Joey L

Joey Lauricella (and a little Mike Bendy too!)

As soon as I finished my interview Vinny Fodera I knew I had to connect with Joey Lauricella for the other side of the story. If you’ve already listened to my talk with Vinny, then you know about that little sign in front of the Ken Smith bass shop that Joey saw, how he knocked on the door and how the rest is bass guitar history. Vinny was the designer and builder; Joey was the player. Their friendship turned into a business, which has been crafting some of the world’s finest and most influential basses for over 40 years.

It took a while for Joey and me to connect. Things kept getting in the way. But then, this past January when we realized we’d both be at the NAMM show in Anaheim California. If you’re not familiar with NAMM, picture a music store, three football fields long with all the latest and greatest gear from manufacturers and builders across the globe. Finding a quiet corner to talk wasn’t easy, but we managed to find a space outside, and I set up a little portable recorder.

As an unexpected bonus, Mike Bendy, Fodera’s director of sales and marketing and a killer bass player in his own right joined us and added his voice to the story.

I wrapped up my interview with Vinny feeling that Fodera was the very definition of the relationship between a master luthier and a gifted player. Talking with Joey confirmed that but added far more layers than I originally imagined.

Right from the start, Vinny and Joey had a host of ‘angels’ as Joey calls them who helped them along, showed up at right time, and provided every kind of help and guidance imaginable which allowed them to realize their visions.

Fodera is a family affair, in the truest sense of the word. That family has grown to include craftsmen, players, friends, and actual family.

And, while their success is very much due very much to that original builder/player relationship, their ongoing success and innovation is due to the bond between those who play, who build, who respect the work ethic and the craft, genuinely care about each other and want to be a part of the energy and music that Fodera instruments help their artists bring into the world.

Be sure to check out Fodera Guitars, and the Newborn Gallery Mike mentioned. And, if you haven't listened to Vinny's side of things yet, best to check that out here.

Here's my chat with at NAMM 2024 with Joey with a little Mike Bendy thrown in for good measure.

I hope you enjoy.