Is Modulus still in Business?

[drTSTingray]

Always interesting when people post in a thread on TB... To complain about how they don't like the direction that thread has taken

Out of frustration, believe me, having read all 160 odd posts - probably half a dozen with an instrument tied up in this.

Some of you guys clearly believe you're providing some public service in your posts - my view is that you might be doing the exact opposite - making matters worse.

Just my viewpoint - and to me, as right as some of you guys are wrong

As I said, let's see some vociferous big corporate bashing

 

[Wagz]

Out of frustration, believe me, having read all 160 odd posts - probably half a dozen with an instrument tied up in this.

Some of you guys clearly believe you're providing some public service in your posts - my view is that you might be doing the exact opposite - making matters worse.

Just my viewpoint - and to me, as right as some of you guys are wrong

As I said, let's see some vociferous big corporate bashing

Agreed, Fender sucks

 

[drTSTingray]

Agreed, Fender sucks

dare you to start a thread..........................!!

 

[Baird6869]

Agreed, Fender sucks

Heard they are out of business also.

P.s. we really are due for a "Are Fender Basses Overrated" thread.

 

[MOTORHEADBANGER]

It never ceases to amaze me how many guys on internet forums know how to run guitar making businesses better than the pros......I remember following the one about how much better it would be (for EBMM) if they made a 19 mm spacing 5 er - so they said yes......and 3 people ordered - and then everyone cried foul....but it wasn't because when EBMM offered a similar window on something people really wanted they got hundreds of orders.....such is the power of Talkbass!!

I feel very sorry for the people in this thread who are waiting for basses or work to be completed - the rest of the hot air merchants are doing nothing to help them and if criticism on internet forums was a barometer of whether a business failed or succeeded, will have certainly nailed a few more nails in the coffin of the manufacturer, to the potential detriment of their internet colleagues waiting for product....most helpful don't you think - NOT.

Fact is if I want to sound like Flea I'll still order a Modulus.

I just wish forums of this type were able to influence big musical instrument corporations (or the members spent as much time moaning about them in such a vociforous way). From what I've seen, individual CEOs and luthiers attract this sort of stuff on forums - sometimes for good reason, but most times because of a misplaced feeling of empowerment, and a lot of hot air directed at a named individual.

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread said, none of you guys are Flea - get over it - you won't get the same service (from anyone)

And someone else has clearly stated that MODULUS ARE STILL IN BUSINESS - so this thread is, beyond that somewhat worthless?

It's not worthless. The guy simply asked if Modulus was having trouble, and after his initial question was answered it revealed the big picture/reason behind the question: The situation being that he sent an instrument in for repairs months ago, they gave him an exact deadline for when it was to be completed and shipped back to him and after fail to meet the deadline MORE THAN A MONTH AGO, THEY HAVE YET TO HAVE EVEN INFORMED HIM OF A DELAY OR OF THE WHEREABOUTS OF HIS BASS. Not only that but, THEY REFUSE TO ANSWER A SINGLE PHONE CALL OR EMAIL.

This is a perfectly reasonable concern and is very important in bringing to light Modulus's current customer service (or the lack thereof, in this situation) as well as their business practices. There are several people on this forum that own Modulus instruments (Moduli?) and are curious to how this plays out. If I owned a bass built from a particular company that needed repairs and I heard this kind of report on their tech/repair service, I would be very hesitant to send the bass back to the manufacturer and would be more likely to find someone else.

Heard they are out of business also.

P.s. we really are due for a "Are Fender Basses Overrated" thread.

Please don't give the trolls ideas.

 

[Roscoe East]

I love Zon basses but find them to be a very different beast. Despite the use of graphite in both designs, they are far from interchangeable. It's clear from the Zon and Modulus websites that they have different tonal goals, so it's not a knock on either company. If I want the Modulus sound, there's only one place to get it.

+1
A buddy of mine has a Zon 5-string Sonus that has the same body woods and pickups as my Modulus 6-string, but they sound -- well, perhaps not night&day different, but about as different as two graphite-necked bass guitars possibly can. Like midnight and 5:30AM.

