Are you good enough to play a Fodera?

[EssentialTension]

Surely the question ought to be: 'Am I good enough to play a cheap piece of sh!t and still sound great?'

[BigRedX]

21 hours ago, White Cloud said:

I know where the OP is coming from.

 

I bought a Wal Custom on HP in 1985 (£750) - traded my Rickenbacker 4001 for it (£300).

 

I was a nifty player - but recall never feeling good enough for the Wal!

 

IMO that's sad in both the traditional and modern meanings of the word.

 

Firstly no one will really cares about the bass you use, unless they mistakenly take pity on you for apparently not being able to afford a Fender or at least a Squier.

 

Secondly I'm sure that most people on here own a car that has the potential to perform way above their level of driving skill, whether it be a 4x4 that has never seen anything more off-road than an unsurfaced car park, or just a normal car that is capable of more acceleration and speed than you could comfortably handle. At least if you play your expensive bass badly no-one is likely to get injured or die.

 

And finally for most bassists on here even a US-made Fender is probably more bass guitar than they NEED. Most of us could quite happily get by with a modern cheap no-name P or J bass copy. But why should we want to?

 

[ambient]

Are you a good enough driver for the £10,000 car, or should you buy a £200 banger - like mine?

[Rayman]

8 minutes ago, ambient said:

Are you a good enough driver for the £10,000 car, or should you buy a £200 banger - like mine?

I’ve been driving bangers for the last few years. Started a new job in November which came with a BMW. I honestly feel like a total fraud AND that everyone is looking at me thinking “knob”, just like I used to.

 

 I reckon if I turned up to a gig with a 5k bass, instead of my usual £200 beaters, I’d get the same reaction 😆

[neepheid]

6 minutes ago, Rayman said:

I’ve been driving bangers for the last few years. Started a new job in November which came with a BMW. I honestly feel like a total fraud AND that everyone is looking at me thinking “knob”, just like I used to.

 

 I reckon if I turned up to a gig with a 5k bass, instead of my usual £200 beaters, I’d get the same reaction 😆

 

I'm paranoid enough to think that people look at me and think "knob" whichever bass I take to the gig.

[nekomatic]

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

I met a guy in France some years ago with 11 basses, … and, he  couldn't play a note, … He was a lawyer

Way back when I used to read the Bottom Line email list (anyone else?) the generic name for these people was ‘proctologists’. 

[alyctes]

Wrong question.

Wealth is not worth.

 

[alyctes]

45 minutes ago, Rayman said:

I’ve been driving bangers for the last few years. Started a new job in November which came with a BMW. I honestly feel like a total fraud AND that everyone is looking at me thinking “knob”, just like I used to.

 

 I reckon if I turned up to a gig with a 5k bass, instead of my usual £200 beaters, I’d get the same reaction 😆

 

I'm a much better driver than I would have been without my succession of old slow cars.

[chris_b]

16 minutes ago, ambient said:

Are you a good enough driver for the £10,000 car, or should you buy a £200 banger - like mine?

 

My friend let me drive his Porsche 928. I admit I drove it like I drive all my cars. When I was trying to change up into 5th at about 40, he finally commented, "Dear boy, we should be in 2nd at this  point!"  So it seems different cars require different driving skills. Who knew.

 

I played several Fodera basses on visits to Bass Gear. They were the best basses I've picked up. Their sound and authority of tone was stunning. The comparison to my bass was Charles Hawtrey to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Appropriate as my musical life has mirrored a Carry On film on so many occasions.  

 

I've just noticed my Mike Lull PJ5's replacement would cost $5100!!

[shoulderpet]

On 06/02/2022 at 21:23, martin8708 said:

Probably not .

When you turn up to gigs / auditions / jam nights with posh basses , people expect you to be some brilliant virtuoso .

If you take a cheap bass , you tend to exceed their expectations .

