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Modulus Mob

#9,426
1.jpg
Modulus Graphite TBX 5 String Fretless 1988 Teal

not mine. saw this and immediately flashbacked to a performance i saw on tv years ago when lou reed did 'walk on the wild side' accompanied only with a bassist. the bass player was playing an early modulus such as this playing that iconic bass line. i want to say it was alphonso johnson but can't remember...
 
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#9,428
bubba-b said:
View attachment 3428547
Modulus Graphite TBX 5 String Fretless 1988 Teal

not mine. saw this and immediately flashbacked to a performance i saw on tv years ago when lou reed did 'walk on the wild side' accompanied only with a bassist. the bass player was playing an early modulus such as this playing that iconic bass line. i want to say it was alphonso johnson but can't remember...
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This looks like Fernando Saunders' bass. Yes, this is the bass (I think; I sent him a message). This is NOT a TBX, for the jillionth time. There were no TBX's is those days. He did some awesome stuff on it in those days. He's now in the Czech Republic.

 
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#9,429
GeoffGould said:
This looks like Fernando Saunders' bass. Yes, this is the bass (I think; I sent him a message). This is NOT a TBX, for the jillionth time. There were no TBX's is those days. He did some awesome stuff on it in those days. He's now in the Czech Republic.

Click to expand...

ah! for some reason i was thinking alphonso johnson/lou reed doing this at 'showtime at the apollo'. thanks for your confirmation and vid! pretty cool if this is fernando saunder's actual bass; performing next to a talent like lou reed playing one of the most iconic bass lines.
 
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#9,431
I gotta take this occasion to say how much I enjoy Fernando’s playing on Lou Reed Live in Italy (1983). So much energy from him and the whole band. I never thought about what kind of bass he was playing although I think it was earlier than this video.
 
#9,433
If that clip doesn’t make you want that bass then nothing will. Great stuff.

I think the naming has evolved into a way where we just call the neck through basses “TBX”. It’s descriptive enough that it works well even if it’s not exactly right.
 
#9,434
Well, call it what you want, I’m going to stick with accurate titles. Besides, a Q5TBX implies a 2.75” 24th fret, where the original Q5TB has a 2.5” 24th fret. As historically important as this bass is, it’s too narrow for many players. Fernando made some beautiful music on this.
 
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#9,435
GeoffGould said:
Well, call it what you want, I’m going to stick with accurate titles. Besides, a Q5TBX implies a 2.75” 24th fret, where the original Q5TB has a 2.5” 24th fret. As historically important as this bass is, it’s too narrow for many players. Fernando made some beautiful music on this.
Click to expand...

I remember seeing a picture of Fernando holding that teal TB in an issue of Guitar Player Magazine back in the mid-1980s; that was part of what pushed me over the edge to order my first Modulus in '88!
 
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#9,436
...and speaking of my first Modulus in '88: I've been playing the '96 TBX 6-string I got last year as my main bass lately, but at last night's jazz session on a whim I pulled out my original '88 SPX 6-string for the first time in over a year.

Holy crap! Now I know what my old orchestra director meant when he insisted that doublers would never be as comfortable on their instruments as musicians who only played one axe: I'd completely forgotten how comfortable I was on this instrument...but I guess that's what playing the same bass for 30 years will do for you! It was like coming home.

It also made me realize that, all other things being equal, I really do not like wide fingerboards and >18mm string spacing. I still have some beefs with the ultra-narrow string spacing on this SPX, but I can apparently play rings around myself versus when I'm lurching around on the TBX. It was an eye-opening evening.
 
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#9,437
Bob_Ross said:
It also made me realize that, all other things being equal, I really do not like wide fingerboards and >18mm string spacing. I still have some beefs with the ultra-narrow string spacing on this SPX, but I can apparently play rings around myself versus when I'm lurching around on the TBX. It was an eye-opening evening.
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I totally get it with with the string spacing! The max I can go on a 5 string is about 18mm. On a 4 I do fine with 19mm, but it’s not preferred. The Ric 4003w I have on order is 17.5mm and I’m excited to play a 4 string that more closely matches with the 5’ers.
 
#9,438
Funny how varied individual preferences are! 18mm is about the minimum that I like these days and I prefer wider, even on 6...

fauxtoe said:
I totally get it with with the string spacing! The max I can go on a 5 string is about 18mm. On a 4 I do fine with 19mm, but it’s not preferred. The Ric 4003w I have on order is 17.5mm and I’m excited to play a 4 string that more closely matches with the 5’ers.
Click to expand...
 
#9,440
I always feel like the underdog as I don't like the wide spacing. The biggest thing I'd change on my 6 is the spacing, it's just too wide especially since I have ulnar nerve issues in my fretting hand. One of my ideas for the longest time what's to get a 5-string modulus and convert it to a six string with the 5-string width. The SSQ6 Turbo was too good of a deal to pass up but damn my arm does not like it lol
 
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