Are you good enough to play a Fodera?

[EssentialTension]

My grandfather used to say 'If you can't fight then wear a big hat.'

 

But he always wore a flat cap.

[Barking Spiders]

On 07/02/2022 at 22:18, leschirons said:

IIn addition, the question is really only relevant to other players, if you turn up at the Dog & Duck with a £12,000 Fodera, Allison and Fred who run the cattery down the road aren't going to think "wow, he must be good"  You're just another bloke holding another guitary thing to them.

 

..and it's missing two strings so it can't be that much cop

[ianrendall]

On 07/02/2022 at 22:18, leschirons said:In addition, the question is really only relevant to other players, if you turn up at the Dog & Duck with a £12,000 Fodera, Allison and Fred who run the cattery down the road aren't going to think "wow, he must be good"  You're just another bloke holding another guitary thing to them.

Our local, the Quicksilver Mail, regularly has a band in consisting of a number of post-Stackridge guys. The bass player turns up with a full all valve Ampeg stack and a vintage Jazz. I thought “wow, he must be good”. The funny thing is, me and my wife really do run the cattery down the road!

[mikel]

8 hours ago, ianrendall said:

Our local, the Quicksilver Mail, regularly has a band in consisting of a number of post-Stackridge guys. The bass player turns up with a full all valve Ampeg stack and a vintage Jazz. I thought “wow, he must be good”. The funny thing is, me and my wife really do run the cattery down the road!

My first thought on musicians with megga expensive kit is "They must have lots of money" nothing more. If you like nice equipment, in any hobby, art or sport, then why not have it. Life is too short to worry about the "All the gear, no idea" brigade. 

[dclaassen]

I do think all this is mostly inside our own heads. I'm playing with a band now (just rehearsing for the moment). I started off with my P bass, just to be one of the cool kids....nobody said a word. Oh, and it's a Mexican P, so maybe they looked at the headstock while I wasn't looking..:) 

 

Now, I am bringing my MPV, and the guys had no idea what it was. I explained about Michael Pedulla making them in a shop around Boston. "Ah, American..." was the reply...that was it. 

 

And this is okay with me. I don't really care if anyone ever comes up and says "Cool bass"....I DO care it the guys I play with like and respect what I bring to the group musically. I just feel I can do that a little better, and have more fun, on the "fancy" bass. Plus, it makes me smile. 

[mikel]

35 minutes ago, dclaassen said:

I do think all this is mostly inside our own heads. I'm playing with a band now (just rehearsing for the moment). I started off with my P bass, just to be one of the cool kids....nobody said a word. Oh, and it's a Mexican P, so maybe they looked at the headstock while I wasn't looking..:) 

 

Now, I am bringing my MPV, and the guys had no idea what it was. I explained about Michael Pedulla making them in a shop around Boston. "Ah, American..." was the reply...that was it. 

 

And this is okay with me. I don't really care if anyone ever comes up and says "Cool bass"....I DO care it the guys I play with like and respect what I bring to the group musically. I just feel I can do that a little better, and have more fun, on the "fancy" bass. Plus, it makes me smile. 

In a nutshell. If you care more about what others think about the name on the headstock then you need to have a word with yourself. 

[Barking Spiders]

Bottom (bass) line is that you can probably bet three quarters of people in a given audience can't tell a bass apart from a guitar, what its function in the band is, let alone what's a budget model and what's top of the range. My own good lady is a big music fan and while she can identify what to her are cracking bass lines (esp Suart Zender's in Jamiroquai) she had to ask why some of my instruments have 6 strings while others have 4 chunkier ones. And in no way is she a a couple of planks short.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Barking Spiders

[casapete]

3 minutes ago, mikel said:

In a nutshell. If you care more about what others think about the name on the headstock then you need to have a word with yourself. 

Couldn’t agree more. I had a guy in a pub audience (at a gig with my country band) come and ask me after the first set why on earth I wanted to play ‘a cheap Danelecto’ and why I wasn’t playing ‘the best bass ever made, a Gibson Thunderbird’. After a couple of minutes trying to get through to him I gave up and told him to eff off. 