+1 Even if I could afford a super expensive bass I wouldn't buy one for this reason, you bring a posh bass and people think "this person means business" and expect a lot, for me they would be very disappointed once they heard me play

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

My friend let me drive his Porsche 928. I admit I drove it like I drive all my cars. When I was trying to change up into 5th at about 40, he finally commented, "Dear boy, we should be in 2nd at this  point!"  So it seems different cars require different driving skills. Who knew.

 

I played several Fodera basses on visits to Bass Gear. They were the best basses I've picked up. Their sound and authority of tone was stunning. The comparison to my bass was Charles Hawtrey to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Appropriate as my musical life has mirrored a Carry On film on so many occasions.  

 

I've just noticed my Mike Lull PJ5's replacement would cost $5100!!

 

I'm a lazy driver too.  The only reason I don't go around town at 30 in top is because the car complains that it doesn't like it and displays an annoying arrow "suggesting" to me that I at least pop it back down to 4th.  In my previous car (which was larger and had a bit more grunt) I used to glide around at 30 in 6th.  It could do it and didn't give me jip for doing it.

 

Also, well jell at the shottie of the 928 - a pinup car from my youth I'd love to have a go of.  Your friend is wrong BTW - it's a grand tourer, so tour grandly in it - I don't need to hear it to know its got an engine.  40 in 2nd, what is he, 18?

 

[RhysP]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

Would you ask "Am I good enough" to live in a nice house? To drive a decent car? To have nice holidays? 

I don't have any of those things so it's no real surprise to me that I don't own a Fodera. 😂

[chris_b]

21 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

40 in 2nd, what is he, 18?

 

 

You got it. In his dreams. Going on 45, with a heavy right foot!

 

I had a fuel meter on my last car and coming down a gear at lower speeds was way more fuel efficient. Not very rock and roll, but what do you expect from a Volvo driver! At least I don't wear a hat, well, not yet!!

[ambient]

Is this related to imposter syndrome, where we don’t believe we’re good enough for whatever it is we’re doing?

[neepheid]

5 minutes ago, ambient said:

Is this related to imposter syndrome, where we don’t believe we’re good enough for whatever it is we’re doing?

 

Yup.  Sucks.

[Mokl]

2 hours ago, Rayman said:

I’ve been driving bangers for the last few years. Started a new job in November which came with a BMW. I honestly feel like a total fraud AND that everyone is looking at me thinking “knob”, just like I used to.

 

 I reckon if I turned up to a gig with a 5k bass, instead of my usual £200 beaters, I’d get the same reaction 😆

 

This assumes that enough people in the audience would know the value of your £5k bass and associate knobbery with it? 😉 Surely amongst the general populace ( not the insular and, let's be honest,  niche world of basschat) a Fender would be the most identifiable bass? Hmmm I wonder what the audience think of me when I put on my Jazz Bass?! Probably "what a knob", but to be fair I get that whatever I'm playing 😉

[EssentialTension]

24 minutes ago, Mokl said:

 

This assumes that enough people in the audience would know the value of your £5k bass and associate knobbery with it? 😉 Surely amongst the general populace ( not the insular and, let's be honest,  niche world of basschat) a Fender would be the most identifiable bass? ...

 

Most people don't even know it's a bass guitar.

 

Anything with strings my father called a banjo and anything you blew into he called a trumpet.

Edited February 9, 2022 by EssentialTension

[jazzyvee]

On 07/02/2022 at 09:33, Boodang said:

The bass I drag out for our Status Quo tribute band gigs down the Dog & Duck.

Looks fine with Phil Lesh
https://ritter-instruments.com/artist-series-phil-lesh.php

[chris_b]

That's a bit like Dali's melting clocks.

 

I can see the attraction for an LSD frame of mind.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

On 08/02/2022 at 11:31, Boodang said:

Just because a bassoon is expensive doesn't mean the price of a Fedora is justified. I can see how an acoustic instrument could be expensive but I'm at a loss, given the materials used, to see where the money on a solid bodied bass guitar is spent when they're pushing the prices that Fedora charge. Am I offended? Only mildly as people will pay what they are willing. Is it Fedora value for money, in terms of what it cost to make I very much doubt it, in terms of what it brings to the person who bought... well, if they love it then yeah.

