One-of-a-kind Bass Topped with Redwood Burl
Have you ever seen redwood burl like this before? It's positively breathtaking! It's details like this that make Fodera basses among the most coveted instruments on the market, and it certainly makes this custom Imperial 5 Matthew Garrison model the exquisite instrument that it is. Stunning good looks are only the beginning. With its neck-through design and its Elite series heel, the Imperial 5 Matthew Garrison's 3-piece hard rock maple neck delivers the perfect combination of punch, sustain, and playing comfort. Top it off with Fodera's legendary combination of custom Seymour Duncan Dual Coil pickups and a Fodera x Trickfish preamp, and you have one of the finest basses Sweetwater has ever offered.
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It simply doesn't get better than these tonewoods
Expect lively, punchy tone and a tight, articulate low end from the Imperial 5 Matthew Garrison bass. If you're a slapper, a tapper, or a chordal player, you'll appreciate this instrument's sonic definition and expressive range. And exceptional sonics come along with premium feel and looks — the highly figured redwood burl top features ergonomic contouring, along with an ebony ramp for faster and more comfortable hand positioning. At the core, there's a finely contoured, medium-weight ash body, which forms the wings on either side of the substantial hard rock maple neck running all the way through the body.
3-piece maple neck includes Fodera's Elite carve
If you like to cover a lot of ground when you play, then you'll be blown away by this Imperial 5 Matthew Garrison model's neck. It features Fodera's phenomenal Elite series neck carve, which lets you effortlessly access upper frets. The neck itself is a gorgeous 3-piece hard rock maple neck-through design, which delivers plenty of punch and ample sustain. There's also nothing quite like the smooth and forgiving feel of a fine ebony fingerboard. Clearly, Fodera built this neck for serious bass players.
Top-shelf Duncan pickups deliver warm passive tone
The Imperial 5 Matthew Garrison contains a pair of Dual Coil pickups designed via a collaboration with Fodera and Seymour Duncan. They're built with passive dual coils, which integrate with the natural qualities of the tonewoods to produce added punch on the low end, focused mids, and smooth highs. It's a beautifully warm and organic sound, and while the pickups are wired in parallel for noise-free performance, you'd swear the Imperial 5 Matthew Garrison was loaded with single coils.
Fodera's Imperial — the FIRST single-cutaway bass
Marrying playability with a modern, forward-thinking aesthetic, the Imperial body shape's origins date back to the original Anthony Jackson Presentation. Built in 1989, this instrument was actually the industry's FIRST single-cutaway bass guitar, and it sparked a lot of interest. As the model was refined, it became more streamlined and compact. When the design was perfected, it was dubbed the Imperial. Today, players all around the world swear by the Imperial — its single-cut, neck-through-body design offers superior stability and sustain. The retention of the wood on the upper portion of its body allows the lower horn to be carved thinner and deeper. This deep cut allows for easy access to the upper register, while maintaining a balanced feel. Is it any wonder why the Imperial is Fodera's most popular body style? Ask anyone who's played one — these basses are incredible!
Craft your signature voice with the Fodera x Trickfish preamp
The Fodera x Trickfish preamp is an enhanced iteration of Fodera’s onboard preamp, developed in collaboration with the renowned tone experts at Trickfish Amplification. This exceptional preamp offers unrivaled performance, featuring a lower noise floor and extended battery life compared to previous models. It’s compatible with both active and passive pickups, and it operates in both Active and Passive modes. Additionally, it features a passive Tone knob that functions in both modes, along with a shapeable active EQ. The Fodera x Trickfish preamp also allows for deep configuration via internal dip switches, enabling you to easily adjust the preamp’s overall output gain, the frequency sweep of its passive Tone control, its lowpass and highpass filters, and the frequency center of its active Midrange tone control — no soldering or additional circuit jumpers required. With the Fodera x Trickfish preamp, dialing in your signature sound is moments away.
Fodera: superior playability, tone, and build quality
Established in 1983 by custom luthier Vinny Fodera and pro bassist Joey Lauricella, Fodera enjoys a reputation as the Ferrari of boutique basses. Fodera basses give you the superior playability, sonics, and build quality of the custom models played by bass legends such as Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, and Oteil Burbridge — in a more affordable axe. Handcrafted in the US with the same materials by the same top luthiers, Fodera “production” instruments offer no options, allowing them to be built in small runs instead of one-offs, thus holding down the cost. Play a Fodera and take a step up to boutique quality. You’ve arrived.
Fodera Imperial 5 Matthew Garrison Features:
- A handcrafted 5-string bass built to Fodera's top standards just for Sweetwater
- Built by top luthiers using the same materials found in Fodera's custom models
- Medium-weight ash body with redwood burl looks as amazing as it plays
- 3-piece hard rock maple neck balances punch and sustain perfectly
- Elite neck heel delivers ideal access to the uppermost frets for dynamic playing
- Smooth ebony fretboard tops a comfortable standard Fodera neck carve
- Fodera/Seymour Duncan Dual Coil passive pickups deliver warm, full-bodied tone
- Fodera x Trickfish active preamp
