Professional musicians are about the last people who can afford luxury goods, and most producers/engineers would rather not have you walk in with an exotic/active instrument. Of course there are some exceptions, which only prove the rule.
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Modulus; nice...but you are getting jacked....hard
- Thread starter Thir13teen
- Start date
Professional musicians are about the last people who can afford luxury goods, and most producers/engineers would rather not have you walk in with an exotic/active instrument. Of course there are some exceptions, which only prove the rule.
I bought a new VJ4 in 2002 from Planet Bass. It was my main bass until 2014 when I picked up an early 80s Modulus Bass Star PJ here in the classifieds. Both basses are rear routed and painted black. They're not very flashy but after 14 years as a Modulus owner I'll never play any other brand. To me the necks are that good.
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The OP could buy a G Gould bass for significantly less than his quoted Modulus price:
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Modulus probably went out of business in the first place because they did't charge enough, or couldn't sell enough at the price points they were offering.
Either way, you can't compare the price of a new modulus to one you assembled from parts purchased in a bankruptcy auction.
That said, all this supports what great value used Modulus basses are.
Either way, you can't compare the price of a new modulus to one you assembled from parts purchased in a bankruptcy auction.
That said, all this supports what great value used Modulus basses are.
I read somewhere that they just weren't making enough profit. The labor cost was just too high.
I have no opinion on Modulus basses because they just aren't my thing. I'm sure the quality is fantastic.
That being said, the question (for ANY brand) is worth asking and not worth taking personally. Why is it cool to piss and moan about price increases at Fender (in fact, bashing Fender in any way is cool here)? But how DARE a person call into question the value of a boutique!
Neither side is arguing facts. "Quality" and "value" are subjective terms. We're just talking here.
I'm not saying I agree with the OP. I'm just saying he can ask, and a discussion not so full of righteous indignation could be had. (That goes for you too, OP.)
Short version. Relax.
That being said, the question (for ANY brand) is worth asking and not worth taking personally. Why is it cool to piss and moan about price increases at Fender (in fact, bashing Fender in any way is cool here)? But how DARE a person call into question the value of a boutique!
Neither side is arguing facts. "Quality" and "value" are subjective terms. We're just talking here.
I'm not saying I agree with the OP. I'm just saying he can ask, and a discussion not so full of righteous indignation could be had. (That goes for you too, OP.)
Short version. Relax.
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
Overpriced, yes, buuuuuuut I just won't buy them, that's all. Plenty of them on the used market!
Then don't buy one. Problem solved.
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
Also, like people here have also said, there are alternatives, and very good ones at that...G. Gould, and especially Status, come to mind. You can even check out a basically-never-mentioned boutique builder from Ireland, called Emerald Guitars. Their owner, Alistair (forget his last name) makes something called the Flow Bass...all one-piece construction (truly), and it starts at $2200, pretty well loaded, and a pretty impressive-looking instrument. My quote was $2500.
There are other options, indeed.
There are other options, indeed.
Used modulus are a great value. I paid $1800 for a minty q5 last year and it's my top player these days.
Exactly. Whether it's Fodera, Alembic or Modulus or any other brand, if you want to hand build a bass with fine woods, fine components and high attention to detail, and do it in the USA, it's going to be very costly.
Once upon a time we had a "Mars Music" here and when they went under liquidators took control of the store and I saw them sell this bass to a fellow for $500 cash money. Great score that was.
Just a FYI: A neck purchased in 1985 for $500 would cost $1,123.28 in today's money adjusting for inflation.
Modulus basses have always been expensive and to those of who play them, worth the money. I was lucky enough to find one of their Flea Funk basses in Guitar Center (!) in 2009, which was in the $2k range at the time and I haven't put it down since!
Last point: If you compare their current prices against other boutique builders (Sadowsky, Lull, Roscoe, etc) the $4k pice point is pretty reasonable. A stock Sadowsky NYC is, for example, about $5,200.
PS: got any pics of your parts bass? Sounds cool.
Modulus basses have always been expensive and to those of who play them, worth the money. I was lucky enough to find one of their Flea Funk basses in Guitar Center (!) in 2009, which was in the $2k range at the time and I haven't put it down since!
Last point: If you compare their current prices against other boutique builders (Sadowsky, Lull, Roscoe, etc) the $4k pice point is pretty reasonable. A stock Sadowsky NYC is, for example, about $5,200.
PS: got any pics of your parts bass? Sounds cool.
My recollection is that I contacted them in the late 90s and they wouldn't sell necks, only complete basses. That's how I ended up with my Moses neck. I could be wrong or that could have been their policy at that time. I think it had to do with a non Fender proprietary neck pocket too.
$.249 When I started driving. I was a pothead going to college, working full-time, and playing in illegal honky tonks. I bought gas four gallons at a time ($1.00 worth).
