The luthier currently offers six base models, all boasting inspiration from the classic designs of the past century while incorporating D’Agostino’s ideas and the invaluable experience he acquired while apprenticing at Hamer.
“Persevere and perfect detail work. Think out your designs and trust your gut.” These are the words of advice Todd D’Agostino would give a budding luthier today. Though he might sound like a 40-year veteran of guitar building, it wasn’t that long ago the luthier was doing something else altogether.
As an electrician in New England, D’Agostino grew tired of the cycle of getting laid off and rehired in a wildly fluctuating construction industry. He wanted something stable that would keep him busy 40 hours a week, year-round, and something inside so he’d no longer have to deal with the “wicked cold” winters in the Northeast.
In 2000, D’Agostino was perusing a local periodical when he came across a job posting that read, “Like Guitars? Like to Work with Wood?” He’d played the guitar since age 10, and was mechanically inclined with his hands, so the opportunity certainly sounded interesting. After interviewing for the open position with Hamer Guitars in New Hartford, Connecticut, D’Agostino was hired by (PG columnist) Jol Dantzig to join the crew.
Though he didn’t set out to be a luthier, D’Agostino believes it was a calling of sorts and he quickly caught the guitar-builder bug. It was only a year later that he started LaRose Guitars as a side project while still working at Hamer. “I laid down my roots the first two years and my interest in the craft went through the roof,” says D’Agostino. “I’d come home from Hamer and research, seek out vendors, buy woods, and build. I recollect routing some of my first guitars in the hallway of my small one-bedroom loft apartment—it took weeks to get the dust cleaned up!” Adds D’Agostino, “The point is that I couldn’t not build. I was a bit out of control in a great way.”
D’Agostino left Hamer in 2005 to build on his own in the shop he opened in Farmington, Connecticut, and then later moved the operation to Tyler, Texas, in 2008. Since then, he’s been running LaRose Guitars out of Tyler where he handles all the building, finishing, and the business logistics, while managing a staff of three others who assist with research and development, electronics, and setups. The luthier currently offers six base models, all boasting inspiration from the classic designs of the past century while incorporating D’Agostino’s ideas and the invaluable experience he acquired while apprenticing at Hamer. “Jol Dantzig and Michael Shishkov shared a world of knowledge and skill that truly helped fuel my desire to branch out on my own,” says D’Agostino.
Like most luthiers, D’Agostino has a serious passion for beautiful woods. “I find great satisfaction in discovering an amazing piece and imagining the instrument I could create out of it.” He offers a number of wood options, but his favorites to work with are Brazilian rosewood, Madagascar rosewood, white limba, and curly movingui.
When it comes to electronics, D’Agostino is a champion for a particular pickup company although other pickups can be and do get requested. “Lollar is the standard,” he says. “You just can’t go wrong with them. When working with the quality of woods I work with, Lollars just let the wood sing and allow the true voice of our instruments to be heard.”
After two years of research and development to find a chambering design, neck, and electronic placement that would create a unique voice all its own, the 1 Ton Hollow Boy is the model D’Agostino considers to be his signature. But the luthier approaches all of his instruments uniquely. “Tonally, they have characteristics that we’re used to, but that surpass and stand alone in the sonic spectrum,” he says. “And aesthetically, they have a familiar yet different look, but not too far from the norm—just enough to make you say, ‘wow.’”
Pricing and Availability
LaRose Guitars builds approximately 50
guitars annually, with plans for expansion.
Direct sales make up about 95 percent of
orders, the dealers order for customers on
occasion. The wait time for both custom
and standard models is currently five to
six months. Prices range from $2,500
to $8,000, with most models falling in
between $4,000 to $6,000.
larose-guitars.com
Classic 6 Jr. DC
This 25"-scale Classic 6 Jr. DC features a
double-cutaway body carved from white limba
that’s topped with highly figured curly redwood.
Also using the optional white limba for the neck,
it’s capped with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard
adorned with mother-of-pearl inlay work. Other
appointments include the ivoroid headstock
veneer, ivoroid body binding, and the Bigsby
B5 vibrato. For electronics, this Classic 6 Jr. DC
is outfitted with tortoise-inlaid Lollars, with an
SCFH in the bridge and a 5-percent underwound
SCFH in the neck.