Incidentally I'd love to know how much it costs for Fedora to make one of their instruments. The £12k bass in the SBL video, what do we reckon? 2 to 3 k tops? If that, it is a solid body after all. That's a 9 to 10k profit, quite a mark up!

 

On 08/02/2022 at 12:23, Boodang said:

That's interesting and, in a way, good to know. Who would have thought being based in NYC and paying a decent wage (good for them) could push the price up so much. That makes the price more palatable, in fact 10% is not much of a profit. I've got more respect for Fedora now, I take it all back!

 

FO-DE-RA

 

The other one is a hat.

[Misdee]

The thing about Fodera basses is they are meticulously crafted to the highest possible standard. From that perspective, in my opinion they are worth the asking price.  In terms of craftsmanship and quality they are up there with the best that money can buy. If they are your cup of tea then whatever level your playing is at, buying one could be a very canny lifetime investment. But in other ways they don't seem that special to me.

 

My own personal reservation about them is that most (not all,I hasten to add) of them that I have played or heard others play have a fairly generic exotic wood boutique bass sound. There is.nothing really unique about the tone . The only bass players I have heard get a good tone out of a Fodera are Anthony Jackson and Lincoln Goines. And maybe Richard Bona. But they all got a great tone out of a Fender.

 

Alembic basses have a distinct signature sound, as do Wal basses. It's no coincidence that both those brands rely on their own proprietary pickups and electronics. Fodera by comparison lack a distinct sonic identity, for my taste anyway. To me, lots of basses sound like a Fodera. I much prefer the sound of many far less expensive basses. 

 

[40hz]

5 minutes ago, Misdee said:

The thing about Fodera basses is they are meticulously crafted to the highest possible standard. From that perspective, in my opinion they are worth the asking price.  In terms of craftsmanship and quality they are up there with the best that money can buy. If they are your cup of tea then whatever level your playing is at, buying one could be a very canny lifetime investment. But in other ways they don't seem that special to me.

 

My own personal reservation about them is that most (not all,I hasten to add) of them that I have played or heard others play have a fairly generic exotic wood boutique bass sound. There is.nothing really unique about the tone . The only bass players I have heard get a good tone out of a Fodera are Anthony Jackson and Lincoln Goines. And maybe Richard Bona. But they all got a great tone out of a Fender.

 

Alembic basses have a distinct signature sound, as do Wal basses. It's no coincidence that both those brands rely on their own proprietary pickups and electronics. Fodera by comparison lack a distinct sonic identity, for my taste anyway. To me, lots of basses sound like a Fodera. I much prefer the sound of many far less expensive basses. 

 

Completely agree. This is my problem with a lot of boutique instruments.  I'm considering one myself soon, so have been really looking into the signature tones they give. I like a bass with an identity, sound-wise, and many boutique instruments/brands are very neutral and fairly bland sounding.

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

 

FO-DE-RA

 

The other one is a hat.

 

Bloody expensive hats, way out of my league.

[EssentialTension]

One day, many decades ago, in maybe 1980, I was walking down the street wearing a grey trilby.

 

A man stopped me and said 'Why did you buy a hat like that when instead you could have spent your money on drugs?'

[4000]

3 hours ago, EssentialTension said:

 

Most people don't even know it's a bass guitar.

 

 

This is very true.
 

Even where they do, of all the many basses I’ve played live, only my Rics are consistently recognised/commented on, subsequent discussions showing usually due to Macca/Lemmy/Bruce Foxton playing them (strangely never Geddy or Chris). Someone once asked if my Warwick Dolphin was an Alembic. Nobody ever said anything about my actual Alembics, or the Wals, Seis, Fenders, Statii, etc etc. I’m sure hardly anyone would have a clue what a Fodera was, other than (almost) a hat. 😉