Fodera 2010 price list

[bubinga5]

[quote name='Gwilym' post='949993' date='Sep 8 2010, 10:08 PM']Sounds to me like they are trying to deter people from asking for extras that are time consuming to make and distract them from building basses.
Also, they have staff to pay a living wage in an expensive city, and probably expensive rent to pay in a prime Brooklyn location.
This is the real world, not some far east sweat-shop.[/quote]Well Sadowsky dont charge these prices..and there from NYC...There is no reason other than Fodera are riding on a prestigious name...

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='tauzero' post='950041' date='Sep 8 2010, 10:46 PM']You missed the one that got me - $499 for a lined fretless. That is, instead of hammering frets in and stoning them all and crowning them etc, you stick slivers of wood in the slots you've already got cut for the frets and sand them down flat. So you pay them $499 for them to do less work.[/quote]
I did indeed miss that one. I assume the fretlines are made of pieces of the True Cross or plastinated slivers of Einstein's brain or something.

[steve-soar]

"Onsite Customer Top Selection $ 249.00"

So they charge you $249 to look at their wood stocks, then charge you a fortune for your choice?
And people pay it?

[Spoombung]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='949877' date='Sep 8 2010, 09:07 PM'][url="http://www.fodera.com/pdf/2010_Fodera_Price_List.pdf"]http://www.fodera.com/pdf/2010_Fodera_Price_List.pdf[/url]

Now i know Fodera are expensive but this is just obscene!!

Scroll down to page two!

They charge $499 for a hand made scratch plate made of plastic????

$750 for a wooden back panel cover???

$999 for a different radius on the fret board???


i wont even start on the $24,000 basses!!


Crikey!!


[/quote]

Whoah... that's [i]almost[/i] as bad as GUS Guitars!!

[yorick]

So what does titanium do for sonic quality that warrant an extra $4k? Apart from being a few grammes lighter. And an extra 15% for lefties... Dream on

[Doctor J]

I suppose, when you consider the price of an old Fender...




















...I'll get my coat :brow:

[Chris2112]

I think this signifies the point where Fodera have really lost it IMO...


Time was when the dedicated, averageman could stretch to a Fodera. A few years of saving and he could live the dream. Now, look at them. I don't buy the "bass making isn't an easy business" argument, as everyone else seems to manage without having $24,000 basses.

Alembic used to be fantastically expensive but at least you always went through a dealer, took advantage of a special offer and got some haggled-in extras. Add to that the fact that the bass is made [i]exactly[/i] how you want it with no $1000 upcharge for a different radius, you'd get a bass for at least 3/4 of the intial price. The fact that Fodera now have their most expensive models as direct order only shows to me they're wanting to take money from the hands of their dealers and they're also wanting to rip off the customer as much as possible - you can guarantee this direct order won't come with the usual discount!

The fact that they're charging an extra £4000 for a truss rod and a different type of metal bridge just illustrates how bloated and excessive they have become. I was a long time defender of Fodera's prices, saying "It's their shop, you can choose not to shop there" but they truely now seem detached from reality. Extremely uncool - perhaps even more embarassing when you consider the likes of Wal, Status, Phil Kubicki etc etc will make you a better bass anyway!

[Cairobill]

Fodera make beautifully crafted basses for fusion players but these prices simply reflect that when an extremely well heeled amateur bassist decides to buy 'the best' he will go for a Fodera as it's the bass equivalent of a Chateau Lafite or a Rolex. It's naff really.

When I think of fodera basses nowadays, instead of thinking of this...

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjs9XrQqXlk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjs9XrQqXlk...feature=related[/url]

I think of this!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nrphbipFk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nrphbipFk[/url]

Edited September 9, 2010 by Cairobill

[franzbassist]

I have played two Foderas. Both were nicely put together but didn't really sound that special....

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='950266' date='Sep 9 2010, 09:19 AM']Extremely uncool - perhaps even more embarassing when you consider the likes of Wal, Status, Phil Kubicki etc etc will make you a better bass anyway![/quote]

Without sanding marks under the finish too!

