Fodera is a renowned guitar and bass manufacturer based in Brooklyn, NY. The company (established by luthier Vinny Fodera 35 years ago) is expanding its product range with a new instrument, i. e. a bass guitar named Masterbuilt – Nautilus.
photo: Fodera
Inspired by the Nautilus shell, Masterbuilt – Nautilus utilizes Fodera’s Emperor II as a canvas for its circular pattern. The top is comprised of various woods such as Maple, Ebony, Quilted Mahogany, and Alder, inlayed into a solid Maple skeleton. To make sure that nothing disrupts the pattern, its single Fodera / Duncan Dual Coil pickup is camouflaged in the top by a top-matching wooden pickup cover that continues the lines of the shell pattern. Additionally, the instrument forgoes Fodera’s preamp and instead features passive electronics with matching wooden knobs.
While the electronics package serves an aesthetic purpose, it was also chosen to give the instrument a big and warm tone reminiscent of vintage early 60’s basses. To achieve this, the pickup is wired in series as opposed to the traditional Fodera parallel wiring, which is supposed to create for a bigger sound, and the pickup is placed close to the neck. With its Walnut body and Ebony board, the tone remains clear and smooth despite its lack of a second pickup and preamp. Rounding out the instrument is an Alder tone block and a flame Ebony fingerboard matched to a 5-pc Maple neck with Walnut stringers.
-
photo: Fodera
-
photo: Fodera
-
photo: Fodera
-
photo: Fodera
Body Woods
• Flame Walnut Body
• Alder Tone Block
Neck Woods
• Ebony Fingerboard
• 5-pc. Maple Neck w/ Walnut Stringers
Construction Specs
• Emperor II Shape
• Neck-through Construction
• 34″ Scale Length
• 5 String Configuration (19.0mm spacing)
• 24 Frets (large frets)
Electronics Options
• Passive Electronics
• Fodera / Duncan Dual Coil Pickup
• Vol / Tone Control Layout
