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Hellzero
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Strings spacing at bridge and nuts ?
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Thanks for sharing this interesting article. Being a 6 strings bass player and at some time a bass "historian", I knew most of it, but not all of it, which is very important. In fact, I knew the story through Anthony Jackson's interviews, but the funny thing is to see the part these guys played in the 6 strings bass history : Carl Thompson, Ken Smith, Vinnie Fodera and even Stuart Spector, all four in New York at the same time catching and understanding the vibe in the air. What is the most edifying is that the name Contra Bass is from Ken Smith himself and that the best concept of the instrument (here the 6 strings bass) is by the same guy... 👍 Being a huge fan of Anthony Jackson, I now have other parts of the sound puzzle, thanks to you !
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You would be amazed by the very small amount of wax I put on it. This bass has certainly been waxed at least once a month to get it so shiny with so little wax. I've owned lots of basses with oil finish needing to be waxed and it's the first time it gets so shiny with no effort... 😉 If there weren't marks on the pickups and the fret board, I would have described it as pristine. -
Thanks Russ, but the bass is a just born baby compared to the around 400 years old vintage floor. 😉
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Thinning down the herd, so selling the basses I don't use, and desperately trying to keep only one ... or two FOR SALE OR (PARTIAL) TRADE BASED ON THE NEW RETAIL PRICE (€5769 EUR for the "same" model in the Masterbuilt series ) : WARWICK Streamer Stage II 4 strings with the rare afzelia body, wenge/afzelia hidden-neck-through and Yin-Yang mother-of-pearl inlays (August 1991) ! Asking price including shipping fully insured with tracking number to your place in these European countries (ask for other countries) : Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (excluding French overseas departments and territories), Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom : £2200 GBP !!! In fully working condition and very good condition for a close to 28 years old bass. Here are the specifications confirmed by Hans Peter WILFER : Body : 3 pieces solid afzelia wood Neck : wenge with afzelia strips in hidden- neck-through construction Fingerboard : wenge with side dots and Yin-Yang mother-of-pearl inlays Frets : 24 bronze Warwick frets (dressed for the last time before I got it) Headstock : 2 + 2 shape Pickups : Bartolini JJ (option) Preamp : Mec 2 bands Controls : volume (active/passive), blend, bass and treble Tuners : Gotoh/Warwick GB7 (2 + 2) Bridge : 2 pieces solid brass Schaller/Warwick Strings spacing at bridge : 19 mm (adjustable) Nut : Warwick Just-A-Nut original brass version Strings spacing at nut : 10 mm Knobs : original Schaller metal Scale : 34" Hardware colour : gold (except for the Straplok that were only available in black at the time) Finish : original oil finish with Warwick bees wax surface finish Land of craftsmanship : Germany (08258 Markneukirchen) Serial number : H 711 91 (August 1991) Weight : 4,5 kilos Action : from 1,5 mm under the G string to 1.8 mm under the E string at 12th fret (without any buzz, the frets dressing job being very very good) Will come with a well padded used Rockbag gig bag or a Tobago leather one if you prefer it (and a soft case if shipped), black Dunlop Straplok flush mount and the 28 years old bees wax hard as concrete in a very nice very well used vintage Warwick can. Non-smoking environment as usual. It has some few marks, mainly on the pickups and fret board which has been dressed before I got it in a trade. I only cleaned it totally, waxed it and played it : very Stuart ZENDER sounding with more versatility thanks to the JJ Bartolini pickups coupled to the Mec 2 bands (active / passive) preamp. The bass is fully original (except for the strings and battery) and has never been touched (except for a new output jack fitted as the original one was dead) : it still has the screws for the pickups height and the screws under the metal dome knobs (no, it’s not a John EAST idea at all 😉). No frets buzz, no preamp noise, no humming noise, no pots scratching… All you have to do is plug it and play without fearing anything for the next 28 years. The bass has been fully set up professionally. It has a new battery and has been fitted with a brand new set of D'Addario EXL165 nickel wound strings (45-105). Link to Warwick Masterbuilt Streamer Stage II series : https://shop.warwick.de/en/Instruments/Electric+Basses/Warwick+Masterbuilt/Streamer/Streamer+Stage+II/Warwick+Masterbuilt+Streamer+Stage+II,+4-String+-+Natural+Oil+Finish,+Gold+Hardware What you see is what you get ! Look at the pictures taken to try to capture the beauty of the woods to see the real condition : some few marks, due to the age, but nothing serious at all. Don't hesitate to ask for more. Dust is offered.
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Indeed, very nice basses. I had an Expression Plus Deluxe 6, a terrific bass and that neck pickup sound : wow ! GLWYS. -
SOLD....KEN SMITH /JACKSON BT6 ( Fodera & Smith, New York 1985)
Hellzero replied to 1966powers's topic in Basses For Sale
A real piece of history and certainly the best Fodera ever. 😉 🤣 😁 GLWYS. -
I still have mine, just let me know and I'll send them to you for ... free. 😂 -
All pictures are very nice. 😁 GLWYS.
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I have a fretless (defretted) version of the very first run. These are among the best 6 strings basses ever with an usable piezo system that is not stupidly harsh. -
I still have my subscription to HiFiCritic magazine : no ads at all and living thanks to the subscriptions only. Reviews are better with clearer opinions, but they can't review whatever they want because of their Elliott Ness approach of the subject... Hard times for honest people. 🤐
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You forgot the strings and accessories revenue and their sub companies (sold or not) plus other incomes like using their name (which isn't free, just like for any well established company), master classes, ... , plus the fact that they are making more instruments than what they say, in fact close to 1000 a year (a luthier working alone is crafting around 60 instruments a year and if I take Leduc experience when he had 10 employees, he was making around 1000 instruments a year, so double the team and you can get up to 3000 instruments) and, suddenly, everything is fitting the tables. Also, just take a look at their hourly rate for servicing which is $150 USD, so at least twice the rate of any other luthier...
