This is a really special bass for us. We've been the exclusive dealers for Fodera basses in Spain for some years now and have sold a number of really impressive basses. We've also visited their shop in Brooklyn several times so it was the right time for us to get a unique and exclusive Fodera bass that's only available from us. We also wanted it to be as affordable as possible without losing any of the specs that make this basses some of the most desired and sought after in the market.
The result is the new Fodera Doctorbass Standard 4 and it combines a lightweight alder body with a beautiful AAA flamed maple top and the attack and liveliness of a bolt on neck and an ebony fingerboard.
Fodera's ultra precise method of fretting plus a special tilt of the neck make it possible to achieve the lowest possible action without fretbuzz. Add a set of great Fodera 40-95 strings and you get one of the easiest basses to play out there. It is incredibly consistent up and down the neck and you can play with minimum effort all the techiques that you can think of, be it tapping, slap, chords, etc.
The sound is clean and clear. The whole frequency range is reproduced by this instrument. These are the same EMG pickups and Mike Pope preamp that are used on Victor Wooten's signature Fodera bass, so you can easily get an idea of the type of sound that comes out of this beauty. If you've heard Victor's bass you will know that the percussive character of EMG pickups is combined with some extra punch and body that is not present in some other basses using the same pickups. You get the same in this bass. Additionally if you trim down the Passive Tone a little bit you will enter a more traditional sonic territory, so this bass is more versatile that you might initially think it is.
To sum up: a lightweight bass that's amazingly comfortable to play and offers a wide range of great sounds with an unrivalled dynamic range, all in a beautiful package with an understated elegance and the best possible price.