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Modulus Mob

#10,342
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#10,343
Hey everyone. I have the opportunity to try out (and possibly buy) a Modulus Q5. The seller is selling it a great price and since I live in a small country this will be only opportunity (probably ever) to try out a Modulus and buy it. I've never played one before and I need your advice.

1) What should I be on the lookout for when inspecting the bass? My first thought is to make sure the neck isn't warped or damaged.
2) I'm going to try out all the electronics and pickups. EMG pickups with EMG preamp AFAIK.
3) I'm going to ask for the certificate (I'm assuming it comes with one).
4) Check for any external damage

Can anyone offer any insight for a newbie?
 
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#10,345
Awesome, thanks so much! I have some followup questions though.

1)What would a warped Modulus neck look like?
2)Is the neck supposed to be arrow straight or is there supposed to be a bit of relief?
3)How much wiggle room is there using the truss rod?
4)How much would changing string gauge affect the relief and stability of the neck?
 
#10,346
Bassinga said:
Awesome, thanks so much! I have some followup questions though.

1)What would a warped Modulus neck look like?
2)Is the neck supposed to be arrow straight or is there supposed to be a bit of relief?
3)How much wiggle room is there using the truss rod?
4)How much would changing string gauge affect the relief and stability of the neck?
Click to expand...

1) A very obvious flaw would be a twist in the neck. Try to look from an angle like this:
4-A18-AD47-005-C-4-E12-A57-D-BE6200-CBE6-A0.jpg

This is a good example for a twisted neck. If it looks like this, run away! ;)

2) The neck has to have some relief. How much is a matter of preference. If you prefer very low action and play with a light touch, it can be rather flat. If you dign in heavily, you might prefer more of a bow. The ideal setup for you feels comfortable and easy to play and is buzz-free. It should at least be possible to set up pretty low action without fret buzz.

3) Have you confirmed that the bass has a truss rod? AFAIK, not all graphite necks do. If it does, I would expect its effect on a graphite neck to be rather limited. If the neck isn't close to where you want it to be, the truss rod probably won't get you there.

4) Very little. Graphite necks are a lot more stable than wood necks.


Take some time with the bass, and see if you can set it up how you like it. If that's not possible, I doubt that the truss rod or different string gauges will get you there. If you don't know how to set up a bass yet, now would be a good time to learn. It's really not hard if you know what you're doing. :)
 
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#10,348
Taustin Powers said:
1) A very obvious flaw would be a twist in the neck. Try to look from an angle like this:
View attachment 4354703
This is a good example for a twisted neck. If it looks like this, run away! ;)

2) The neck has to have some relief. How much is a matter of preference. If you prefer very low action and play with a light touch, it can be rather flat. If you dign in heavily, you might prefer more of a bow. The ideal setup for you feels comfortable and easy to play and is buzz-free. It should at least be possible to set up pretty low action without fret buzz.

3) Have you confirmed that the bass has a truss rod? AFAIK, not all graphite necks do. If it does, I would expect its effect on a graphite neck to be rather limited. If the neck isn't close to where you want it to be, the truss rod probably won't get you there.

4) Very little. Graphite necks are a lot more stable than wood necks.


Take some time with the bass, and see if you can set it up how you like it. If that's not possible, I doubt that the truss rod or different string gauges will get you there. If you don't know how to set up a bass yet, now would be a good time to learn. It's really not hard if you know what you're doing. :)
Click to expand...

This is great, thanks so much for the detailed information @Taustin Powers!!

I was assuming they come with a certificate detailing all the instrument's specifications, is this not the case? @Bob_Ross
 
#10,349
Assuming it has a truss rod/relief adjusting system, as long as the neck is straight, you SHOULD be able to dial it in pretty well (assuming it's functioning properly). Here's the most recent Quantum manual (they call it a dual action truss rod now, ha!). If you do any adjustments, remember the "dead spot" in the middle. It's bigger than you think, at least it is for me, so I usually do my neck adjusting over a couple of days to let it settle and see what happens.

