Modulus TBX - Do they all not have truss rods?

[snogaws]

I bought a Modulus Q6 TBX on ebay today that doesn't have a truss rod in it. I know some models of the Quantums don't have truss rods and others do, but was wondering if this is true with TBX's as well, or do they all not have truss rods? I looked in the Modulus TBX photos thread and from what I could tell none of them had truss rods. can someone clarify if this is in fact true?

Thanks
Connor

[RickBlair]

I think the TBX basses were all Geoff Gould designs, if I am thinking of the neck-through basses. AFAIK none of Geoff's basses had truss rods, except for maybe the Genesis basses. You either have to like the neck relief or not like it. As far as stability goes, the necks without truss rods do not need them for stability. I haven't touched the adjustments on my 1992 Q5 in years.

Rick B.

[ChrisPbass]

I think they stopped making TBX prior to Mod truss rods.

go here....and post your bass pix!

Modulus Mob Part 2

[Bassconbeatz]

Modulus just recently started limited production of these beauties once again, which now sports a trussrod:

http://www.planetbass.com/slides/slide_7_CS4_TBX6.htm

I use to own one, which I truly regret selling:

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by RickBlair

I think the TBX basses were all Geoff Gould designs, if I am thinking of the neck-through basses. AFAIK none of Geoff's basses had truss rods, except for maybe the Genesis basses. You either have to like the neck relief or not like it. As far as stability goes, the necks without truss rods do not need them for stability. I haven't touched the adjustments on my 1992 Q5 in years.

Rick B.

yes. My TBX 6 has no truss rod. Doesn't need it. Couldn't use it. that TBX neck is thick and heavy and strong. You could drive a UPS truck over it with no effect. Obviously the new modulus necks have to be thinner and more flexible even though graphite (We TBX owners call that "cheaper") so the relief can actually be changed. As someone noted the Truss rod necks were later. My TBX is so stable it hasn't had an adjustment in years and almost never even needs tuned. Playability in my humble opinion is nearly perfect as is...so there you go. I say "nearly" because the relief is just a tad less on the TBX than what I usually set my other basses to. But the slight difference has never given my any problems.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by Bassconbeatz

Modulus just recently started limited production of these beauties once again, which now sports a trussrod

Right, the new reissue TBXs have a trussrod, the original TBXs did not.

[SilkyStrings]

My 94 Q5 Sweetspot is a bolt on neck, no truss rod. It is currently at Modulus getting a new neck due to failure of the graphite. The new neck will have a truss. This makes me little wary of non truss models, however my bass is being repaired under warranty. So far Modulus have been pretty stand-up about it. It is just taking a long time to get it done. I have never heard of any problems with the TBX necks though.

[madbass6]

I agree 100%! why mess with whats been working for years! no thrus rod! it wasnt meant to have one! and whats up with the new TBX? neckthru on back only! & yes, im a proud owner of a MODULUS TBX 6 cocobola top! very rare Beast! all original! (93)

[coyoteboy]

Fwiw, you can now get a 19mm Q5. I'd get the 5 if only for the thumbrest.

[lang3735]

Originally Posted by madbass6

I agree 100%! why mess with whats been working for years! no thrus rod! it wasnt meant to have one! and whats up with the new TBX? neckthru on back only! & yes, im a proud owner of a MODULUS TBX 6 cocobola top! very rare Beast! all original! (93)

When I ordered my TBX5, I had the option of having exposed carbon fiber on the front, or book matched top. I chose the exposed carbon fiber as to me it defines the TBX look.
After my dealings with Joe from Modulus, I doubt the addition of the truss rod would have been done lightly. There would have been good reasons for them to do that, and don't think for one minute anything would have been done that would negatively affect the performance of their basses.

[mp40smg]

I bought my nt6 in 91. No truss rods. No rods on any of the guitars and basses from that era. My impression, speaking to GG was pretty much a belt And suspenders argument. And after 20 years of owning it, I see no reason for rods either.

[lang3735]

Originally Posted by mp40smg

I bought my nt6 in 91. No truss rods. No rods on any of the guitars and basses from that era. My impression, speaking to GG was pretty much a belt And suspenders argument. And after 20 years of owning it, I see no reason for rods either.

Maybe the addition of a truss rod is to allow the player to choose other string gagues and/or tunings, rather than need to stick to a particular gague and/or standard tuning to maintain the correct neck relief. Just sayin'...

