Exclusive distribution for Spain.
Fodera 2022 Anniversary Emperor Deluxe 5
This particular model has been designed and built to celebrate Fodera's 39th 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.
The Emperor model has always been one of the most accepted. The offset design reminds of a classic Jazz Bass and ergonomics are simply unbeatable.
As soon as Fodera guitars informed all their worldwide distributors about the chance of booking one of these basses they were sold out immediately. We were lucky enough to get one of these and here it is. Not only is it a great bass but also an incredible collector's piece.
These are some of the cool specs of this amazing bass.
Butternut body (lightweight and resonant)
3 piece hardrock maple
Gorgeous bobunga top
Ebony fingerboard with bubinga dots
Ebony/holly butterfly
Matching headstock
Black hardware
Dovetail construction (Elite model)
Fodera/Duncan pickups in Garrison spacing
Mike Pope 4 band EQ
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 2022 Anniversary Emperor 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 just 4.35kg. Many Fodera basses pass the 5kg thershold and while they sound fantastic, such weight can be a real problem for some players. Balance is also amazing with no neck diving issues.
A set of splittable Fodera/Duncan pickups 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).Talking about Garrison, the pickups are actually located at "Garrison spacing", meaning that the bridge pickup is actually between the 60's and 70's position. This makes for a perfect soloist type of sound when you use the bridge pickup alone as you get a great blend of bite and warmth. Amazing. Slap sound is also insane, of course.
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 just 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.