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...84f6508/1590494139337/Quantum_Manual_2020.pdf

And the only documentation I've ever seen with a Modulus bass is the warranty card, which just has the serial #. But usually they're alder bodies, maple or other top, phenolic (synthetic) or chechen (wood) fingerboard.

Depending on how crazy you want to get in checking it, bring some 9v batteries and a screwdriver to check out the electronics. Good luck with your purchase, let us know how it goes! :bassist:
 
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#10,350
Bassinga said:
I was assuming they come with a certificate detailing all the instrument's specifications, is this not the case? @Bob_Ross
Click to expand...

The last time I bought a brand new Modulus bass from the factory [sic] was 1988, and at that time there was no such document included. Not sure if that policy ever changed...but fwiw of all the basses I've ever bought brand new in my life only one of them ever came with a document detailing all the instrument's specifications.
 
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#10,351
MattLplaysBass said:
Assuming it has a truss rod/relief adjusting system, as long as the neck is straight, you SHOULD be able to dial it in pretty well (assuming it's functioning properly). Here's the most recent Quantum manual (they call it a dual action truss rod now, ha!). If you do any adjustments, remember the "dead spot" in the middle. It's bigger than you think, at least it is for me, so I usually do my neck adjusting over a couple of days to let it settle and see what happens.

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...84f6508/1590494139337/Quantum_Manual_2020.pdf

And the only documentation I've ever seen with a Modulus bass is the warranty card, which just has the serial #. But usually they're alder bodies, maple or other top, phenolic (synthetic) or chechen (wood) fingerboard.

Depending on how crazy you want to get in checking it, bring some 9v batteries and a screwdriver to check out the electronics. Good luck with your purchase, let us know how it goes! :bassist:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info!
If I do end up buying it, y'all will be hearing from me a lot :D
Starting with a NBD of course! @Fred312b


That's great to know thanks! @Bob_Ross
 
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#10,355
So a followup question regarding Modulus basses and their necks.
I tried out the bass for sale and it was extremely comfortable and as far as I could tell the neck was super straight. Great aggressive and punchy sound to boot!

I typically play a 5-string tuned ADGCF and I'm hoping I'll be able to tune it down and slap a 45-135 set of strings without any issues. Might even try going lower in the future if the bass allows for it.
Does anyone have experience tuning these babies down a whole step or even more?
 
#10,356
Taustin Powers said:
1) A very obvious flaw would be a twist in the neck. Try to look from an angle like this:
View attachment 4354703
This is a good example for a twisted neck. If it looks like this, run away! ;)

2) The neck has to have some relief. How much is a matter of preference. If you prefer very low action and play with a light touch, it can be rather flat. If you dign in heavily, you might prefer more of a bow. The ideal setup for you feels comfortable and easy to play and is buzz-free. It should at least be possible to set up pretty low action without fret buzz.

3) Have you confirmed that the bass has a truss rod? AFAIK, not all graphite necks do. If it does, I would expect its effect on a graphite neck to be rather limited. If the neck isn't close to where you want it to be, the truss rod probably won't get you there.

4) Very little. Graphite necks are a lot more stable than wood necks.


Take some time with the bass, and see if you can set it up how you like it. If that's not possible, I doubt that the truss rod or different string gauges will get you there. If you don't know how to set up a bass yet, now would be a good time to learn. It's really not hard if you know what you're doing. :)
Click to expand...


I have this Ikea chair.
Carry on
 
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#10,358
Bassinga said:
So a followup question regarding Modulus basses and their necks.
I tried out the bass for sale and it was extremely comfortable and as far as I could tell the neck was super straight. Great aggressive and punchy sound to boot!

I typically play a 5-string tuned ADGCF and I'm hoping I'll be able to tune it down and slap a 45-135 set of strings without any issues. Might even try going lower in the future if the bass allows for it.
Does anyone have experience tuning these babies down a whole step or even more?
Click to expand...

I can’t imagine that being a problem. Does this bass have a truss rod?
 

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