This bass was actually originally my bass. I did all of the upgrades on this bass. I do sometimes miss this bass, but selling it enabled me to get a custom bass that is exactly what I wanted. The reason I sold it is because I didn't love the graphite neck feel, and it was a bit heavy. It was an amazing instrument, though.
Recent Reviews
-
Modulus VJ Deluxe- 5/5, 5 out of 5, reviewed Oct 8, 2015
- Tone:
- 4/5,
- Build Quality:
- 5/5,
- Feel:
- 4/5,
- Value:
- 5/5,
Pros- + Perfect action, fantastic fretwork, jazz bass tone
Cons- - Something not very warm about a graphite neck--you either love it or not. A bit heavy, but not much more than any other jazz bass, except Sadowsky.
Ballin'bass likes this. -
The Best Jazz Bass I've Ever Played- 5/5, 5 out of 5, reviewed Jul 22, 2015
- Tone:
- 5/5,
- Build Quality:
- 5/5,
- Feel:
- 5/5,
- Value:
- 4/5,
Pros- + Incredible tone and sustain, most stable neck in existence, supremely comfortable to play, neck is impervious to weather changes, rarely even goes out of tune, ultra-low action, no dead-spots on the neck
Cons- - Only con is that the current production basses are very expensive since Modulus went bankrupt and has now been revived, you are better off buying used.
This is arguably the nicest jazz bass around (IMO). It's the perfect marriage of vintage and modern. Incredibly clean tone from the graphite neck, much crisper than a wood neck. Some might call it "sterile" but i disagree, there is plenty of character in these basses. The body is cut to the same specs as the fender 70's jazz bodies and is very nicely contoured, as you would hope. The neck is a slightly different shape than the standard fender jazz neck profile, though. It feels thinner at the nut and has a slightly different compound radius as you go up the neck. Very fast feeling, I personally prefer it. Oh and let's not forget that you NEVER HAVE TO ADJUST THE ACTION! Once you get it how you like it, you never have to touch it again
.
The stock electronics that came in it were an Aguilar OBP-1 (2-band) Preamp and Bartolini noise-cancelling pickups. Even with this stock system it already sounds stellar and cuts through any mix with ease.
However, with an upgrade to Nordstrand split-coil pickups and a John East U-retro preamp, as well as a Babicz full contact bridge and a few other mods, this beast plays with a whole new level of power! It's a Marcus Miller bass ON STEROIDS! Incredibly versatile tone-sculpting ability, and a much more organic, raw tone from the Nordstrands.
With or without the upgrades, the Modulus VJ4 is truly the culmination of technological innovations in bass guitar building. But with the right upgrades, I can say without hesitation that they can be hammers of the gods!- Price Paid:
- $2,400 used (including upgrades)
engedi1 and DaveAceofBass like this.
Bass Details
-
- No. of Frets:
- 21
- Construction:
- Bolt-On
- No. of Strings:
- 4
- Body Material:
- Alder
- Neck Material:
- Graphite Composite
- Body Finish:
- (0000) Red Trans Polyurethane
- Nut Width:
- 1.5"
- Fingerboard Material:
- Phenolic compound
- Bridge:
- Babicz full contact (upgraded)
- Pickups:
- Nordstrand NJ4SV (neck) and NJ4SE (bridge) (upgraded)
- Other Hardware:
- Gotoh tuners, Hipshot Detuner on E-string, Chrome hardware
- Weight:
- ~9.5 Lbs.
- EQ / Controls:
- John East U-retro Deluxe preamp: vol/pan stack, Treble cut-boost/Bass boost-only stack, Mid cut-boost/Midrange sweep stack, Passive tone, pickup switch, passive/active switch
- Price:
- ~$5,000 new
- Other Specs:
- AAAAA quilted maple top w/sienna finish, 60's pickup spacing, Custom ebony thumb rest, block inlay stickers, Satined neck
Ballin'bass · Jul 22, 2015 · Updated Dec 18, 2015DaveAceofBass likes this.
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