[Muzz]

I've mentioned this before, but I took my new 12-string bass to a rehearsal once, to try out on a couple of songs. Nobody said a bloody word, and they were musicians, so generally, unless there are That Type Of Tyre-Kicking Muso in the audience (a Muso punter once berated me for using a Fenderbird; 'But...but...that neck's not right...' pfffft.), there's zero chance of anyone else giving a, erm, flying fig...

 

On the Generic Sound thing, I have no direct experience of Foderas, but from what I've heard, tone-wise, from vids of people playing them, they do sound very generic. A very good generic, but generic, and nothing I haven't heard in lots of places before. It's a Personal Taste thing (so IMHO, YMMV, and all that), but I like more character.

 

I do have luthier basses, but in every case I've specced them with the pickups, placement and EQ to be able to deliver a specific range of sounds, centered around what I like. Which, if I'm completely honest, is a Precision, with rounds, driven hard. There, I've said it... 😀

[Downunderwonder]

On 07/02/2022 at 07:55, Rayman said:

balls to it, I'll have what I want?

You do you.

 

Me, I am a 1kGBP thereabouts bassist. Plenty of other bassists can play circles around me.

 

If I showed up with a Sadowsky or a Fodera nobody would notice. Equally nobody would notice if I showed up with a Squier.

[Reggaebass]

It’s just another bass at the end of the day, If I played one in the shop and I really liked it, it would be going out the door with me, irrespective of my playing ability , I would also use it in my local pub, but I’ve got a feeling that I would probably end up picking up one of my fenders before the Fodera after a while 

[12stringbassist]

I've bought some lovely basses over the years. I have a decent bass rig and an old backup rig, just in case.
I play in a pub band, so I don't have much of a profile and I will take any of my basses to any gig.
Musically speaking, I can play what I can play and avoid what I can't play or don't like that much.

I've bought my decent basses because I fancied playing them, not to impress everyone else.
There is only a handful of people who actually look at what the bassist is playing, anyway.

So I know my gear will keep working and sound as I want it to and hopefully keep a decent resale value.

 

Fodera?
Quite a few of them were Fender copies if I recall correctly.
I'd just buy a Fender.
 

Edited February 10, 2022 by 12stringbassist

[Supernaut]

I once bought a Spector to an audition and was asked is that a good bass...

 

Most geets only know Fender and maybe MM. 

[Doddy]

2 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

Bottom (bass) line is that you can probably bet three quarters of people in a given audience can't tell a bass apart from a guitar, what its function in the band is, let alone what's a budget model and what's top of the range.

But audience opinion on if they know what a bass is, is irrelevant.  People do notice, and care, what your gear is but they are usually the people who are hiring you. If you're being paid decent money, you're going to turn up with decent gear.

 

20 minutes ago, 12stringbassist said:

Fodera?
Quite a few of them were Fender copies if I recall correctly.
I'd just buy a Fender.
 

Fodera don't make Fender copies.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Doddy

[peteb]

5 hours ago, Doddy said:

But audience opinion on if they know what a bass is, is irrelevant.  People do notice, and care, what your gear is but they are usually the people who are hiring you. If you're being paid decent money, you're going to turn up with decent gear.

 

 

There is no reason why a punter should know or care about what bass you use. If they do, it is likely to start and finish with Fender, the older looking the better. What punters are very good at, is comparing what your band sounds and looks like compared to the band they saw the other week. If you were to ask regular punters who know nothing about gear or playing who the best local bands are, you will find that they generally get it right!

 

Band leaders just want you to turn up with great sounding gear that is suitable for the gig. If you want to give them confidence at the audition / first gig then turn up with a decent bass / gear.

 

[chris_b]

4 hours ago, peteb said:

Band leaders just want you to turn up with great sounding gear that is suitable for the gig.

 

+1

 

All they want from us, is to turn up on time, sound good and get the notes right.

[bassist_lewis]

1. Jaco Pastorius played a stock Fender.

 

2. It depends what you care about. I'm a teacher, so I earn a decent salary, and some of my colleagues feel its worthwhile spending their's on leasing a brand new BMW. I think that's the dumbest waste of money ever, but its not my money so who cares what I think. I'm spending £3kish on a Serek because I think they look cool, they come well reviewed and I can afford it.

