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Modulus; nice...but you are getting jacked....hard

#41
Rayjay said:
My recollection is that I contacted them in the late 90s and they wouldn't sell necks, only complete basses.
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That's the way Status was back in the late 80s. Not to mention the fact that they had a six-months backlog back in those days.

Thirty years later, the (highly interesting IMO) concept of graphite necks and/or entire instruments is not all that anymore, and those who have failed to adjust to new market realities have gone under...
 
#43
I bought a used Modulus Quantum 6 spi years ago. It was my main player for over ten years. Paid $1700 for it, which is still the most I have ever paid for a bass. Sold it for two grand, How often does that happen went buying and used basses?

There are plenty of times I wonder if I should have kept it, it was (is?) truly a fantastic bass, well worth $2K (maybe $4K now?). Everything about the bass oozed quality. Solid as a rock, with a finish to die for on a flamed Koa / Alder body.
 
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#44
Rayjay said:
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.
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Modulus has always (prior to the Planet Bass revival) sold replacement necks for use on Fender-style 4-string instruments. First under the BassStar monicker, and then later under the Quantum and Genesis names. I have Modulus catalogs from 2002, 2008, and 2012 and those all show graphite replacement necks: $799 in '02, down to $699 in '08, back up to $799 in '12...available in 34" scale 4-string only. And my recollection is that the original BassStar necks had an MSRP of around $500-600.

Perhaps you were asking about a Quantum SPi neck, which is 35" scale length and definitely has a non-Fender proprietary neck pocket?
 
#45
Kirk Bryant said:
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#50
The replacement necks are probably about $1k these days (new), maybe more. I've seen them go for about $7-800 on ebay fairly recently (used).

There is definitely more to their instruments than just the neck though. They use top notch electronics and hardware as well as high quality woods for their bodies. Their finish jobs are also among the best there is.

And it isn't just the sum of the parts; you can't just slap parts together and end up with a perfect bass, though it would seem so on paper. Modulus spends a lot of effort to make theur instruments tight, smooth, clean and flawless playing. I guarantee the OP that his franken-moddy is not as smooth as a brand new Modulus.

Still, I agree, the new price bracket for the current Modulus company is a bit ridiculous and you're way better off getting a used one.
 
#51
The only thing I know of Modulus (modern or not) is that Moses Graphite actually makes direct replacement necks for them. Yes, one graphite manufacturer makes direct replacement (and designed headstocks) necks for another graphite manufacturers neck. Albeit entirely different, but it's a first for me...one can wonder really what's the point? :unsure:

Maybe another thread, but have anyone of you swapped out your Modulus neck with a Moses neck, and found the outcome considerably better?
 
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#52
#55
Be aware of Modulus basses with the truss rod on anything of age - I had 2 that had been torqued quite a bit (truss rod adjustments) to the point that they were "free wheeling" - that is to say, you could move the truss rod almost with your finger they were so loose - bought them both used and was not told about the issue - I guess, due to the carbon fiber material, once they get adjusted enough, they dig out the carbon to the point they are useless - found that out not too earlier on that Peavey G bass had the custom neck from Modulus - had same issue -- so if you get one, be careful about how the truss rod can render itself useless after many many turns
 
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#56
It seems that G. Gould's can be hit or miss. Mine was a total miss. That said, I bought my VJ4 Modulus neck direct from Anderson for $400, but list was $699. That was when I worked in the industry in 1999. Still have it. Love it. IMHO, Modulus basses are worth every penny of the market they are sold in. I cannot afford a new one, but I have 10 older ones (I prefer pre-1994). Now I have 2 G. Gould's and I prefer the 1998 over the 2016. If I had money, I would buy more. That is the simple truth about all of this. If you have the money, $6k for a bass may not be a bad deal for one person and outrageous to another.
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#57
There is currently a Modulus VJ4 for sale in the classifieds asking $1500. It has been for sale for 9 months. No takers. I was researching the VJ's as I had interest in them. Normal asking is around $1100-$1200. No idea what they actually sell for once the deal is done on TB.
 
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#58
Ballin'bass said:
I guarantee the OP that his franken-moddy is not as smooth as a brand new Modulus.
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Eh, I wouldn't be nearly so confident. A), I've seen a couple Modulus basses over the years with less-than-stellar woodwork and/or QC, and B) I've played a couple 70s-era BassStar-equipped frankenbasses that were astonishingly nice instruments.

Honch said:
The only thing I know of Modulus (modern or not) is that Moses Graphite actually makes direct replacement necks for them.
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[edit: disregard all this blather, el gecko explained what you were talking about.]
You sure about that? Are you talking about the current Planet Bass-owned Modulus company, or is your contention that Moses made those Modulus necks in the past? Color me skeptical; Moses and Modulus have historically had very different approaches to neck construction.
 
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#59
Bob_Ross said:
...You sure about that? Are you talking about the current Planet Bass-owned Modulus company, or is your contention that Moses made those Modulus necks in the past? Color me skeptical; Moses and Modulus have historically had very different approaches to neck construction.
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Moses makes necks that will bolt onto a Modulus Quantum body. Strange but true. Have a look for yourself:

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Having owned Modulus and Moses basses, I couldn't imagine swapping out a Modulus for a Moses neck but different strokes for different folks.

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#60
I agree with the OP but then again, I agreed with the OP when you could still get a VJ from the first incarnation of Modulus. I owned an factory VJ and it was nice but nothing really "special". I decapitated it and built a P, which you couldn't get from Modulus at the time, with a Fender MIJ body and Fralin pickups. It was every bit as nice as the VJ was.

Eventually, I craved a J again but still refused to pay for Modulus VJ so I bought the parts and built my own. I will freely admit that the cheap Guitar Fetish body is not as objectively nice as the Fender MIJ or Modulus factory VJ was but given the amount of money I have in it, I really don't care. It's a player and sounds identical to the factory VJ I used to have.

Having said that, if I wanted another Quantum, I'd pay up and get an actual Quantum. There is no substitute where Quantums are concerned!

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