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Cairobill' post='950295' date='Sep 9 2010, 09:41 AM']Fodera make beautifully crafted basses for fusion players but these prices simply reflect that when an extremely well heeled amateur bassist decides to buy 'the best' he will go for a Fodera as it's the bass equivalent of a Chateau Lafite or a Rolex. It's naff really.

When I think of fodera basses nowadays, instead of thinking of this...

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjs9XrQqXlk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjs9XrQqXlk...feature=related[/url]

I think of this!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nrphbipFk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8nrphbipFk[/url][/quote]

While this guy's playing maybe justifies Fodera charging $250 a visit for having to listen to it, you could also say how come they didn't even bother to turn the radio off while he was testing out the bass?

[Toasted]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='950266' date='Sep 9 2010, 09:19 AM']The fact that they're charging an extra £4000 for a truss rod and a different type of metal bridge just illustrates how bloated and excessive they have become. I was a long time defender of Fodera's prices, saying "It's their shop, you can choose not to shop there" but they truely now seem detached from reality. Extremely uncool - perhaps even more embarassing when you consider the likes of Wal, Status, Phil Kubicki etc etc will make you a better bass anyway![/quote]

Many watch makers will charge much more than a £4000 premium to go from a Steel to a Titanium variant.

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='walbassist' post='950297' date='Sep 9 2010, 09:43 AM']I have played two Foderas. Both were nicely put together but didn't really sound that special....[/quote]
Well yeah if that first clip is anything to go by.
It sounds like a Les Paul going through a harmonic destroying flappy fart filter with a touch of mud octave.
Too harsh?

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='950103' date='Sep 8 2010, 11:49 PM']No doubting they're amazingly well made basses, the NYC Empire 4 is still a reasonable $3000, isn't that similar to AC/Sadowsky/Lull etc?[/quote]

My memory seems to recall that the NYC is a CNCed effort that I believe is manufactured for Fodera elsewhere. There was a thread detailing it on Talkbass and the guy doing the CNCing tried to obscure the truth somewhat. Was never impressed with the NYC either. Mass produced bass with a Fodera logo on the headstock - hence you can add $2500 to the price of the "donor" bass...

[Cairobill]

...but I must add, getting wound up about it is a waste of time. As many people have pointed out, we have so many great luthiers who will put together an equally well made custom instrument for a lot loss so it's win win...

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='950131' date='Sep 9 2010, 12:56 AM']Well Sadowsky dont charge these prices..and there from NYC...There is no reason other than Fodera are riding on a prestigious name...[/quote]

Being CNC, I guess that Sadowsky can shift a hell of a lot more than Fodera can.

It's a funny game that Fodera play. I'll doubt that their resale values will be anywhere near the original sale price...

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='950126' date='Sep 9 2010, 12:26 AM']At least Fodera does make a very high quality product and are capitalizing on decades of reputation and celebrity endorsement, not like some others that put out mediocre stuff and just price it outrageously hoping to catch a few fresh fish. Ritter for example [/quote]

Ritter. Now there was a shock. When I saw and played my first Ritter up close at Messe, I was shocked at how poor the infamous finishes look compared to the glossy photos and porn shots you see on the website and magazines. Again, plugged in, they sound distinctly average and play pretty similarly. It's a fashion I guess... and the range is a set of great looking stage instruments... whether they are the pinnacle of craftsmanship, well, I'm not a believer at the moment.

[AndyTravis]

Sadowsky gear is also made in a different way, and isn't the best comparison really.
As i said earlier the Empire gear is fairly comparable to the Sadowsky models, and seems similarly priced.
It'd be interesting to compare the Fodera list against Ken Smith and Alembic pricing, as they are other big names in a similar vain.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='950346' date='Sep 9 2010, 10:19 AM']Sadowsky gear is also made in a different way, and isn't the best comparison really.
As i said earlier the Empire gear is fairly comparable to the Sadowsky models, and seems similarly priced.
It'd be interesting to compare the Fodera list against Ken Smith and Alembic pricing, as they are other big names in a similar vain.[/quote]

Oh hell yeah, the price generator on the Alembic site is much fun. I don't really know alot about Ken Smith's prices... I just know they are on the upper end of the scale but the instruments themselves have never appealed to me.

