LeftyBassist.com

Wayman Tisdale's Fodera

http://cgi.ebay.com/FODERA-LEFT-HANDED- ... 566wt_1141

you just beat me to the line with this post.

I nearly pooped my drawers when I saw the ad. Ya don't get to see too many lefty Fodera's on evilBay. Gotta gree tho, I ain't got that kind of $$$ to spread around.

Super custom and tricked out woods...crazy fingerboard and fret markers. I imagine it was 13 to 14K price new like the listing says. He was a professional basketball player and really good jazz player and well respected who died in his prime from cancer. What a shame and from what I have heard one of the nicest men you could ever meet. I’m not sure if that alone adds value to the instrument or not but either way I hope his family will benefit from this in some way maybe. R.I.P. Wayan…I never heard a Fodera I liked but I guess that's why there is chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

Unless it can drive me to Anaheim in January, I'll pass.

I see it's back on the bay for $9,999, limited time price drop. Limited time until the next price drop I guess.

http://cgi.ebay.com/FODERA-LEFT-HANDED- ... 566wt_1141

That's getting closer into the range of what it's actually worth... as far as the "best of the best" of Foderas go, anyway.

Even if I had the coin, I wouldn't buy it... I've never tried one, but I think 36" scale is a little too ambitious for my very average-sized mitts.

Mr. Tisdale, however, had gigantic hands... so, I'm sure it was perfect for him.

I used to own a custom made 36 scale bass, it was incredibly hard to play due to the string tension and the length of the neck. It did sound as clear as a piano.

I have noticed Mr. Tysdale's bass career over the years, solid player and all around great person. I've read that he started playing bass at a young age in his father's church. I always understood that he played a lefty bass with the low string on the bottom, inverted I guess like Jimmy Haslip. The strings on this bass are oriented opposite of this, with the low "B" on top. I just checked a bunch of pics of Mr. Tydale on google and youtube. All his basses are strung inverted that I could determine. I offer this with no conclusions, just an observation.

The neck is pretty. I never could get used to the look of burl wood though. I always thought it looked cheap or like scrap wood.

I met WT at a NAMM show years ago... I saw this huge guy playing lefty and went up to talk to him and he was playing a ruby-red Masterbuilt Fender Jazz 6-string with maple neck and pearl blocks/binding.

I guess when you're in the NBA, you can afford cool shit like that.

But, yeah... He was REALLY nice and I was bummed when I noticed that he was playing with his strings inverted, because he offered to let me play it. I'm guessing that for this bass, it was switched back to "low B on top" to help facilitate an easier sale.

I wrote this guy that he should stop dreamning - even a guy called Wayman Tisdale (ok, he had a famous life but come on....) doesn't make a 15 year old Bass worth that money.

I guess 4000 dollars would be the maximum.

I don't think it's worth just $4,000, but I would say $8,000 is more realistic. Ordering that bass indeed will cost at least $12,000+ and a three year wait. And the fact that it's 15-years old don't take away any of the value. Foderas retain their value better than most brands. Check out the classifieds at Talkbass.com to see what Foderas go for. The problem with this bass is that it's lefty, it's a 6-string, it's 36"-scale, and it probably weighs at least 12 lb, oh and yes, it's $10,000. And finding a lefty collector that liked Wayman, likes a bass with these specs, and has this kind fo money can be a challange

Jules1 wrote:I wrote this guy that he should stop dreamning - even a guy called Wayman Tisdale (ok, he had a famous life but come on....) doesn't make a 15 year old Bass worth that money.

I guess 4000 dollars would be the maximum.

Lefty007 wrote:I don't think it's worth just $4,000, but I would say $8,000 is more realistic. Ordering that bass indeed will cost at least $12,000+ and a three year wait. And the fact that it's 15-years old don't take away any of the value. Foderas retain their value better than most brands. Check out the classifieds at Talkbass.com to see what Foderas go for. The problem with this bass is that it's lefty, it's a 6-string, it's 36"-scale, and it probably weighs at least 12 lb, oh and yes, it's $10,000. And finding a lefty collector that liked Wayman, likes a bass with these specs, and has this kind fo money can be a challange

Agreed!

Let's be patient LOL

I do have two Fodera (Emperor & Imperial elite);) so I know the Fodera price lost even a new Bass would have if you want to sell it.