Classic 6 Jr. SC
The SC version of D’Agostino’s Classic 6 Jr.
model comes standard with a curly maple top
but is shown here with gorgeous, quilted sapele
atop a white limba body. Loaded up with a pair
of optional Lollar P-90 pickups, other options on
this particular SC include the ebony fretboard,
white limba neck, gold hardware, neck and
headstock binding, and a Bigsby B5.
1 Ton Hollow Boy
It’s easy to see why D’Agostino calls the 1 Ton
Hollow Boy his signature model. This ’Boy
boasts an optional Brazilian rosewood top on a
hollow, white limba body, and features Brazilian
for the neck and fretboard, which is adorned
with turquoise marker dots. With a Lollar
J-Street single-coil resting in the Joe Barden
vintage-style bridge, this 25.5"-scale classic-looking
axe is outfitted with a 5-percent underwound
Lollar P-90 in the neck position.
Thin 6
The distressed mint-green finish on the swamp
ash, ivoroid-bound body of this Thin 6 gives it
the look of a guitar that’s already seen its share
of action over a few decades. With matching
finish on the headstock, the rock-maple neck is
capped with a Madagascar rosewood fretboard
that’s kissed with mother-of-pearl dots. For
electronics, this Thin 6 model houses a trio of
Lollars with a Special T in the bridge, a Vintage
T in the neck and a Vintage Blonde Strat-style in
the middle position.
Classic Jazz
D’Agostino’s Classic Jazz is a spec-on nod to
a vintage Jazzmaster and the worn-blue-jean
distressed finish of this particular piece is
decorated with hand-drawn graphics from artist/
musician Sherri Dupree Bemis. Loaded up with
Lollar Jazzmaster-style pickups in both the neck
and bridge, other appointments on this classic-looking
machine include the roller bridge from
Schaller and TonePros Kluson tuners.
Classic 6
The Classic 6 (offered in both SC and DC versions)
is the only carved-top instrument made by
D’Agostino, and this double-cutaway Classic 6
features superior-grade quilted maple for its eye-catching
topside. The Madagascar rosewood
neck is topped with an abalone dot-adorned
fretboard carved from Brazilian rosewood. With
optional Brazilian rosewood inlay capping the
pair of Lollar humbuckers, the Classic 6 model
comes standard with an Imperial in the neck and
a High Wind Imperial in the bridge. For acoustic
tones, this Classic 6 is also outfitted with an
optional ghost piezo system from Graph Tech.
The wide neck and contour-less body of the Teye La Gitana might not appeal to every bassist, but its warm tonal palette and beautiful looks will likely please a number of players.
Teye—the man who builds intricate guitars and basses that bear his name on their headstocks—is like so many of us: He’s a musician obsessed with finding the perfect instrument. From ornately etched aluminum plates to extravagant inlay work, the striking looks of a Teye (pronounced “tie-ya”) guitar or bass will please any musician who appreciates the combination of art and lutherie. One such instrument, the new R-Series La Gitana bass, is one of the more visually subdued examples of his still exquisite bass offerings.
Practical Elegance
With a body carved in a familiar style, one
can easily see the influences in Teye’s La
Gitana bass. The mildly figured mahogany
body is topped with a padauk top that beautifully
frames the ornamentation, hardware,
and pickups. More than a third of the back
of the La Gitana is covered by an aluminum
plate in a shape that could be described as a
mix between a psychedelic f-hole and a scimitar
blade. With the exception of the tuners,
the La Gitana’s hardware is proprietary and
melds function and form, furthering Teye’s
aesthetic vision and providing a durable
alternative to aftermarket parts.
The Nordstrand Music Man-style humbuckers unsurprisingly provide tones that veer toward StingRay territory. The functions of the La Gitana’s control knobs seem conventional at first glance, with the first two dials being volumes, and the back knob being a master tone. But the third knob flips the traditional formula with what Teye calls the mood knob. It shapes the frequencies to emulate the characteristics of popular bass tones. According to Teye, dialing mood fully clockwise delivers the punch of a StingRay, rolling it all the way back achieves the smoothness of a Jazz bass, and settings closer to the center position enhance either sound with extra lows.
