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Modulus Mob

#10,763
loveandbass said:
Thought it was like 8k-9k
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JuanB said:
Haven’t checked recently. Could be.
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Per this page, "Starting at $7,299.00 Street" and then prices for all the options (listed below on that same page) go up from there.


loveandbass said:
fit and finish has always been pretty great. Not the best ever but pro quality every time
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I think ^^^this point gets overlooked by a lot of bassists...especially those who have never played a Modulus, or, I suppose, those who have never played anything better than a Modulus. I own two Modulus basses and have over the years played a small handful of others, and yeah, fit and finish is most definitely "not the best ever". Certainly as good if not better than off-the-shelf instruments from Fender or Ibanez or MusicMan, but absolutely not as good as other brands that often get lumped together with Modulus as "boutique" instruments. E.g., the fit and finish on a Pedulla or an Alembic or a Fodera will eat a Modulus for lunch.
 
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#10,764
iriegnome said:
Nah. I would assume the Quantum 5. Kind of been the standard bass for Modulus since the 1980's. Of course, when you start breaking down the sub models, SS, M-92, SPi and on and on, no real idea.
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The M92 is the first Modulus I ever tried located at a tiny music store on Maine St in Brunswick, ME. Never saw it again after that (as far as in a store).
 
#10,765
Bob_Ross said:
Per this page, "Starting at $7,299.00 Street" and then prices for all the options (listed below on that same page) go up from there.




I think ^^^this point gets overlooked by a lot of bassists...especially those who have never played a Modulus, or, I suppose, those who have never played anything better than a Modulus. I own two Modulus basses and have over the years played a small handful of others, and yeah, fit and finish is most definitely "not the best ever". Certainly as good if not better than off-the-shelf instruments from Fender or Ibanez or MusicMan, but absolutely not as good as other brands that often get lumped together with Modulus as "boutique" instruments. E.g., the fit and finish on a Pedulla or an Alembic or a Fodera will eat a Modulus for lunch.
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What issues are you having/have had? Mine have all been pretty good (bought used), although I have had them set up and usually replace some hardware, but again, I've had no complaints. I think the "feel" of my FBass and the Sadowsky I had is/was better, but I don't know that I find anything lacking in my Modulus- the neck pocket is tight and even, nuts have been the right height, pickup routs are accurate, it balances well, frets are better than my Roscoe (although that has a newer neck and had some fret sprout this year). The black plastic panel on the control cavity is a bit meh, but my USA Lakland and Roscoes have that too. The sheilding paint in the cavity has been good, if uninspiring, but I've got EMG stuff in mine and they're dead quiet. Of course I am also talking getting mine used (before prices went up), an $8k TBX would be a different story, but for the $3k-ish range, I feel they compete well.

Not trying to fanboy or start an argument, just wondering...
 
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#10,766
MattLplaysBass said:
What issues are you having/have had?
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The biggest differentiator I've noticed between Modulus instruments and higher-end "boutique" brands (such as the aforementioned Pedulla, Alembic, or Fodera) is the precision of the wood joinery: Gaps or asymmetric seams on laminated tops, visible glue joints, inconsistent use (or lack) of grain fill under transparent finishes. As I said, par for the course if you compare them to more pedestrian off-the-shelf instruments from the mass manufacturers, just not what one would expect from a >$3k bass.

Also fwiw my first Modulus came from the factory with a nut that looked like one of the string slots had been gnawed out by a rabid beaver rather than carved with a nut file, and with the passive tone control wired backwards (!). That's kinda unacceptable on any level.
 
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#10,767
JuanB said:
Yes. You can contact Planet Bass. Tony owns Planet Bass and Modulus Graphite. It’ll probably cost 6-7k. One of the original luthiers from Modulus is the current builder of the new basses.
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Has anyone purchased and received one recently? If so, what was your experience like? Recent posts in this thread suggest they may not be super responsive at Planet Bass.
 
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#10,768
Bob_Ross said:
The biggest differentiator I've noticed between Modulus instruments and higher-end "boutique" brands (such as the aforementioned Pedulla, Alembic, or Fodera) is the precision of the wood joinery: Gaps or asymmetric seams on laminated tops, visible glue joints, inconsistent use (or lack) of grain fill under transparent finishes. As I said, par for the course if you compare them to more pedestrian off-the-shelf instruments from the mass manufacturers, just not what one would expect from a >$3k bass.

Also fwiw my first Modulus came from the factory with a nut that looked like one of the string slots had been gnawed out by a rabid beaver rather than carved with a nut file, and with the passive tone control wired backwards (!). That's kinda unacceptable on any level.
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Rabid beavers need to work too ;)

The only issues I remember were with a 6er I had that had some "spots" under the finish, guessing some kind of filler?

m1.jpg m2.jpg

And a Q5 that had two different tone alder pieces on the back, but that was kind of quirky and never bothered me.

m3.jpg

A lot probably depends on the era and all, towards the end (before the "rebirth" :D ) they were selling through GC and MF, so I would guess that's higher volume? I always thought their factory wiring and cavity shielding was pretty good.

All that being said, my only dealing with Tony at PB was inquiring about EMG electronics, and he got back to me within 24 hours (and shipped it fast), but I remember him replying overnight.
 
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#10,771
aglide said:
Has anyone purchased and received one recently? If so, what was your experience like? Recent posts in this thread suggest they may not be super responsive at Planet Bass.
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What do you call recently? About a year ago yeah I worked with Tony and got a bass made. He’s a really smart dude I just think he has a lot of things pulling his attention at all ends, but he never ignored any communications.
 
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#10,773
August West said:
How do you like the new bass?
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LOVE it. Took some work tweaking the truss rod, added some more substantial pickup foams, leveled the frets a bit more, and I had the nut replaced with brass but there wasn’t anything wrong with the graphite nut. The epifani preamp is really unique sounding mixed with Alder chambered body.
EF85F71F-38F2-48C3-B35C-11AA03610EBE.jpeg
 
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#10,775
landrybass said:
LOVE it. Took some work tweaking the truss rod, added some more substantial pickup foams, leveled the frets a bit more, and I had the nut replaced with brass but there wasn’t anything wrong with the graphite nut. The epifani preamp is really unique sounding mixed with Alder chambered body.
View attachment 4963459
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Damn, that is one sexy bass. I love everything about it.

Sounds like a surprising amount of work to put into a new instrument though, at that price point.
 
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#10,778
markwrob said:
I put TI Jazz Flats on my fretless Q5 (jazz pups) and really like the combination. At the end of the say, there's only one way you'll know. Good luck in your search!
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I have a set of TI flats that I bought when the TB store was closing. I’m leaning towards just doing that. I figure w one pickup it’s probably going to sound a lot like a p? (Possibly on roids…)
 
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#10,780
I’ve got a - what I THINK to be a ‘92 SPi four string with EMG pups, looks to be a dark green tiger maple. The serial number is- 980589. Can anyone help me identify this bass? I bought in in January of 1995- the item number is-40MG2989. I’m considering moving it. I don’t know what it is worth. TIA-
 
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