Now take this....

[AREA]

Didn't the look nice? Also the Specs. Dave Marks (Member here as well) has one. I like the GFJ5. What they don't say (Don't know why) is, that they build in Pickups from DiMarzio.

Plenty Videos on Youtube with Dave Marks playing them and so I might say they sound awesome there.

[url="http://www.fruduadirectdeal.co.uk/frudua_basses.html"]Frudua Direct Deal[/url]

[wateroftyne]

very interesting.

I'm not sure having 'Directdeal' on the headstock is great from a marketing POV, though..

[AREA]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1314457' date='Jul 24 2011, 09:41 AM']very interesting.

I'm not sure having 'Directdeal' on the headstock is great from a marketing POV, though..[/quote]


No Problem with that, because it's so tiny. Hard to read.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='AREA' post='1314459' date='Jul 24 2011, 08:47 AM']No Problem with that, because it's so tiny. Hard to read.[/quote]
Well, we're all different. It would bother me...

[louisthebass]

Nice looking basses - look similar to the Alleva-Coppolo basses.

Like the idea of the six bolt neck, should make for a nice tight fit.

Cheers,
louisthebass

[sime17]

I had a look at the website for these a couple of months ago and after grabbing my attention early on I ended up filing them under the 'probabably too good to be true' category. It insinuates 'custom luthier' but doesn't seem to say categorically that they're BUILT in Italy, and if not the price falls into line with all the rest of the Korean/Indonesian/Chinese stuff. I'm not saying far eastern build is a bad thing, that stuff is often well put together, it's just that you may as well buy it from a name you recognise (with a reputation to uphold) and/or from a 'real' retailer where you can go have a fiddle with one.

I'd have a very good rummage on here or Google 'em again to check for any real feedback before I put any cash into one.

No offence to the talented Mr Marks (heaven forbid - I'll never forget his s.o.h failure letter in BGM when someone wrote in with a humourous sardonic retort to a jazz article he did - it had me grabbing my handbag with a pronounced 'ooooh'), but his endorsement isn't necessarily weighty enough to make me want to take a blind punt on something this mysterious. It'd need a glowing reference from Elvis himself, or perchance the Pope, to get my confidence.

[AREA]

Galeazzo Frudua is a, in Italy well known Bass and Guitar Luthier for more than 20 Years. In the Past he has buildt Custom High End Basses, but with the GFJ Basses he wants to bring an affordable Line, wich is buildt in Korea. That's what many Luthiers do... Such as

- Lakland
- Sadowsky
- G&L
- Ken Smith
- Overwater
...tbc.

That the Price stays in an affordable Range is about the Fact, that you can purchase these Basses only at Frudua direct and not in any Stores and (I'm sorry) the Fact that Gelazzo Frudua is not well known in GB means not much. Ask an Italian about Sei Basses. I bet it's the same Thing. Nontheless Sei Basses are great Instruments. I'm a Player, not a Collector and so the Name on the Headstock is more or less unimportant to me. I don't buy a Bass with its Resale Value in Mind.

But like everytime. Everyone should do as he likes to....

Edited July 24, 2011 by AREA

[wateroftyne]

You seem very defensive. Is he a friend of yours?

[AREA]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1314734' date='Jul 24 2011, 02:46 PM']You seem very defensive. Is he a friend of yours?[/quote]

No, but I've had some very nice, kind and very, very helpful Contacts in the last few Days, via Phone and e-mail. That leads me to believe that the Guys at Frudua (Galeazzo Frudua and Davide Garbujo) are real honourable Men wich like to build very good sounding Basses with very good Specs and Hardware also in their affordable "Crafted in Korea" Range, so the GFJ Basses are. That's all.

Edited July 24, 2011 by AREA

[sime17]

[quote name='AREA' post='1314731' date='Jul 24 2011, 01:42 PM']Galeazzo Frudua is a, in Italy well known Bass and Guitar Luthier for more than 20 Years. In the Past he has buildt Custom High End Basses, but with the GFJ Basses he wants to bring an affordable Line, wich is buildt in Korea. That's what many Luthiers do... Such as

- Lakland
- Sadowsky
- G&L
- Ken Smith
- Overwater
...tbc.

That the Price stays in an affordable Range is about the Fact, that you can purchase these Basses only at Frudua direct and not in any Stores and (I'm sorry) the Fact that Gelazzo Frudua is not well known in GB means not much. Ask an Italian about Sei Basses. I bet it's the same Thing. Nontheless Sei Basses are great Instruments. I'm a Player, not a Collector and so the Name on the Headstock is more or less unimportant to me. I don't buy a Bass with its Resale Value in Mind.

But like everytime. Everyone should do as he likes to.... [/quote]


Yes - that is a fair point mr AREA. Thing is, the Fruduas are still the same price as the some of the far eastern offerings from those above (Skyline 44-01+55-01, Tribute L2000+2500, KSD Proto j, all the Overwater/Tanglewood Aspirations, not to mention Sterling by EBMM Rays too) despite all of this 'direct' spiel. And you then have an instrument that you have no 'local' back up for - although in my case I'm so far from a good dealer I might just as well be sending it back to Italy;)

I don't think the Sadowsky Metros fit in the above list though- Japan is now at least as well regarded as a manufacturing nation as the US and Germany (and arguably more so than Italy) so a new factory-built Sadowsky Metro now costs a fair bit more than a factory-built US Fender, Musicman, G+L or a German built Sandberg.

Btw in theory I LOVE Italian gear - I'm a Markbass convert.

Edited July 24, 2011 by sime17