Exclusive distribution for Spain.
Fodera 2021 Anniversary Monarch Elite 5
This particular model has been designed and built to celebrate Fodera's 38th Anniversary in the bass industry. The first Fodera bass was created in 1983 and it was a Monarch model that's been used by bass extraordinaire Victor Wooten ever since. Later on other models were introduced such as the Emperor, Imperial, ect., always following butterfly species names.
If you are a bass freak like us, you probably remember those super cool Fodera Monarch basses from the 80's that sported a cool Zebrawood top. These have become really collectable instruments so for this special anniversary Fodera decided to create a limited amount of basses that not only wood look similar but that actually use tops from the same batch of wood from the 80's that's been at the Fodera exotic wood shop ever since. We have visited that special part of the shop a few times and we could literally live there!
These are some of the cool specs of these basses:
Walnut body (hollowed out to reduce weight)
Alder Tone Block
3 piece hardrock maple
Gorgeous zebrawood top from the 80's
Pau Ferro fingerboard
Tulip inlays
Matching headstock
Black hardware
Neck thru construction (Elite model)
As you would expect from any Fodera bass, ergonomics and comfort are at the top of their list. Sure, these are gorgeous basses to look at and they sound terrific, but Fodera guitars believe that only an ultracomfortable and easy to play bass is the way to make you a better player.
With that in mind, this 2021 Anniversary Monarch 5 uses a traditional 34" scale along with 47mm nut and 19mm string spacing at the bridge. These are really perfect dimensions as it is not a cumbersome bass but neither one with a crumped feeling when playing. Just think of any bassline or technique and this bass will make it easier for you to play it, simple as that.
The low B is fantastic. Strong, loud and defined but also perfectly integrated with the rest of the strings.
This bass weighs in at 4.6kg. Many Fodera basses pass the 5kg thershold and while they sound fantastic, such weight can be a real problem for some players. That's why we custom ordered this bass with a hollowed out body to keep weight under control. It is still not the lightest bass around, but balance is extraordinaire so all you need is a nice strap and you'll be in heaven, believe us.
A set of splittable Fodera/Duncan pickups located at the traditional Jazz Bass locations really capture all the nuances of this instrument and prove to be a winner combo. In single coil you actually get a very traditional and recognizable Jazz Bass sound (pretty amazing considering this is a 5 string 24 fret bass). Switch to humbucker mode and you get a more modern type of sound that also works great for soloing (Matt Garrison style).
Passive mode is already incredible and there's a chance you might play the bass in that mode a lot. Apart from that the Active mode works jsut great with 3 very musical bands that really add to the sound.
To sum up: if you've been looking for THE 5 string bass, this might well be it, believe us. It has it all: comfort, playability, sound, consistency and looks. Oh yes, and it is also a collector's piece that will hold its value for many years to come.