 

[Munjibunga]

I think at the level of building at which we try to work, we fully expect (and desire) some communication back and forth with our customers. Working with people like Mike to help them realize what it is they are looking for tonally and aesthetically is one of the reasons that we enjoy what we do. It is a different business model and our prices and structure reflect that. We have far more "front office" staff than many builders our size because we are committed to having the resources necessary to provide this kind of service.

This was NOT always the case here at Fodera. As recently as 2009, Joey and Vinny handled EVERYTHING on their own. If you ask them (and our customers), the ability to interact in a thorough, detailed way about builds was spotty at best. We believe that, ay times, both the customers and instruments suffered because of it. And, the amount of stress placed on Joey and Vinny to do all of the customer interaction AND provide all customer communication left them stressed and unable to focus on building in the way they wanted to and now can.

And, yes, I will back Mike up in that he was completely reasonable in wanting to be involved in an appropriate way while we were working together to refine the specs for both of his builds...

Regards,

Jason

Thanks for having my back, Jason. Even with the 3+2 thing.

 

[LennyJ]

It's not worthless. The guy simply asked if Modulus was having trouble, and after his initial question was answered it revealed the big picture/reason behind the question: The situation being that he sent an instrument in for repairs months ago, they gave him an exact deadline for when it was to be completed and shipped back to him and after fail to meet the deadline MORE THAN A MONTH AGO, THEY HAVE YET TO HAVE EVEN INFORMED HIM OF A DELAY OR OF THE WHEREABOUTS OF HIS BASS. Not only that but, THEY REFUSE TO ANSWER A SINGLE PHONE CALL OR EMAIL.

This is a perfectly reasonable concern and is very important in bringing to light Modulus's current customer service (or the lack thereof, in this situation) as well as their business practices. There are several people on this forum that own Modulus instruments (Moduli?) and are curious to how this plays out. If I owned a bass built from a particular company that needed repairs and I heard this kind of report on their tech/repair service, I would be very hesitant to send the bass back to the manufacturer and would be more likely to find someone else.



Please don't give the trolls ideas.

Thank you for this post that should bring us back to the original question. The question now should be " where is my bass?????????, and when will I get it back."

The one statement about buying a Modulus to sound like Flea. Don't buy the Modulus - it won't work. Flea sounds like Flea on a Fender Jazz just as well as a Modulus.

I am sorry for that stagger off course, but I think this post is over. Modulus my be slow and have bad phone/email manners - but do make a good graphite neck and it is worth the wait when you get it.

 

[Pacman]

I shouldn't chime in, but....

And someone else has clearly stated that MODULUS ARE STILL IN BUSINESS - so this thread is, beyond that somewhat worthless?

Unless that person is a Modulus employee, that statement is merely conjecture.

 

[drTSTingray]

Thank you for this post that should bring us back to the original question. The question now should be " where is my bass?????????, and when will I get it back."

This is true - however 160 posts of conjecture won't help answer it either.

The one statement about buying a Modulus to sound like Flea. Don't buy the Modulus - it won't work. Flea sounds like Flea on a Fender Jazz just as well as a Modulus.

I actually injured myself falling off my chair laughing at this. Yes a Fender Jazz plus several pedals or preamps may get reasonably close - but Flea get's that pumped up sound from a Modulus - a Fender Jazz don't come close (as I noticed several years ago when he attempted to use one for some of the Modulus stuff, live and it sounded as lame as anything). Sorry to go off track, but this stuff which is analogous with "I'll use my road going Audi A3 to race the Le Mans 24 hrs - it's as good as those Porches and Audi R8s" is laughable I'm afraid.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

And someone else has clearly stated that MODULUS ARE STILL IN BUSINESS

That someone would be me and I stand behind what I stated (and no I am not being sarcastic).

Modulus is still in business.

Dealing with a minor situation as most companies sometimes has to do, but very much still in business.











Modulus endorser.