The La Gitana’s neck has a few surprises for the eyes and the hands. With a 1 3/4" nut, it’s one of the widest-feeling 4-string necks on the market. It’s constructed of walnut, a wood used most often for stringers or neck laminates, but rarely for the entire neck. A bound ebony fretboard acts as a backdrop for the mother-of-pearl inlays. And we’d be remiss to not mention the headstock, which boasts a deftly designed aluminum top and a sexy, leaf-like truss-rod cover.
The La Gitana’s nearly 10-pound body isn’t surprising—mahogany and walnut generally yield a heavier instrument. But it’s nicely balanced. It held its position at multiple playing angles, whether I was sitting or standing. The beefy strap buttons work extremely well, providing nearly straplock-quality support and security. And the proprietary hardware is both beautiful and functional—from the thick, smooth knobs to the decorative bridge and tailpiece. While my personal preference leans towards individual saddle-height adjusters, those who prefer Gibson-esque bridges will appreciate Teye’s improvements on the design. With all of this customized hardware, it’s interesting that Teye opted for Hipshot tuners that did not perform very smoothly on our review bass. In fact, two of the tuners felt too tight, almost to the point of immobility.
Jugando La Gitana
The La Gitana’s body has very little contour
in the area near your picking hand’s
forearm, so players who prefer wearing the
bass higher may find it somewhat uncomfortable.
Further, as a bassist who normally
gravitates to tapered Jazz-style necks, I
found the La Gitana’s wide neck required
slight adjustments to hand positioning. A
bassist with a foundation in double-bass
technique or an electric player with a proficient
left hand will most likely find the La
Gitana’s neck a nice fit. After getting used
to the size, it felt quite comfortable, and the
satin finish facilitated smooth transitions up
and down the neck.
Ratings
Pros:
Elegantly unique aesthetics. Impressive array of
tones—from powerfully punchy to warm and expressive.
Cons:
Expensive. Somewhat heavy. Not as ergonomic or
comfortable as some might hope.
Tones:
Playability:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$4,400
Teye
teye-guitars.com
The Teye Guitars website lists some of the builder’s “bitchings”— prevalent guitar designs he deems less than favorable. Towards the top of the list is a gripe about difficult-to-reach upper frets. Ironically, this was actually a concern I had with the La Gitana: The conservative cutaway required significant stretching and hand repositioning for access.
Acoustically, the La Gitana’s voice has a resonant, warm timbre that highlights the astutely selected woods and hardware. The unorthodox back-to-back positioning of the Nordstrand pickups—combined with Teye’s unique, passive circuitry—produces a wide variety of tones that are practical for many styles of music. Plugged into a Phil Jones D-600 head and a Glockenklang 112 cab, the La Gitana delivered woody walking bass lines when soloing the neck pickup and rolling the mood knob almost all the way back. Though it didn’t necessarily replace the sound of an upright bass, this setting worked very nicely with a jazz quartet. For Latin tunes, a roll of the mood knob to its noon position pumped enough lows to create a deep, beefy tone that was perfect for samba, Son, or bossa nova. Soloing the bridge pickup and rolling mood knob fully clockwise transformed the bass into a punchy, crunchy monster. Though its looks probably won’t call out to many slap traditionalists, the La Gitana has plenty of space available near the fretboard for complicated thumping and popping. And while it may not quite capture a genuine Jazz-bass vibe, if your preferred bass tone is on the warmer end of the spectrum, Teye’s La Gitana may really work for you.
The Verdict
At $4,400, the Teye R-Series La Gitana
commands a hefty sum and puts itself in
some stiff competition in the high-end bass
arena. Its wide neck and contour-less body
won’t appeal to some players, but its warm
tonal palette and beautiful looks will likely
please a number of others—from professionals
to weekend warriors. After decades
of performing, building, and absolute
dedication to stringed instruments, Teye
has discovered the formula that works for
him—perhaps it will work for you, too.
Shrewd bargaining, a little white lie, and a series of serendipitous connections paved the way for Vinny Fodera to rub shoulders with some of the most esteemed bass builders in the business. When he’d learned all he could from his mentors, he set out on his own and ended up being the luthier of choice for iconic players like Victor Wooten, Oteil Burbridge, and Anthony Jackson.
