Monarch 4 Standard Fretless Electric Bass

The Fodera Monarch 4 Standard Fretless Electric Bass blends the aesthetics, tone, playability and pro-player reliability bass players have come to expect from Fodera. Based on their acclaimed Monarch Standard, the Monarch Standard Fretless bass guitar features a unique tone-wood combination that delivers an incredibly rich, organic, and nuanced tone.

The walnut body provides a warm yet punchy sound that supports low frequencies very well and has a slightly compressed midrange. Fodera then matched it with a hand carved, 1-piece oak neck and a lined ebony fingerboard that results is a warm and smooth, yet beautifully articulate fretless tone. Oak, being a strong but fairly porous wood, has many tiny air pockets that act as “resonating chambers,” enhancing the “growl” of the instrument.

The Monarch Standard Fretless features a set of Fodera/Duncan dual-coil pickups and the Fodera/Pope Standard Preamp with 3-band EQ. Designed in collaboration with Seymour Duncan, these passive Dual Coil pickups were designed to provide a punchy and focused tone with a natural and smooth upper midrange. Compared to an active soapbar style pickup, the tone is warmer and more organic. Wired in parallel, these pickups offer a noise-free single coil sound with added body and weight yet come with the added flexibility of full single-coil operation providing the snap, warmth, and mid-range punch of classic single-coil Jazz Bass pickups.

Designed for optimal performance, the 3-band Fodera/Pope preamp offers an incredibly low noise flow, a very musical sounding EQ, and active/passive operation for the utmost reliability and flexibility whether you’re on stage or in the studio. Together, these electronics let you tailor your tone, from deep and round to bright and punchy and everything in between.

Every Monarch Standard bass guitar is hand-crafted in their Brooklyn, New York shop alongside the custom instruments by the very same people, using the same tools and materials as the Custom basses.