 

[Thir13teen]

20+ year marketing guy here. Always gets my goat to hear that small companies struggle because they're lacking some basic marketing capabilities.
You could fix the Modulus customer service 'problem' in ten minutes.
1) Set up a group customer service email box.
2) Online form for that email box with categories (so you can prioritize who to get back to first), with an auto responder that says 'hey, thanks for the inquiry. we're crazy-busy building awesome basses right now but we'll forward your email to the appropriate person this week.'
3) Have someone clear that inbox every 7 days.
4) Look at how many points of margin you're giving your dealers, show them this thread from TB, cut their margin by a point or two and ask them what they're doing to promote your product.
5) Find a good master distributor (online or national brick and mortar), use that agreement to shake things up in your sales channel.
Done, get back to your autoclave so you can wrap more carbon fiber.
PS. I'd typically charge a client well under a grand to do all this for them. So, there really is no excuse for their current level of responsiveness, customer service or marketing. Makes me sad when great products get tripped up by stuff that should be easy.

I've been a media/marketing consultant for 8 yrs and couldn't agree more.

 

[cjp3044]

That someone would be me and I stand behind what I stated (and no I am not being sarcastic).

Modulus is still in business.

Dealing with a minor situation as most companies sometimes has to do, but very much still in business.

Modulus endorser.

This is basically what I heard from another Modulus endorser as well, but it sure would be nice to hear from the company themselves. Especially for the sake of the OP.

 

[TNCreature]

I can't read through all of this but has anyone tried reaching out to any of their dealers? (Dealers page on the website).
they may have a different "in' to the company then the general public.
Just a thought. Good luck OP.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

This is basically what I heard from another Modulus endorser as well, but it sure would be nice to hear from the company themselves. Especially for the sake of the OP.

Many here has already mentioned that Modulus doesn't have the best customer service rep so why would Modulus suddenly make a public announcement?






And for the record the OP knows where I'm at on his situation with Modulus.

 

[TNCreature]

so many (needlessly) mysterious statements in this thread!

 

[cjp3044]

Many here has already mentioned that Modulus doesn't have the best customer service rep so why would Modulus suddenly make a public announcement?

And for the record the OP knows where I'm at on his situation with Modulus.

Problem is that their phones are still not working - which is why there is still concern. I also contacted a local dealer and they had no clue and were not able to contact anyone at Modulus either.

Since I live close enough, I have also offered to physically visit their location for the OP.

No matter how anyone tries to spin this, when it comes to Modulus' handling of people that are in the position of the OP, well, it's a VERY bad on Modulus - not responding to general inquiries is one thing (also not good IMO), but completely ignoring people that have their instruments physically in the hands of Modulus is a completely different story, bordering on criminal.

 

[can_v]

Many here has already mentioned that Modulus doesn't have the best customer service rep so why would Modulus suddenly make a public announcement?






And for the record the OP knows where I'm at on his situation with Modulus.

Actually, that statement pretty much answered itself. Since, they don't have the best customer service, they should start making a public announcement.

I have my share on dealing with picky customers over the years in my line of work. Most of the time, it's a pain. But no matter what, you deal with them, especially, when you couldn't deliver what you promised. Disappearance isn't good, no matter how you look at it, since it could lead to much bigger problems.

Just MHO,
Can V.

 

[rossiman]

Only time will tell what is really going on at Modulus.
They are a sizeable enough company to straighten out their priorities and now just close down. I did see that BassCentral posted that they have seized making more Modulus basses but that may not be true...

Anyways, just in case they DO close down...I say everyone who wants to on Talkbass should all pitch in and buy it from them any bass players out there who would like to be part owners of Modulus? ha

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I looked on Google maps at Modulus' factory. Smaller operation than I had in mind. Very minimal parking so there can't be more than a handful of people working there. Nothing wrong with that, Rainsong guitars and Blackbird guitars make complete graphite instruments and have minimal production facilities. I totally understand that they want everything to go through dealers and that's fine, but you have to set expectations properly and state that on your website. I contacted a local dealer about pricing to see how that works out. Two days later, still waiting.