays nicely but for innovation, I'm gonna have to go with Kiwi's Shuker, MacDaddy's Shuker.. Oh and my headless Shuker too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 (edited) [quote name='HazBeen' timestamp='1462353305' post='3042249'] headstock - very wrong in a very cool way [/quote] Glad it's not just me Edited May 4, 2016 by Roland Rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 (edited) [quote name='dood' timestamp='1462353943' post='3042254'] Price aside, I can't help thinking it looks like an unfinished prototype. The headstock is a huge let down. I mean for that budget, why not look to having a system like Steinberger's excellent Drop Tune bridge system for headless instruments? That looks great and will shave more off the length of the bass if that's their main driver for this travel bass. Something you can get on a 300 quid Steinberger instrument. I'm sure it plays nicely but for innovation, I'm gonna have to go with Kiwi's Shuker, MacDaddy's Shuker.. Oh and my headless Shuker too! [/quote] Just what I was going to say regarding the Steinberger system. That headstock looks like a complete kludge. It reminds me of all those headless basses of the early to mid 80s that avoided having to have an expensive bridge/tuning system by fitting normal machine heads at the body end behind a standard BBT style bridge. They work, but it's not the most elegant solution, especially when a really good one already exists. I hardly think that on a $12,000 bass licensing the Steinberger system is going to make a massive difference to the final price. When you are paying serious money for a musical instrument it's the fine detail that makes the difference, something that seems to be lacking in more than one aspect of Fodera's designs. Everything about the playability and tone of this bass is going to be exceptional, so why compromise on a couple of the details? IMO Fodera should hire in someone who knows about product design, who could help them make that final step towards bass perfection. Edited May 4, 2016 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 [quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1462352991' post='3042245'] I don't think so. It's basically a £9k bass delivered. I would wager that a LOT of us have multiple basses that total that worth, so it just takes someone who wants one bass for everything they do, who flies a lot for this to be more than worth it. Yes it's niche, but Fodera are hardly bothered with critical mass. Si [/quote] Plus shipping & tax. But in the context of living and working in NYC (or London for that matter), I understand the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 [quote name='project_c' timestamp='1462366878' post='3042414'] Plus shipping & tax. But in the context of living and working in NYC (or London for that matter), I understand the price. [/quote] Fodera are down by the docks in Brooklyn. It's not exactly downtown Manhattan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 [quote name='project_c' timestamp='1462366878' post='3042414'] Plus shipping & tax. But in the context of living and working in NYC (or London for that matter), I understand the price. [/quote] My friend did some research and it's circa £9600 imported/shipped to the EU. And Brooklyn is pretty bloody expensive nowadays, think East London vibes Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 I'm sure this has come up before. In comparison, there is an award winning restaurant near me, (a few miles away, stunning part of Cheshire) and they clearly don't have it easy with rates/rent, but it doesn't stop their prices being extremely reasonable. I know a few people who work there, and they say the cost of running it is what it is...they chose to start there. It's an odd bit of info to slip in.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Well I kinda like the headstock dare I say. Hate the rest of it though. I don't know how they get away with designing such bland basses and charging that much. And it looks like something from the 80s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1462367748' post='3042423'] Fodera are down by the docks in Brooklyn. It's not exactly downtown Manhattan. [/quote] Are you sure? Have you seen Brooklyn prices recently?? The days of that area - or almost any other in and around nyc - being grimey and affordable are long gone. Brooklyn is probably the most gentrified neighborhood on earth. You need about 40k a year just to rent a reasonable sized office in the Dumbo area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 It's funny isn't it? Headstock design is the curse of so many, many basses and luthiers. They divide so much opinion too. This one doesn't even have one and look at the discussion it's causing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eude Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 I'm just going to leave this here... http://www.acguitars.co.uk/acg_admin/wordpress/portfolio/0241-border-reiver-5/ Eude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Another headstock doubter here I'm afraid... that looks terrible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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