[Clarky]

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='950346' date='Sep 9 2010, 10:19 AM']Sadowsky gear is also made in a different way, and isn't the best comparison really.
As i said earlier the Empire gear is fairly comparable to the Sadowsky models, and seems similarly priced.
It'd be interesting to compare the Fodera list against Ken Smith and Alembic pricing, as they are other big names in a similar vain.[/quote]
Top of the range Alembics are typically in the $10-15,000 range (see link here for Bass Central's inventory [url="http://www.basscentral.com/alembicbass/mark_king.shtml#6strings)"]http://www.basscentral.com/alembicbass/mar...shtml#6strings)[/url]. Alembic only emplys 26 people and virtually everything is custom-made but they don't run anywhere near the high end of Fodera pricing.

[JTUK]

Depends what is in-house or shipped out and this is a murky area.

When I had my first bass made, he did all of it and had one helper/luthier. To my knowledge he still has one helper and has a limit of around 30-40 basses per year. Maybe the paint is shipped out now, but he only laquered back then...
I can understand this stance.

When you get into off-site assembly and just finish off at the 'workshop' that is something else.
Just as well, I don't fancy Fodera's anyway, I'd rather have a Ken Smith, but you are kidding yourself if these guys that may charge a premium actually do most of the work now. They are so many Ken Smith's and Sadowskys around now that they have gone to the production line like most others.

How bespoke is bespoke and what will it cost you at NYC or generally U.S rates..? Maybe Fodera think they have the answer but I'd want to see what was made in house.
People must be buying them though.

Or maybe it is the french model and the way they work in resorts. Less people come to the resort so to make the same money as last year..they increase the price to take account of less buyers... I swear this is a true working model !! ha ha !!!

[purpleblob]

Well those prices have certainly put a stop on me ordering a Fodera new and maybe that's the intention (well not me specifically I hope ).

At the end of the day it's up to Fodera what they charge for their instruments and if they've got a full order book then who's to say they're wrong to charge those sort of prices. They're charging what they think the market will stand. If nobody was buying these instruments then they'd have to rethink their prices or go under.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='950346' date='Sep 9 2010, 10:19 AM']It'd be interesting to compare the Fodera list against Ken Smith and Alembic pricing, as they are other big names in a similar vain.[/quote]

It's also interesting to note that the shape of Fodera, Alembic and Ken Smith basses are all fairly unpleasant to look at. However much money they make they are apparently not interested in giving any of it to designers.

[BigRedX]

My understanding of the situation is that Foderas are massively back-ordered and the queue is getting longer all the time. I would guess that these prices are an effort to try to get back on top of their workload and get the waiting times back down to a more manageable level. Plus it generates far more publicity for the brand then simply doing what Celinder did and stop taking any new orders (and as a result there a lot of people thought he'd gone out of business).

Also it will put off a lot of people who were vaguely interested in getting a Fodera but didn't realistically have the means to pay for it. It's relatively easy to start a custom build when you only need to find a couple of hundred pounds (IME most luthiers ask for 10-25% up front and the balance on completion). It would be interesting to know how many custom basses don't get sold to the person who originally commissioned the build? A bass with lots of custom features is going to be harder to sell to someone other than the person it was originally made for, therefore by putting a significant premium on "custom" items will mean that if the original customer defaults on the final payment a finished more standard instrument will be easier to sell to someone else, and a very custom bass will have paid for a larger proportion of its costs with the deposit.

I'm guessing that these prices are designed to put off "tyre-kickers". I have a feeling that for serious customers there will be discounts and special offers to take advantage of once you get into discussions/negotiations with Fodera.

Finally once you get out of the Fender copy market, no bass is really a substitute for another. They are all different. Some many be subjectively better value for money than others, but are not direct replacements. As the owner of more than a few custom basses I know that each of mine has it's unique place as regards sounds and looks.

[JTUK]

RE the Fender copy market.

I think there are quite a few 'copy' makers whose basses are way above what Fender is putting out.
Haven't seen a CS, but unless they are made with a REAL hands-on approach, I doubt they are capble of getting those customers back.

If Fenders where that great in the 70 and 80's then Sadowsky might never have made his name..??