NBD...I'm kinda pissed...what would you do?

[ltownbass]

Hi there,
I wanted a Yamaha TRB5Pii for ages and one came up on Reverb which was described as in mint condition so I bought it:
When it arrived the frets had been changed badly (Yamaha fretwork is one of the reasons I wanted that bass), there were dings all over the body and few places where the lacquer had come off and then been glued back on, the bridge saddles rattled when you play, the strap button had ripped out and had been filled in crudely with wood filler, the finish was cloudy on the front of the body and a few more other problems too.
I contacted the seller and he just "I'm sorry, I didn't know" and then gave me 5 star feedback.
About £300 later, it still doesn't play like a mint condition instrument but I'm still keeping it. I'm not sure whether I made the right decision. More have come up on Reverb for about £450 more than I paid

I feel your pain, brother

 

[Modulus 96]

Do these graphite necks have truss rods or some other adjustment process?

Hey OP, post up your neck issues (if any) in the Modulus Mob thread, we'll help you out.

Older Modulus basses don't have a truss, after a certain year they come with a double-action truss that has a center point where it does nothing before getting "tight" again. People not used to it think the thing is broken when they hit "center" when in fact it's normal.

 

[Modulus 96]

I don't think thats the original bridge. As long as you can setup the instrument I guess it doesn't matter. Again, the Modulus Mob can answer any questions.

 

[FenderP]

I don't think thats the original bridge. As long as you can setup the instrument I guess it doesn't matter. Again, the Modulus Mob can answer any questions.

If you took the time to read the thread you'd see OP has moved on already ...

 

[Eric Kjelstrom]

I remember why I never buy without playing it for at least half an hour. I have talked myself out of buying a bass many times.

 

[Drezy]

I bought brand new basses that needed some work done to be studio ready. Shielding, replacing the nut on the truss rod, etc.

 

[Keith Guitars]

So for those of you who actually did some reading before commenting and know what happened...

the bass arrived back to the seller yesterday (7/28.) The seller did initiate the refund (total refund, shipping and all.) The seller said he was able to lower the action, and he sent pictures to prove it. But he also added that he is an engineer. He said "I would never expect a bass player or a bass tech to be able to do what I did in my machine shop." He agreed that without his engineering skills and machine shop, the bass is as low as it can go. I would love a quantum 6 and hopefully someday I can find the right one, but now I'm very apprehensive about buying one.

I find this a bit confusing/alarming.
Modulus basses were well made, and shouldn't have required anything more than setup/adjustment to get the action pretty low.
That doesn't address the issue of relief, and many of them have more relief than is desirable for a very low setup.
BUT - I am hard pressed to think of anything a machinist/engineer could do to resolve excessive relief in a Modulus neck that has no rod.
He might have remilled the neck pocket angle or milled metal off the bottom of the bridge, but neither of those will address the fundamental issue.
I would be skeptical of his "solution".

(Oh, and just in case anyone's wondering...in addition to making my living building and repairing basses for the last 20 years, I've also owned a Modulus Q6 with no truss rod for about 22 years...so I am QUITE familiar with the whole equation!)

Cheers,
Martin

 

[bassbully]

Make the repairs ...she's a keeper.

 

[bwmbass]

Keep it, fix it play it

 

[sleddogn]

or...read it, understand it, and see bass is gone....damn peeps just don't read....

 

[gwangi]

WOW!!!! Really strange how this thread keeps on going & going & going..................
The OP already sent it back, why should he have kept the bass, it had severe problems, mainly the neck had issues due to shrinkage of the phenolic fingerboard causing the neck to bow.

 

[Franksvtartover]

First off report the seller to Reverb, ship it back, he pays to ship back, a full refund, I sell on Reverb, I would never sell something like that unless they explain every flaw and give it to you for a very low price.
Frank Arcidiacona

 

[sleddogn]

fast times quote, learn it, know it, live it, lol

 

[ped]

I've had loads of basses with graphite necks and no truss rod. Often the saddles don't go low enough especially if the bass is a neck thru. It's almost like they don't think players want a low action. Many times I've filed down bridge saddles to achieve a super low action. So, if the neck is dead straight just file down the bridge saddles. No messy shim needed and you're good to go.