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Modulus Mob

#1,941
Kinetic Shadow said:
Hmmm... I wonder if this has anything to do with Modulus contacting me the day after I posted about not hearing from them for weeks after I sent a VJ back in for a neck swap.

Still waiting to hear from them again, but that was expected as Anderson said it would be about two more weeks last he wrote. Hoping I'll have a brand spanking new stealth fretless VJ soon. :hyper:
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I am sure it does. They are members here.
 
#1,943
On another topic, when I first got the VJ it had a passive Bart system installed. I wasn't to crazy about the tone, so I purchased a J-Retro pre for it that will give me more control both active and passive.

Any recommendations on pups? Or should I just leave the Barts? Should mention I am partial to Delanos, which I have on my FU4, Fender Deluxe Jazz and MIA Precision. But was thinking I might want something else for a fretless.
 
#1,944
RedLeg said:
On 3/30/12 10:57 PM, "Herp Derpington" <[email protected]> wrote:
Mr Gould/Modulus,
I contacted you a few weeks back about an older VJ. I took some photos and I would appreciate your input. The bass I received does not seem to match my memory of the high build quality that was my last quantum.
[insert 6 photos here]
Something does not feel right about this instrument. In the neck pocket there is a hand written 4 digit code, 4683, written in sharpie. It does not appear to have anything to do with the serial. Also, the finish wasn't complete in the neck pocket. The neck was shimmed. As far as I can tell, the bridge mounting screw holes were all original, so the bridge does not appear to have been moved, just poorly installed. Lastly, there is a ground wire hole under the bridge, but no ground wire. That really struck me as odd. No shielding paint or foil either. I know EMG's are quiet, but I am pretty sure some shielding would have been applied back then.

Long story short, the seller had a 3 day return policy, and I sent it back. He offered me $200 to keep it. I think I dodged a bullet. Thanks again for entertaining my inquiries about old business.

Sincerely,
Derp


The response from Mr G. Gould
"Well, it does seem odd. The serial number would be from when I was there, but we didn&#8217;t do many of these retro things, nor did we have a literal VJ model then. Perhaps it&#8217;s just a kit bass? Someone got a neck, and built a bass? EMG&#8217;s are not normally shielded or bridge-grounded, so maybe this body used to be part of a different instrument?"

The response from Modulus
"Hello Derp,

You're right, it doesn't look like the same high-quality instrument that you come to expect from Modulus. It looks like the bridges mounted off center and there is a huge gap between the pickguard and the control plate.
Although I will admit that our standards of quality are much higher now than they were in 1994 when this instrument was built, it is possible that someone took a Modulus replacement neck and put it on someone else's jazz bass body. But I'm not sure if I'm answering your question. If you have any specific questions please let me know. You can email me directly at [email protected]

Regards,

Joe Perman
Modulus Guitars"


So there it is kiddies. Caveat Emptor. Luckily the seller had a 3 day return policy. Damn, now to find a confounded Modulus VJ!
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Did your sharpie number look like this?

VJ1.jpg


I bought a black 97' VJ off Ebay a while back. It had the same neck plate and bolts, bridge, etc, and a similar pickguard gap as the one in your pics. The main difference is mine had two string retainers, same as my 00'. I eventually got sick of the fingerprints and smudges and flipped the body on Ebay. The buyer had concerns regarding the authenticity of body due to the lack of countersunk neck bolt holes and a cheesy, visible seam in the 2 piece body. Thinking it might be Frankenbass, I emailed Modulus, asking whether the neck left the shop as a VJ or as an aftermarket neck. They confirmed that it left their shop as a black VJ. I also asked about the neck plate and lack of countersunk holes and they said they "did it both ways depending on what the dealer requested". It seems that somtime after, all VJs got the countersunk neck bolts.

I wonder if they outsourcing the VJ bodies of that vintage. :hmm:
 
#1,945
elgecko said:
Did your sharpie number look like this?

VJ1.jpg


I bought a black 97' VJ off Ebay a while back. It had the same neck plate and bolts, bridge, etc, and a similar pickguard gap as the one in your pics. The main difference is mine had two string retainers, same as my 00'. I eventually got sick of the fingerprints and smudges and flipped the body on Ebay. The buyer had concerns regarding the authenticity of body due to the lack of countersunk neck bolt holes and a cheesy, visible seam in the 2 piece body. Thinking it might be Frankenbass, I emailed Modulus, asking whether the neck left the shop as a VJ or as an aftermarket neck. They confirmed that it left their shop as a black VJ. I also asked about the neck plate and lack of countersunk holes and they said they "did it both ways depending on what the dealer requested". It seems that somtime after, all VJs got the countersunk neck bolts.

I wonder if they outsourcing the VJ bodies of that vintage. :hmm:
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outsourcing, hmmm. strange indeed. your neck pocket is evenly naked, mine had overspray with a mohawk of unfinished wood. does your bridge at least line up with the nut so the strings are evenly spaced across the pickups and neck?
 
#1,949
It's actually in my hometown guitar center, it's the first Modulus I ever played :p

Its a solid bass, plays very well, but it's taken a pretty good beating. Lots if dents and nicks on the body and headstock.

Still, I was very impressed how it played, being my first carbon necked bass!
 
#1,950
Well, I pulled the trigger on a brand new [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. The ACG EQ-02 was ordered today too! should sound killer with the barts. I had enough with dealing with used/eBay! Can anyone please tell me the type of hipshot detuner the VJ's use?
 
#1,951
dustinfennessey said:
Anyone have any experience with a Vertex? All I've ever had owned are Funks and VJs, but I'm interested in the Vertex :)
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Here are my brief thoughts from another thread.


superjesus said:
My local GC has had a Vertex in stock since they were released. I have played it once and was not at all impressed. I've owned both a Flea 4 and 5 so I was expecting something similar. The neck is wonderful but everything else seems uninspiring.

The bass is passive and the single pickup is positioned in between where a P and MM would be. So you'd sort of expect it to sound not quite like a P and not quite like a passive Ray. The bass just seemed unresponsive, nothing lively or exciting. I'd like to say it was just the strings, but it was something more than that. Maybe it sounds great in a mix, but I'll probably never know.

Additionally, the body is oddly shaped and balanced. Maybe it works better on a strap. I don't know. There was absolutely nothing inspiring about my experience with one. It's isn't a bad bass, but for the [nearly $2,000] price, I guess I just expect a lot more.

IMO, IME, and YMMV, of course.
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