 

The phrase "f**k it, do what you want" comes to mind.

[Misdee]

36 minutes ago, bassist_lewis said:

1. Jaco Pastorius played a stock Fender.

 

2. It depends what you care about. I'm a teacher, so I earn a decent salary, and some of my colleagues feel its worthwhile spending their's on leasing a brand new BMW. I think that's the dumbest waste of money ever, but its not my money so who cares what I think. I'm spending £3kish on a Serek because I think they look cool, they come well reviewed and I can afford it.

 

The phrase "f**k it, do what you want" comes to mind.

The phrase " If we're paying teachers that kind of money how come they are always complaining about everything?" comes to my mind, to be honest with you.🙂

[peteb]

11 minutes ago, Misdee said:

The phrase " If we're paying teachers that kind of money how come they are always complaining about everything?" comes to my mind, to be honest with you.🙂

 

If we're being honest, if a professional person working full time can't afford £3k as a one-off luxury item, then we really are in trouble... 

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by peteb

[funkypenguin]

7 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

If we're being honest, if a professional person working full time can't afford £3k as a one-off luxury item, then we really are in trouble... 

 

+1

[tauzero]

When I bought my first Warwick Thumb in 1988, it was £950 (I got it for £900, Dave at Musical Exchange was a jolly nice chap). For comparison, a new 3-bed semi-detached house had cost me £17k five years earlier. I had terrible crises of self-confidence deciding whether to buy it and finally made up my mind that I would. Since then, I've bought two more Thumbs and three Seis (all second-hand, I'm not made of money), and haven't bothered with having crises of self-confidence again.

 

As for Fodera, playability is a subjective thing. I've played a 4-string Fodera (since I moved over to 5-string only) and found it far less playable than not just my old Warwick JD Thumb but also a Cort GB4 I have. Based on that, I wouldn't buy one. Obviously, far better bassists than me (eg. Victor Wooten) don't feel the same way about them. Or perhaps they do, but they relish a challenge and get paid lots by Fodera.

[Jeffb28451]

Not to be rude but in High School ( 10th grade, actually), I asked aloud  “ do I deserve a Les Paul”.  A much better player told me, “ If you can afford  it, and you want it, what’s the question?”  He thought the question a false humility.

That was an epiphany for me, as it was brought into focus what my real question ( and answer) should be. That was 50 years ago.

 

I play crap golf, but enjoy my Mizuno blades. I’m old and been married three decades but wear Creed.  I don’t play bass so well and haven’t been in a band for 3 years, but I bought a Fodera 2weeks ago. I plan to play it without guilt, but will be careful with it. Frankly, my p and j basses will probably get a lot more use IF I ever start playing in bars more regularly.
 

Play what you want, just don’t let your spouse sell your basses for what you allegedly paid for them when you die!
( that is an old joke, by the way) . Don’t buy one you can’t be comfortable with.  I used to have a nice hi end  watch ((NOT Rolex)  but was

afraid to play with my dog when I wore it., so I really DO understand your question. My point is that you (and I) should spend what we’re able for that which brings joy, but not what causes worry, dishonesty or guilt.

 

 

 

[Munurmunuh]

7 hours ago, Misdee said:

The phrase " If we're paying teachers that kind of money how come they are always complaining about everything?" comes to my mind, to be honest with you.🙂

 

That poor "🙂" is having to work very hard in this post.

[Drax]

Side point but lest we forget Fender to Fodera, like any guitar manufacturer, are NOT aimed at pro musicians. 
 

Pros play them, but the lifeblood is amateur hobbyists - more disposable income, and own more instruments. 

If you asked Vinnie Fodera if you were good enough - he too would say, if you can afford it and it makes you happy .. 

 

 

[tegs07]

You may as well ask the question are you good enough to drive a super-car. I’m sure everyone that buys one thinks they are but hardly any of them have the skills to get the best performance from the car. If you have the funds and desire why not though. You only live once.