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Fodera - what are they thinking?


dyerseve

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12 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Try this, Anthony Jackson is a bit more on the front as Steve Smith is a bit more "discreet" than Simon Phillips or Steve Gadd. Hiromi is the same, terrific and exuberant at the same time :

 

Man I am digging this...

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18 hours ago, bipbip62 said:

I'm the seller of the AJ6... :hi:

If you want to try it... it's possible in the North of France...:crigon_04:

It's an expensive bass but it's a exceptional bass.... :heart:

Trade with a bass + cash is possible...

And I'm a very good seller... xD

 

It's a stunning bass. Were I not in the North of England, I'd be on my way to France to have a go of it and giving you a good bottle of spirits as thanks for the opportunity!

 

As for the front mounted jack, I've always liked them. I use cables with a 90° end on them for my basses with side mounted jack sockets so I don't prang the cable when sitting but I'd be just as happy with a top mounted jack. The Ibanez SR jack, routed into the body as it is, is also great for playing whilst seated. Make no mistake, there is not one single detail on a Fodera Contrabass that has not been extensively reviewed through various iterations of the instrument. Anthony is extremely specific as to how his instrument should be function. 

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24 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Yes, I was watching that fabulous video posted above earlier and it reminded me that it’s a big guy playing a big bass. Not for everyone.

He's actually very slim at the moment. He's slimmed down massively in the past too, and never stopped playing his Contrabasses. 

He's had some health issues of late, so I dearly hope he's on the mend. 

 

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Just to muddy the waters further, AJ is on record as saying that his signature Fodera is essentially a big Fender Precision Bass. the instrument he made his name with in the mid-70s.

Fodera basses are not really my cup of tea, but there is no question that they are worth the money they cost. The fact that they are manufactured in NYC may contribute to a small extent to their price tag, but it is not realistic to suppose that they would be half the price , or even anything remotely like that if they were made anywhere else in the USA. The reason they are expensive is because of the amount of skilled man-hours it takes to make these basses.

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On ‎01‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 13:02, Hellzero said:

Try this, Anthony Jackson is a bit more on the front as Steve Smith is a bit more "discreet" than Simon Phillips or Steve Gadd. Hiromi is the same, terrific and exuberant at the same time :

 

Nice! Fabulous pianist.

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Saw Hiromi with Stanley at Ronnie Scott's - good gig. (The awesome Nigel Price supporting.) Anywho, I don't think the main discourse is comparing apples with apples. So I get the points about sub-£g basses but perfectly good - which they are these days. (For the record, I don't think MM 'fights' his Sire's in the vids I've seen.) But Fodera seem like a small specialist company loyal to their clientele, including Victor, but also AJ. It's a smart move too as AJ is the bassist's bassist and I think we're all in awe so building him exactly what he needs means a Fodera is in the hands of the bassist we, and many named professionals look to. It's not optimised for mass production like our sub-£g's are so reproducing them is time-consuming exercise from a dedicated team of luthiers. Got no problem rationalising the cost of this against, say a Sire. Both good but fulfilling different purposes. And in a perennially made point, £10k or even £20k for a pre-eminent instrument is peanuts in the classical world.

I wouldn't do justice to a Fodera AJ and I'd be terrified off dinging it so I don't lust after one but I'm sort of glad they're a thing.

Edited by visog
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22 hours ago, Misdee said:

Just to muddy the waters further, AJ is on record as saying that his signature Fodera is essentially a big Fender Precision Bass. the instrument he made his name with in the mid-70s.

Fodera basses are not really my cup of tea, but there is no question that they are worth the money they cost. The fact that they are manufactured in NYC may contribute to a small extent to their price tag, but it is not realistic to suppose that they would be half the price , or even anything remotely like that if they were made anywhere else in the USA. The reason they are expensive is because of the amount of skilled man-hours it takes to make these basses.

Sorry to contradict but read the post earlier where Fodera themselves have stated that they could reduce the price tag by 50% if they were made elsewhere in the US.

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On 01/06/2018 at 13:02, Hellzero said:

Try this, Anthony Jackson is a bit more on the front as Steve Smith is a bit more "discreet" than Simon Phillips or Steve Gadd. Hiromi is the same, terrific and exuberant at the same time :

 

Thanks but not really my thing. He seems a decent enough player but not hearing anything that really wows me. It's all subjective I guess

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4 minutes ago, therealting said:

A Sadowsky is still a Sadowsky whether it’s made in Tokyo or NYC... but guess which one people pay more for?

So locations make the prices which is exactly what I was saying...

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6 minutes ago, dyerseve said:

So locations make the prices which is exactly what I was saying...

Nah... a little bit obviously but the main factor will always be the day-rates of the luthiers involved and what price they can charge based on demand. A luthier with an 18 month waiting list will charge more than one with half that.

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1 hour ago, dyerseve said:

Sorry to contradict but read the post earlier where Fodera themselves have stated that they could reduce the price tag by 50% if they were made elsewhere in the US.

Without wishing to cause offence, I am dubious that this is what Fodera actually said. And even if they said it, it isn't necessarily true. Elsewhere in the USA? Brooklyn real estate prices are lower than San Francisco, for example. Boston and San Jose are not far behind.

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17 minutes ago, Misdee said:

Without wishing to cause offence, I am dubious that this is what Fodera actually said. And even if they said it, it isn't necessarily true. Elsewhere in the USA? Brooklyn real estate prices are lower than San Francisco, for example. Boston and San Jose are not far behind.

Not sure why you have chosen to list those cities. There are plenty of places they could move to in the US where it would be many times cheaper than NYC. It's an enormous country with 52 states and hundreds of cities!

It's all irrelevant though really as they are successful as they are and seem to have no wish to move off to make their basses any more affordable 

Edited by dyerseve
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Always been a bugbear with me. I do understand because of the preamp layout they have to put the knobs in certain places, but surely when you go to the highest end of instrument aesthetics as Fodera do, you would want the knobs to flow with the design. They just look like an afterthought  plastered on the front of the bass. Maybe its just me. 

Fodfront.jpg

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3 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Having owned that particular bass, I can assure you it's not an issue. The four control knobs are actually in an arc. The two switches are above the arc and the jack socket below out of the way.

Its an aesthetic issue when you pay that sort of money. Is this art or convenience.? Because you can have both.

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