Just across the water from the Statue of Liberty and the picturesque Manhattan skyline sits an anonymous-looking warehouse where some of the most prestigious basses in the world are crafted by hand. At 6,000 square feet, it's a massive step up from the 1,000-square-foot shop on Avenue O where Fodera Guitars was born way back in 1983, but it does have its drawbacks.
“[Super storm] Sandy hit us hard up here, but luckily everyone in our factory and their families are okay," says Fodera partner Jason DeSalvo. “We just started production again after a week without power. Now we have power, but no heat—it's 36 degrees outside, 38 degrees inside!"
But neither temperatures nor economic worries have seemed to slow Fodera. Here, the priority is art over money, craftsmanship over numbers, and tone before anything else. Founders Vinny Fodera and Joey Lauricella have approached things that way since they met. Although they've been building custom guitars and basses for 30 years now (they also do small production batches), they're primarily known for their rumble machines. And for many iconic bassists—including Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Janek Gwizdala, and Oteil Burbridge—Fodera 4-, 5-, and 6-strings are the bass to own.
Bright Lights, Big City
“My life has been a series of these flash
moments," says Fodera. “[When I was a kid],
the Beatles on Ed Sullivan hit me like a ton
of bricks and introduced me to rock 'n' roll.
A couple of years later, I saw a neighborhood
kid sitting on his front stoop, strumming a
red electric guitar. This thing was so cool.
When I held it, something clicked, and I had
to have it. Even though he just bought it for
$15, I convinced him to sell it to me for $20."
Fast-forward to 1975, when Fodera took a part-time job as a stock runner back in the days when physical stock-market tickets were delivered around lower Manhattan. While on one of those stocks runs, Fodera noticed a flier for a 12-week class on classical-guitar construction. It was another light switch moment. Not long after walking into the class, he knew crafting guitars was what he wanted to do.
“I think I was the only student who really took the class seriously," he says. Instructor Thomas Humphrey—who later built the Millennium guitar that's now licensed to C.F. Martin & Co. — could tell the young Fodera showed genuine interest, because he was the one who stayed after class and asked a hundred questions. Humphrey quickly took a liking to the aspiring craftsman, who would come to his shop after hours and on the weekends, becoming more and more enthralled in the guitar-making process.
In yet another twist of fate, one of Fodera's school classmates had a friend who'd just opened a small guitar shop in Brooklyn. Knowing of Fodera's new-found passion, the classmate introduced him to the owner—who happened to be the innovative and highly influential bass builder Stuart Spector. After taking a tour of the shop, the young (and very nervous) Fodera humbly asked Spector for a job doing anything—sweeping, toilet cleaning … whatever. Two weeks later, Spector called and asked if he knew how to cut mother-of-pearl for headstock logos. Though he had no experience with it, Fodera didn't hesitate. “Absolutely," he replied. He then asked Spector to cut one so he could observe the process. The astute future luthier landed the gig, and the part-time work soon moved into full-time production. Thus began his bass-building career.
Spector's shop was part of a woodworking co-op made up of fledgling furniture designers and craftsmen. Astonishingly, under one single roof were such bass luminaries as Spector, Ken Smith, Fodera, and a young furniture designer named Ned Steinberger, who eventually designed one of the most unique basses of the last 40 years. In a short time, Fodera became the primary builder at Spector, making basses for the likes of Jack Bruce and Gene Simmons. Eventually, Spector had an offer to work for Ken Smith, and though it was a difficult decision he did make the move. He crafted about 100 basses for Smith.
At the same time, Joey Lauricella, a professional local bassist and sales rep, saw someone come out of the anonymous shop with a gig bag. Out of curiosity, Varicella popped in, introduced himself, and became friends with Fodera. In the process, he discovered that the Ken Smith basses he'd been selling were made in that very neighborhood. Lauricella convinced his new friend to partner up, and before long they made a deal with Smith to build basses in exchange for eventual ownership of the tiny Avenue O shop. Fodera Guitars had spread its wings.
The Buckeye Burl Monarch 4 Deluxe
The Lowdown
Today, Fodera is known worldwide as a
premier builder of fine basses considered
Holy Grails to a lot of discerning players.