You will loose at least 30% when you try to sell a new righty Fodera that you don't like. Example there was a guy who recived a brand new Imperial II some month ago - you know that it is around 12k with all the extra specs (buckeye top, hollow body, etc) - last month a friend of mine bought it for 6k

Or if I would try to sell my 2 year old Imperial I would get maybe 60% (if I'm lucky) from the payed price.

so for me this WT Bass is not worth more than 4k - without all that "hype" - the rest is a bubble.

I have no problems with the seller who likes to dream - but he will not sell it - believe me - even for 8k


p.s. : with their new manager who made their shop much more transparent the waiting time is at this time 18 month. So you can't scare anyone with the "waiting time 3 years..." anymore

Jules1 wrote:I have no problems with the seller who likes to dream - but he will not sell it - believe me - even for 8k

Yes, you do have a problem with it. Or else you wouldn't have wrote to the seller about it.

It was Wayman Tisdale's bass. The man passed at an early age and he was well loved and respected by many.

I'm not sure if his family is selling this bass, or if it's a reseller, but I wouldn't dare question the asking price unless I was seriously interested in it. I have too much respect for him and his family.

You took a thread that should be about a really nice bass (and perhaps a bit about the really nice and deceased owner) and made it about your knowledge of Foderas and their prices.

Good job.

Thanks

I just want to protect somebody from being ripped off.

If you got a problem with this - I don't care

I respect Jules opinion, and he sure knows a bit more about Foderas than I do. (I did have a Fodera once, and sold it within a year for exactly the same price I paid, and this was a 15-year old bass, which is now worth maybe 30% more than what I paid and sold it for).

Anyhow, we can argue all day long about the value of basses, like what's the actual value (materials and labor) and the perceived value (collectability, age, market demand, and celebrity ownership, for example).

I know that bass would be a really hard sale, regarless whether it's $10K or $4K, but I still think it's worth a lot more than $4K, both because of it's actual value, and because it's preceived value. But of course, everybody is free to have their own opinions.

I also think that contacting the seller just to tell him that he's "dreaming," is wrong, and well, a waste of your time, even if the seller actually is dreaming. Everybody has the right to sell their stuff at whatever price they want, and if you are not interested on the item, why even bother contacting the seller? And I believe that nobody actually considering this bass will be easily "ripped off."

If you ask me, somebody with money (maybe an old teammate or a producer) should buy this bass and put it at a high-profile auction, with the proceedings going to the American Cancer Society. I'm sure that's something that Wayman would have been pleased seeing.

Lefty007 wrote:If you ask me, somebody with money (maybe an old teammate or a producer) should buy this bass and put it at a high-profile auction, with the proceedings going to the American Cancer Society. I'm sure that's something that Wayman would have been pleased seeing.

I just saw that he has a foundation already. http://www.waymantisdale.org/index.html Great!

ok maybe I just got a little mad because there are not more than 20 leftys ever made (this is what Joey told me two years ago) - and now there's one for sale and it just belongs to somebody who plays it.

I'm no hater or have disrespect for WT.

But there are not many players that could afford it.....I'm sure a collector will not (!!) buy a lefty Bass with that specs - so as you said right - the specs of this Bass make it even harder to sell.

I guess an already used Fodera has a very stable value - so you could sell it for the same as you've bought it - what I said were my experiences with new basses I saw that were sold in their first year.

Jules1 wrote:I wrote this guy that he should stop dreamning - even a guy called Wayman Tisdale (ok, he had a famous life but come on....) doesn't make a 15 year old Bass worth that money.

Well, you’re not Wayman Tisdale. I would expect Paul McCartney's Hofner would sell for a hell of a lot more than a one year old Hofner, too.

Jules1 wrote: You will loose at least 30% when you try to sell a new righty Fodera that you don't like.

I sold my friend’s Monarch for almost 3 times what he paid for it, and it was nowhere near new.

Jules1 wrote: ok maybe I just got a little mad because there are not more than 20 leftys ever made (this is what Joey told me two years ago)

That comment is in favor of Wayman's bass being worth more, not less. And getting mad over it is ridiculous. I'm not mad about it at all. Maybe it's because I don't want the bass.