Ambling through the local music stores this week, I came across a (very heavily) used Moses Kei "travel" bass - 5 string. Curiously, it seems to have bent out of shape - to the extent that the lowest action that can be set at the 24th fret was around 8mm (!!!). I think it must have been stored somewhere under extreme heat... However, the neck felt very, very comfortable, and was not warped, with minimal relief (when under tension). Since the shop tech had no idea what the various controls etc. on the bass were, he had a little poke around - please see attached pics. We found a "preamp" module, apparently branded "Mobius", an unnamed MM-type rear pickup, and some sort of piezo-thing near the fretboard. I wonder whether anyone here would have any insight as to what these things are? Given how nice the neck felt, I was considering getting this bass as a "project" (frankenbass?) - most likely, to hack off the neck and bolt it onto some unsuspecting (salvage) body. But i'm not sure whether, given how the Moses necks are constructed, removing the body would compromise the structure of the neck? And indeed whether the pickups/electronics are worth the effort... Any input welcome {} {} {} {} {} {}
just a gentle bump, to see whether anyone who missed this over the NY break would have any isight as to what i'm looking at here, esp. the electronics. Many thanks, and Happy New Year
That's one trippy bass, I've never seen one before. Looks like good bones. What makes you think the bend in the body isn't there on purpose?
How about just calling Moses directly and talk to them? Seeing as how it's only one of 29 I'd be hesitant to cut it up.
I did get in touch with Moses via their Facebook account. They said to post them the pics, which I did a while back, and never heard back I figured if anyone, they would be able to tell me what this is, but they haven't responded yet. Maybe they will, eventually. Meanwhile... The bend is probably not intended, since in the current state the lowest the action can be set is around 8mm at the 24th fret line... The sales guy in the shop also pointed it out, and said that "this bass is damaged, hard to play, body is bent." There also appeared to be a carbon truss inside the body under the bridge pickup, which has fractured right about where the bend is. With the stings so high, the neck pickup is very quiet. The rear humbucker is rather huge and a lot bigger than the bridge pickups I could find on any other pics of this bass. Wondering whether the pickup was a mod added later and weakened the body enough to bend it. Either way, I'm feeling a strange attraction towards getting this thing and trying to see what could be made of it Anyone have any idea of what the Mobius preamp is? Can't find any information on it online.
I know that story, the good old story of how Moses saved the bass from the hacks hands: Go down Moses Way down to the low B Tell all luthers to Straight that body up! When the bass was in the hacks hands Straight that body up! Oppressed so hard that it would bend Straight that body up! So the the bass man said: go down, Moses Way down to luther's land Tell all luthers to Straight that body up! So moses went to luther's land Straight that body up! He made all luthers understand Straight that body up! So the the bass man said: go down, Moses Way down to luther's land Tell all luthers to Straight that body up! Thus spoke the bassman, bold Moses said: Straight that body up! if not I'll smite, your main bass broke Straight that body up! So the the bass man said: go down, Moses Way down to luther's land Tell all luthers to Straight that body up! Tell all luthers to Straight that body up! If he could split the waters, sure enough he would be able to straight up that bass's body too