Although the prices—$4,750–$20,000—may
initially raise eyebrows, many happily pony
up the cash for what they consider to be the
best basses they've ever held. Each custom
instrument is handmade and tailored to the
customer in every way, down to playing style
and technique. The intense building process
assures that the bass is as individual as the
player, and as masterful as a piece of rare art.
There's no secret formula to building the basses,
but Fodera says every nuance—from wood
to electronics and hardware—is pored over.
Naturally, the luthier's products have evolved over the years. In fact, Fodera's first project was a 6-string guitar. He and Lauricella built Fodera #1 as a custom order for a friend. It was loaded with intricate inlays and featured a body with flamed and bird's-eye maple. In retrospect, Fodera says he would use different woods if he were to build that guitar again today, but experimentation and evolution have helped define his instruments over the years. Besides, that first guitar was more of a showpiece to drum up orders for the fledgling company. It turns out that lots of orders came in—but for basses, not guitars. There wasn't much of a boutique-guitar market then, so Fodera became known as a premier bass builder. Today, roughly five percent of guitars made by Fodera are 6-strings, but they're hoping to change that with the introduction of a guitar line at winter NAMM 2013.
Although Fodera has crafted more than 3,000 instruments, his most popular bass is the Monarch, which is based on Fodera #2—the bass that launched the company into folklore. Fodera recalls that the instrument was made of bird's-eye maple with an ebony fingerboard, and that it served as the basis for the Yin Yang bass (see the sidebar “The Yin and Yang of It All"). He now offers an extensive line of basses, split into the Standard and Custom series. Some feature more traditional lines like the Monarch and Emperor, and others resemble works of fine art, like the Imperial and Matt Garrison Signature, which feature a unique single-cut design that was originally intended to stabilize the neck on a 36"-scale bass. But though its origins were in function, not form, the modern appearance of that single-cut has attracted even more fans.
As far as electronics, pickups are chosen according to what will sound best for each instrument. For example, the Yin Yang Standard uses EMGs, while the Emperor and Monarch Standards use locally wound pickups. Custom Fodera basses use 99 percent EMG or Seymour Duncan pickups, as well as some Kent Armstrong and Nordstrand units. The preamp used in the Standard basses is a Mike Pope design that's based on his Flex Core technology. Hours of collaboration based on player feedback went into the Fodera-requested tweaks of the preamp.
Whether it's the Custom or Standard Series, the build process begins with wood selection. Every shipment brought in to Fodera is tap tested and kept in stock based on weight, look, grain pattern, and, most importantly, sound. Between 20 to 30 percent of wood is sent back, and the rest is stored for up to two years (depending on build orders) in the Brooklyn warehouse. From there, the mosaic composite is carefully constructed.
Necks, bodies, and fretboards are all tone drivers and are therefore carefully matched for tonal characteristics and aesthetics. Brighter woods are matched with warmer necks, and vice versa, to create tonally balanced basses. Although Fodera says they try to find the nicest pieces of wood for every build, once again, tone trumps all. In working with exotic materials, there is always the ethical question about its origin. The CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) agreement ensures that materials come from sustainable sources. While there will always be unscrupulous wood dealers who don't provide proper CITES credentials, Fodera is adamant about using sustainable resources and non-endangered hardwoods. But DeSalvo says the process of verifying this isn't always easy.
“The last batch of Brazilian rosewood that came in was a 19-month process from the first phone call to the actual shipment," he says.
Due Process
When someone places an order with
Fodera, they call the shots from start to
finish. An outline of the bass build is established.
After choosing a body style comes
wood selection, and the options are virtually
limitless. You can even come in to select
your own wood—some Fodera customers
have spent as much as 20 hours picking
through materials to find the perfect foundation
for their dream build.
LEFT: Anthony Jackson setting up a customer's
AJ Presentation.
RIGHT: Jackson's personal
Anthony Jackson Presentation.
Though spending an entire day sifting through the wood selection may seem excessive to some, it's not even close to the amount of time invested in the development of the Anthony Jackson Presentation, a $20,000 5-string contrabass dreamed of by the great jazz bassist when he was only 13. Fodera says this was the most involved bass build in the company's 29-year history, by far. Jackson spent literally hundreds of hours at the shop, refining and sculpting what would become his signature model. But he's not picky just about the actual instruments he uses himself: Whenever Jackson is available—and without compensation from Fodera—he comes in to personally set up each of the signature model basses being sold to clients.