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So Richard Bona won't be playing on his awful sounding Fodera anymore. Let's see if this one sounds better. 😁
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I won't argue as I only have an European diploma in business management (I must be some kind of moron has I only got the highest distinction with 91%) among others, but if you can read, which is something I doubt, as I explained my analysis a few times in this thread, here is something interesting : https://bklyner.com/industry-city-maker-spotlight-fodera-guitars/ So they have 20 employees, making around 300 instruments a year with an annual estimated revenue of $10.700.000 USD. I'll let you do the maths as I'm too stupid to do it, but in a communist approach (as they seem to be philanthropic people) each of the employee would earn around $12.000 USD per month all taxes, running costs, expenses and investments deducted.
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Go to a real (I insist on the term real, because there are so many clowns around) luthier and ask him how much he would really charge you to hand craft the exact same bass. No need for electroshock, you'll get it for free. You know, the least expensive part in an instrument is the wood... If you want a list of retail prices for a similar bass or any high end boutique bass, here it is : Mike Pope preamp with the 3 switches : $374 USD Hipshot bridge : $155 USD Knobs : $60 USD Dunlop flush mount Straplok set : $22 USD Aero pickups set : $500 USD Gotoh tuners set : $100 USD Custom Fodera tool kit : $30 USD Teardrop hardshell case : $220 USD 2 way truss rod : £13 USD Slotted bone nut (in case they can't make it themselves) : $17 USD Stainless steel frets : $14 USD Aliphatic wood glue (hoping they are not using anything else) : $6 USD AAAA body woods : $300 USD AAAA neck woods including fingerboard : £250 USD Inlays : $20 USD Fodera strings (Anthony Jackson Signature, which are really good and the most expensive) : $71 USD Lacquer, masking tape, sanding paper and finishing supplies : $45 USD Screws : $3 USD Grand total for supplies at retail price : $2200 USD Cut this in two for their buying price as I've taken real high retail prices : $1100 USD Don't you think, they are making huge profits !?!
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You're welcome Tony. 👍
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These are what I call : proof by absurdity ! If, after that, you still think that Fodera's are worth the price asked, then you are a suitable case for treatment. So sorry for you. And Johnny Lee is such fun to watch and listen to. 😉
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I also had the same problem with the old Vigier or other basses I owned. It's an easy fix : pickup cavity is ungrounded and most of the time unshielded, and even if it's shielded with paint, aluminium or even coper, these cavities must be grounded (that said copper is the best shielding material as most of the shielding paint is not conductive and aluminium is a pain in the *ss to solder). I've done this to all my problematic instruments and now they are dead quiet, except for the single coil pickup typical humming, but there is always a quiet position when you play, don't worry. All cavities and bridge must be star grounded. I even shield and ground the pickup cover or simply the pickup itself, but it's something a bit tricky to do, because you can short the pickup... If you don't want to shield all your problematic instruments, just buy this cable : http://d-buz.com
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Maybe one day, some people will understand that some maker are just profit maker. As I also wrote, Paris (France) is the real expensiver place to live in the whole world (according to the renowned and awaited UBS annual report), but the most expensive Vigier bass with all (stupid) options possible will cost you €10.055,10 EUR (£9.081,59 GBP at today's exchange rate)... Think about it. And Vigier instruments are close to perfection on all aspects. Still think these American boutique basses (where the most expensive maker doesn't have even a regulated temperature and humidity controlled wood stocking room !?!) have justified priced ? Wake up and go to your local real luthier to get your (craziest) dream bass for a maximum of £5.000 GBP... Still don't believe me : a Wyn bass with all the possible options will cost you $8655 USD (£6780,07 GBP at today's exchange rate) and Randall FULMER is working totally alone in one of the most modern facility, with extraordinary woods, in Los Angeles (certainly not the cheapest place to live). Check this : http://wynguitars.com
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SOLD ELSEWHERE 1988 Warwick Thumb bass 4 NT
Hellzero replied to Matte_black's topic in Basses For Sale
Armando is a very nice chap. And a pleasure to deal with. Buy this one, so I can put my 1991 Streamer II, with original Bartolini's, in mint condition for sale. 😂 -
SOLD Mesa Boogie prodigy Four:88 10th Dec down to £1000
Hellzero replied to Paul S's topic in Amps and Cabs For Sale
Heater failure, Russ ? 😁 -
Interesting indeed, but sometimes paradoxal when you read between the lines. I agree with everything he's saying and already wrote it earlier, even the price tag of a handmade bass as I've been playing luthiers basses for more than two decades. And as he's explaining it really good, the extra money you pay is for the extra work and/or extra rare supplies, not the quality of the instrument. That's were the paradox lies for Fodera as there is nothing extra for their instruments. You are only paying for having the privelege to own their basses, that's all. So they are not worth the money as there is no added value, but a (self-made) reputation. What you should also keep in mind is to buy locally by someone you can talk to to explain what you really want : he is the only person able to tell you if it can stick to your budget or if you are a dreamer. Bbut there must be some mutual trust and respect or it won't work.
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I understand that it hurts a lot. 😉
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Historians, philosophers and economists don't know it. Marx and Hegel wrote that communism was the next step IF AND ONLY IF people had experimented the excess of capitalism, but some people imposed it in 1917 without the main condition and it became a disaster. So another type of society will take place, taking into account that capitalism and communism don't work, but which one is still a mystery. And don't even mention social nationalism, please.
