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Flame Koa Imperial 6 Elite

  • Birth Month:
February
  • Birth Year:
2013
  • Model:
Imperial 5 Elite
  • Top Wood:
Flame Koa (Solid)
  • Body Wood:
Ash (Alder Tone Block)
  • Fingerboard Wood:
Ebony
  • Neck Wood:
3-pc. Hard Rock Maple
  • Neck Joint:
Neck-Through
  • Scale Length:
34"
  • Strings:
6 (17.5mm spacing)
  • Frets
24 (Small)
  • FB Inlay:
Blank (Side Dots Only)
  • Pickups:
Seymour Duncan Dual Coil Linear Humbuckers
  • Preamp:
Fodera / Pope Custom Shop, 3- Band
  • Control Layout:
Emperor / Imperial Layout


Unique Features
February got off to a great start with this Flame Koa Imperial 6!  Built for a long time friend and high level pro living out on the west coast, this bass features a completely new and unique (for us) electronic layout.

We employed two Duncan Dual Coil Linear Humbucking pickups, each controlled by a separate 3-position switch, which allows each pickup to be switched between dual coil, single coil (inner), and single coil (outer).  This gives a total of 7 distinctly different pickup configurations.  Naturally, we had to spend a lot of time testing out all of the different positions before we could say  "mission accomplished."

Having so many pickup configurations, combined with the usual tone molding abilities of our Fodera/Pope Custom Shop preamp, this bass is probably among the most tonally flexible instruments we have yet produced.  With an Ash body and Alder tone block, this bass has a deep, articulate tone that is punchy yet has just the right amount of warmth.  An Ebony fingerboard imparts clean, bell-like highs that really sing all over the neck, and with 17.5mm spacing, this is a very comfortable bass to play for hours on end.

It was a pleasure working on this build, and we hope that its new owner plays it in good health for many years to come!