But just how do you sell a $20,000 instrument? According to DeSalvo, it's not as hard as you may think. “Remember this is not a production instrument situation," he explains. More than 30 hours can go into a single bass, with some requiring 80-plus hours of labor. So despite selling basses that are as much as a decent car, Fodera isn't flush with cash. In fact, the business ethos at Fodera is not entirely intuitive—but that's because it's about the art and craft of luthiery, not business efficiency. The company could raise its profit margins and cut corners on construction to get more basses in the hands of more players, but Fodera refuses to sacrifice quality for profit. DeSalvo says the “wow" factor a customer gets when he/she plays a Fodera bass is more important than bottom line.
“We figured out that we were actually losing money on some of our models," DeSalvo says. “With materials and build times, it really was a difficult road in that we had these amazing instruments, and the business side of the operation was falling short. It's no secret that our customer service was not the best. Our build times were at the 39-month mark for a custom bass. That was tough. We had to get that number down to a reasonable amount of time and heal the reputation of the company." Since then the company has delegated office and customer-service duties away from the shop floor, and build time for a custom bass now hovers around 14 to 15 months.
Part of this move toward efficiency and sustainability the introduction of the Standard line, which consists of handbuilt instruments that are made in small batches with standard features and options. Fodera says this approach is a nice way to close the divide between mass production and custom builds. The several hundred instruments they produce a year positions them closer to “boutique" than “mass-produced." Of course, they would like to see sustained growth, but in a way where they can have enough skilled artisans coming up through the ranks to continue the rich building tradition. “It's funny, we don't worry about things like product mix or pushing demand or sales forces," says DeSalvo. “A lot of our time is spent assuring that our products can be made at this level after Vinny and Joey have stopped building."
The NYC Pipeline
Vinny Fodera's Brooklyn connection aside,
keeping the Fodera factory in NYC has
been vital to the company's growth, progress,
and development. There is obvious
sentiment attached to having always been
based there, but the real value is that New
York is a massive touring and entertainment
hub. “Not a week goes by where we don't
have a pro player come by," DeSalvo says.
“When they play in town or close to us,
they pop in and try some things, and we
listen to their feedback." Players have been
known to sit for hours in the shop, and
everyone at the factory welcomes it. Factory
tours aren't available, but with enough
notice, a bass player can come by the shop
to test new offerings.
It is this constant evolution that fuels Fodera's success. When it comes to ideas on design or build techniques, DeSalvo says every one of the 17 employees has a voice. Feedback from the aforementioned visitors isn't taken for granted, either. Luminaries such as Marcus Miller, Reggie Young, and Victor Wooten have given input that altered new models. “That's why we'll never move," says DeSalvo. “Sure, we could be in Pennsylvania for a lot less money, but we wouldn't have these crossroads that are invaluable to us."
Fodera prides itself on following instinct, not trends. The company has never been fashion conscious—it's more about making a difference than making a lot of instruments. Building a bass that helps bring out the best in a player is the primary focus. “People have asked us why we haven't built a factory and started making 50,000 basses a year," says Fodera. “But that's already being done. It's relatively easy to make tons of anything. Small batches are the hard part."
In all, it's a soul-stirring process for the luthier. “It's a full-circle type of thing for me, knowing that I've created something that will, in turn, inspire someone to create their art," he says. “That's extremely satisfying— that's why I do it."
Building a Fodera Bass
LEFT: Joey Lauricella handles the installation of all
electronics in Fodera basses. RIGHT: Vinny Fodera
carefully carves a bass body.
LEFT: (top) Vinny handcarving, (bottom) Working on a Standard neck. RIGHT: A quick check on the tuning.
TOP LEFT & RIGHT: Sanding
a bass body and neck. BOTTOM LEFT: Prepping a bass
body for the glue press.
LEFT: Using a pin router in preparation for inlaying
the Fodera Butterfly logo.
RIGHT: Reviewing
bass necks in their early stages.
LEFT: Spraying
a Yin Yang Deluxe. RIGHT: Every inside cavity is
handlined with copper foil in preparation for the
electronics.