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by lang3735

Maybe the addition of a truss rod is to allow the player to choose other string gagues and/or tunings, rather than need to stick to a particular gague and/or standard tuning to maintain the correct neck relief. Just sayin'...

Hardly! Those necks are so stiff you could put ANY strings on it or ANY tuning and you couldn't change it a fraction of a millimeter. It's not a matter of "correct" relief, but rather what relief the player prefers. To me they got it perfect, but there are probably those with different tastes. To me making a carbon fiber neck thinner and putting in a truss rod sort of perverts the whole idea of carbon fiber stability. Might as well go with wood. Sure I like that cold smooth feel of graphite, but that was NOT the idea for owning one. Stability was.

[lang3735]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

Hardly! Those necks are so stiff you could put ANY strings on it or ANY tuning and you couldn't change it a fraction of a millimeter. It's not a matter of "correct" relief, but rather what relief the player prefers. To me they got it perfect, but there are probably those with different tastes. To me making a carbon fiber neck thinner and putting in a truss rod sort of perverts the whole idea of carbon fiber stability. Might as well go with wood. Sure I like that cold smooth feel of graphite, but that was NOT the idea for owning one. Stability was.

I agree that stability is a good reason to own a Modulus, but the main reason is the tone.
When I say "correct relief", I fully understand that everyone has the relief that they prefer. Keep reading and you will see what I mean.
Much time was spent in the early days of carbon fiber necks, getting the design just right so when string tension was applied, the bass played within the "normal" parameters of average expected relief. They had to engineer the design to do that because there was no truss rod (needed or not) to adjust to fine tune the setup.
I remember how years ago it was recomended to buy strings from Modulus direct for whatever model Modulus bass you owned as they were a known tension - the tension used to calculate the neck design - thus keeping the neck within the precalculated relief parameters. The only thing you could do to change the setup was to raise or lower the string saddles, or shim the neck.
Changing tunings may not seem to change the neck relief, but if you look down the neck with no strings on, you will see a different curve when compared to fully strung and tuned.
The channel needed for a truss rod is small. There wouldn't be much material left out to make room for one, and the truss adds its own stiffness inside the channel where the material has been left out.
The necks are stiff, but there are Modulus necks that have bowed and been replaced by Modulus under warranty that are in the original non truss rod variety (and truss rod variety) so there is a certain amount of flex inherent in the original and current design.

[bassman10096]

My impression, speaking to GG was pretty much a belt And suspenders argument. And after 20 years of owning it, I see no reason for rods either.

Not sure why he made the change himself, but Geoff's GG graphite basses all have trussrods. Not sure why he made the change, but I suspect enough people found the lack of a rod disconcerting to make it a reasonable accommodation.

[edwinhurwitz]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

Hardly! Those necks are so stiff you could put ANY strings on it or ANY tuning and you couldn't change it a fraction of a millimeter. It's not a matter of "correct" relief, but rather what relief the player prefers. To me they got it perfect, but there are probably those with different tastes. To me making a carbon fiber neck thinner and putting in a truss rod sort of perverts the whole idea of carbon fiber stability. Might as well go with wood. Sure I like that cold smooth feel of graphite, but that was NOT the idea for owning one. Stability was.

I have a 1991 Q6 and the neck changes quite a lot with different strings and gauges. It's just about perfect with a Sunbeam 30-120 set, but other strings can wreak havoc on my setup. They move quite a bit. TBX basses might be a different story.

[rockinrayduke]

Originally Posted by edwinhurwitz

I have a 1991 Q6 and the neck changes quite a lot with different strings and gauges. It's just about perfect with a Sunbeam 30-120 set, but other strings can wreak havoc on my setup. They move quite a bit. TBX basses might be a different story.

I use Prosteels 100-40 on this '91 TBX 4 string I have and there's a little bit of relief. My problem is the bridge is down as far as it will go on the D and G strings where I feel it needs to come down just a hair more. Afraid to try higher gauge strings, don't want to mess up the setup. Will higher gauge strings put more relief in a graphite neck?

[edwinhurwitz]

Originally Posted by rockinrayduke

I use Prosteels 100-40 on this '91 TBX 4 string I have and there's a little bit of relief. My problem is the bridge is down as far as it will go on the D and G strings where I feel it needs to come down just a hair more. Afraid to try higher gauge strings, don't want to mess up the setup. Will higher gauge strings put more relief in a graphite neck?

They should. Also you could try higher tension strings. I'm not sure of the Prosteels.