Joey Lauricella

Joey Lauricella co-founded Fodera Guitars in 1983 with luthier Vinny Fodera, building custom electric bass guitars and guitars from a Brooklyn workshop that moved to Industry City in 1990. A professional bassist and former sales representative, Lauricella met Fodera while both worked at Ken Smith Basses and brought a working player's perspective to the instruments' design. The shop, which began in a 1,000-square-foot space on Avenue O, hand-selects tonewoods, hand-lines internal cavities with copper foil, and builds custom basses that typically take 14 to 15 months; players include Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Oteil Burbridge, and Janek Gwizdala. A lower-priced Standard series launched in 2011.