LEFT: Vinny Fodera tightening clamps
on a newly glued headstock. MIDDLE: Vinny doing
some fine detail carving. RIGHT: Joey Lauricella
sanding a bass.
TOP: A Fodera employee assesses his
workbench as he prepares to wind strings. BOTTOM LEFT: Every Fodera string is handwound. BOTTOM RIGHT:
Fodera opened a small operation in a rural
Pennsylvania barn where all of its strings
are made.
No Strings Attached
Fodera has painstakingly crafted basses with every nuance in mind, and it makes sense that eventually they would get to winding strings as well. Although they were previously wound at the Fodera factory in New York City, each set of strings is now handwound by three talented string winders working in a discreet barn in rural Pennsylvania.
Rather than have a big factory make strings and put the Fodera label on them, the concept behind Fodera strings is congruent with everything they do: The goal is to make the best-sounding bass possible, regardless of the steps needed. Winding strings is just another piece of that puzzle. “If you look at our string business as a whole, as a separate economic entity, it makes no sense from a business standpoint to keep making our own strings," says Fodera partner Jason DeSalvo. “But until we can find other strings that we think complement our basses as well as ours, we'll keep doing it."
The roundcore strings are nickel-plated steel, but Fodera winders take the extra step of wrapping the entire string—not just the outermost wrap. But are they really that unique? “Other than attention to detail, using the finest materials, controlling the process ourselves, and making them by hand, no, there's nothing really unique," jokes DeSalvo.
1. Victor Wooten's
original Monarch
from 1983, nearly 30
years later.
2. Even the Standards
have the
trademark inlayed
Butterfly in the
headstock. 3. The
Yin Yang Standard.
4. The very first Yin
Yang Standard, first
announced at the
2011 Winter
NAMM Show.
The Yin and Yang of It All
The Wooten Connection
Arguably one of the most famous bass players associated with Fodera is Victor Wooten. His Monarch bass has become as popular in bass folklore as James Jamerson's Funk Machine or Marcus Miller's Jazz bass. It's Wooten's Monarch that's heard on the groundbreaking A Show of Hands, and he's rarely seen without a Fodera-crafted bass in his hands. His relationship with Fodera, however, started off as simply and serendipitously as the company's beginnings.
In 1983, a 19-year-old Wooten found himself in Bloomfield, New Jersey, at a recording session. The producer didn't like the sound of Wooten's bass, and, through another musician on the session, the upstart bass builder Vinny Fodera was contacted to bring in a new bass. Fodera showed up with two Monarchs, and after playing Fodera #37, Wooten was instantly attached.
It's a common misconception that Wooten has been on some sort of endorsement payroll ever since. But according to Fodera, Wooten never received any compensation from Fodera up until the introduction of the Yin Yang Standard. The relationship between player and builder goes much deeper. Some of the modifications to the bass—such as a lower string action and thinner neck—evolved directly from Wooten's techniques, and conversely, his style evolved around the instrument. This symbiosis has pushed both parties to do things that they might not have on their own. Wooten's Fodera #37 served as the inspiration for the 30th Anniversary Monarch— of which only five will be made. However, eventually the model will be the basis for the new Monarch Standard.
Wooten's jaw-dropping Yin Yang was born when the chops master simply asked for a yin-yang inlay on a bass. Fedora and Lauricella took the concept a step further and came up with a design that spread the symbol across the whole face of the instrument. When finally completed in 1995 and presented to Wooten, he (along with legions of his fans) was floored.
The Yin Yang features an alder Monarch body with two contrasting, seamlessly joined pieces of wood for the top, with the graceful curves flowing over onto the fingerboard. The initial Yin Yang was a fretless bass constructed of holly and ebony, which made for a striking contrast. Subsequent custom versions have been made with exotic woods such as purpleheart and pau amarillo.
Since its introduction, the Yin Yang has been Fodera's most-requested bass—which is sometimes a double-edged sword. Because it requires twice the labor of other basses, the Deluxe model is now limited to only six a year. But demand from Wooten fans remained, so he approached Fodera about making a more affordable production model Yin Yang. The Yin Yang Standard—which is part of the new small-batch production approach and features a catalyzed-paint yin-yang design rather than a sculpted wood top—offers the same handcrafted care as the custom models.