Fodera Emperor J Classic £3579
Fodera’s entry point is everyone else’s ‘bells and whistles’ region, so what happens when Mike Brooks investigates this affordable-but-expensive single-coiler?
You have to hand it to the team at Fodera; even with their famously high pricetags, their instruments have never been more visible and prevalent. On the rare occasion that Fodera owners sell their prized possession, it’s often simply because they’re upgrading to a pricier version of the same brand. Of course, notable endorsees such as Victor Wooten have done much to bring the brand to widespread recognition, but it’s something of a surprise to see an instrument such as this, essentially a passive Jazz bass, under the Fodera moniker and at “only” £3500 or so.
Build Quality
Cast your eye from top to bottom. The trademark headstock shape remains, as does the butterfly graphic (although the mother-ofpearl inlay is absent). Chrome hardware has been used throughout, with Fodera machine heads, a brass nut and a Fodera bridge that facilitates action, intonation and string spacing adjustments. String spacing is set at 20mm on this example.
The three-tone sunburst alder body is finished in a gloss lacquer, with the timber grain showing through, while the three-piece maple neck has had a satin lacquer applied, providing a sleek finish. The traditional vibe is completed with a tortoiseshell scratchplate and the deep lower cutaway offers perfect access to the upper regions of the 22-fret pau ferro fingerboard. Front and rear contours offer the player some additional comfort.
At the point of attachment, the fourbolt neck joint is sculpted for improved playability, while the neck pocket is tight and secure with no visible gaps – as you would expect of an instrument of this calibre. Truss rod access is accomplished at the base of the neck. The instrument’s setup and finishing are near perfect; the G string is a little high and there is some headstock bias, but the neck profile, nut width and string tension make for an almost effortless level of comfort and playability. The control set is simple (volume, volume, tone) and all three pots are tightly secured and operate smoothly. The same can be said of the machine heads. White position markers have been used on the front and side of the neck and recessed strap locks are pre-installed.
Sounds And Playability
The alder, maple and pau ferro combination give this bass a fairly flat response – and although there is evidence of a natural spring to the instrument’s natural unplugged character, it would seem that the sum of the parts is geared towards how the bass sounds when plugged in. Without any active circuitry to call upon, the Seymour Duncan singlecoils obviously have a fair degree of ground to cover.
Plugged in, the pickups provide the signature tones you would expect; they certainly don’t lack punch or clarity. The bottom end is full and forthright with a warm but detailed response, so whether you prefer to play over the bridge or neck pickup, or at a sweet spot somewhere in between, the bass produces a full and pleasing tone. As you would expect, the bridge pickup offers up a lot of midrange honk, and opening up the tone control gives the tone a notable bark with some additional grit. The tone control operates across the whole turn, although the volume controls only provide a noticeable change in output across the last two-thirds of their respective turn.
The bass is certainly playable, and in terms of comfort it fares very well – but you do begin to question if it has the wow factor that you expect at this price. Sure, it’s a very good instrument, but it’s not an exceptional one. I wanted to be blown away, and I was not.
Conclusion
Quality doesn’t come cheap, and this is a fine instrument, it has to be said. Whether it has enough to entice those with a casual interest in the name, compared to the already converted, we will have to see. At a snip under £3600, it faces major competition. The upside to all this is that Fodera basses are now more attainable – and that can only be a good thing.