Fodera Review In BGM

[molan]

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1345818301' post='1781976']
I noticed Dave Swift had one of these made for him and it took years for it to be completed!!
[/quote]

I was talking to him just yesterday about this and asked if he would ever sell it - "absolutely not" was the reply.

This tale has also done the rounds a few times - the bass was ordered and built before Jason De Salvo joined Fodera as a partner. The problem with the old set up was that if anyone popped into the workshop to chat then Vinnie & Joey would leave their benches and chew the fat with whoever it was. They also took very, very long phone calls from potential customers who wanted to discuss woods, neck profiles, pickup choices etc. etc.

Months of time every year were lost in production time because of this. Jason has totally cleaned up this area and now he takes many of these meetings and calls (and he really, really knows his stuff - he's another fine player who happens to own 13 Monarchs, all paid for & not freebies!). Average wait time is now circa 18 months from first order to completion. Might sound long but I've known a lot of other luthiers who quote less but end up taking a year or more for final completion.

Jason keeps customers totally up to date on build process and is pretty much always available to answer questions (I know this because I've asked loads!).

[BassTractor]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1345927630' post='1783341']
Vinnie & Joey would leave their benches and chew the fat[/quote]

You know, I never had any idea they were Norwegian!

best,
bert

[AntLockyer]

everything I read about Fodera makes me want to buy their product. They don't make product for me though, and that might be some of the point. It's aspirational stuff (for me lottery win stuff I guess).

[BigRedX]

[quote name='funkypenguin' timestamp='1345904809' post='1782972']
Could you not argue that the review section of BGM is there, in part, to look at gear that's hard to come by, as opposed to gear most stores will have to test for yourself?
[/quote]

That's exactly what I've been saying.

[XB26354]

One point that is worth mentioning is that Fodera are the only brand I've played (and I've tried just about everything over the years) whose 6-strings balance perfectly, even when seated. I'm guessing it partly design, partly thin necks and partly the single cut adding mass to the body.
Tonally a lot of really great basses aren't that amazing in isolation, but have a certain "something" when in a band situation. Old Fenders spring to mind. I think Fodera have attempted to capture this essence in a new instrument.
Price-wise most Foderas are expensive but not prohibitively so - I only mentioned the AJ because it was massively more than almost any other Fodera. Anyone with even a reasonable amount of disposable income could save up for a standard model if they really wanted one. I'm not sure I could come up with $24,000 (plus shipping, duty and 20% VAT) even if I were disciplined enough to save hard for a number of years though. In terms of marketing, no Fodera have not really had to sell themselves, but having a roster of top New York-based players means that they've been able to generate demand that is way out of proportion to their ability to supply. So simple economics dictates that you can up your prices without losing the demand, which they have been able to do. Another common economic ploy is to sell something at an extremely high price - it is a no-expense spared luxury item now, which justifies its price and will generate demand because the high price automatically assures exclusivity. If Fodera put an AJ Presentation up to $30,000, $40,000 or even $50,000 would they sell any less?

[chardbass]

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1345890852' post='1782771']
Here's the thing: beans on toast cooked by me = average run of the mill, tasty snack

Beans in toast cooked by Heston Blumenthal = hugely expensive designer food...

With Fodera you are paying for the chef's name even if the ingredients are the same as used in any other 'dish' - though what a great chef can do with simple ingredients, or arguably the best ingredients, is, in theory, something really special.

At the end of the day I've played lots of Foderas over the years - some were amazing some were ok - I wouldn't pay 7K for any of them - end of.
[/quote]

A point well made.
I know it's a typo but beans IN toast does sound like a Heston Blumenthal dish. You may be on to something!

[risingson]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1345927630' post='1783341']
I was talking to him just yesterday about this and asked if he would ever sell it - "absolutely not" was the reply.

This tale has also done the rounds a few times - the bass was ordered and built before Jason De Salvo joined Fodera as a partner. The problem with the old set up was that if anyone popped into the workshop to chat then Vinnie & Joey would leave their benches and chew the fat with whoever it was. They also took very, very long phone calls from potential customers who wanted to discuss woods, neck profiles, pickup choices etc. etc.

Months of time every year were lost in production time because of this. Jason has totally cleaned up this area and now he takes many of these meetings and calls (and he really, really knows his stuff - he's another fine player who happens to own 13 Monarchs, all paid for & not freebies!). Average wait time is now circa 18 months from first order to completion. Might sound long but I've known a lot of other luthiers who quote less but end up taking a year or more for final completion.

Jason keeps customers totally up to date on build process and is pretty much always available to answer questions (I know this because I've asked loads!).
[/quote]

Crazy! They're obviously nicely crafted instruments and Dave is a great player. Seems like a really nice guy too from what I gather!