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

#127
Have we determined if this has a truss rod? Hard to tell from the pics but I don't think I see one. If not, and the neck is bowed, you are looking at a real problem. Not insurmountable (I had a M-92 fixed) but it's still a real operation.

The pots you can clean up with Deoxit (as has been mentioned).

When I got my used/neglected Modulus Q6 (I've been there!) the one saving grace was the neck. It has a truss rod and it has been totally stable. I had to replace a pot with a broken post as well as order a new Hipshot bridge. But it was totally worth it! I bought mine for $1500 and put another $200-ish into the repairs. I'm pretty sure I'm well ahead of that in current value so I'm glad I got it. I hope you will be too!
 
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#129
casualmadness said:
View attachment 3915881


Sigh...so yeah, I just got my long awaited Modulus Graphite 6 Quantum. Been wanting one of these for a while. Finally arrived today. First, the idiot UPS guy literally left it almost on the curb in front of my house. Luckily I was home and saw on the Ring camera that he was out there. I went out and confronted him for leaving it literally just a few feet from the curb rather than bringing it to my door and ringing the doorbell and getting a signature, as is required. His excuse? "Oh I heard your dogs barking and I was afraid they would get out." Really?!? But UPS is another rant...

So anyway, I bought this bass used on Reverb. Lots of back and forth with the seller. He talked about how immaculate this thing was. He described it as "perfect." I asked in convo if there were any issues...anything I should know? "Nope! It's perfect!"

So I pulled the trigger. Today I find, that right out of the bo, the action is high enough to drive my truck under. I mean it's like cheap Squire Guitar Center high action. It's crazy But not a big deal. As I'm holding it and moving it around in my hands giving it a once over, I hear something tumbling. After not seeing anytjing obvious, I open the cavity.

The tumbling was the battery tumbling around in there. The gross, little corrosion on it battery has nothing to secure it. Next I see that the foam is brittle and broken into a thousand tiny, microscopic little pieces. It seems this bass has been neglected. So I cleaned out all the foam pieces and put a new battery in. Plug it in and am delighted to hear it sounds wonderful-like a Modulus sounds. But the pots are very scratchy. Like I'm playing and the volume just decreases on its own. I touch the volume pot and the volume comes back. Turning any of the pots, its very very scratchy.

I immediately reach out to the seller. He's being cordial but he did suggest that maybe this happened during transit. Nope! Try again dude. We're going back and forth at the moment. I will say, he seems to be very cooperative and seems he genuinely wants to make things right. As I type this, I'm cooling down.

So my first thought is; this is a bass I've wanted for a long time. The price I paid is much cheaper than what I see other quantum 6 strings selling for on Reverb. So there's a part of me that say's "Just fix it and drive on" The finish is immaculate-no scratches, no dings, nothing It looks amazing. And it has that Modulus piano sound on the notes that I can actually fret. I really am enamored with this thing. On top of everything else, the finish matches my Fodera 6 Emperor. Sending it back would be a hassle and his store policy is the buyer pays to return and refunds are minus shipping. So I'm out a couple hundred $$ if I return it. If I keep it an fix it...I haven't had electronic work done on basses so no clue what this would cost to fix. But my assumption is, maybe it would be cheaper to fix than to return.

So what would you do?

eta: pics or it didn't happen...
Click to expand...

Oh man do I feel your pain I got burnt on a Modulus with a screwed up neck not too far back, I so badly wanted things to work but since I couldn't get any help from the seller, I just returned it.

I realized after this that from doing my homework on these, they do require a fair bit of TLC but once you get them dialed in, they are epic instruments.
 
#130
casualmadness said:
Well I said it was no big deal initially thinking a good setup would square it away. Not thinking at the time that this bass has no truss rod. After reading through some comments, I realize that (to my eyes at least) the bridge seem to be as low as it can go. This sets off alarm bells in my mind as now I wonder if there is a neck issue. I can do basic setups and have on most all of the basses I've owned. But I'm not a guy who goes deep into working on basses. Anything more than just a basic setup., I take it to the pro. So intially I thought "No worries. I'll lower the action. But now I realize there could be an issue with the neck. Now it's a big deal.
Click to expand...
Kahler bridge is not like any other....it would be hard to tell that the saddle is bottomed out.Tech should be able to figure it out
 
#132
I just wanted to add that, if the battery corroded and the foam dissolved there may have been outgassing internally that could affect the electronics. Something for the tech to search for.

Also, @casualmadness... have you consulted these guys?

Modulus Graphite

"Is Modulus back in business?
Yes. The company is again named Modulus® Graphite, LLC, a tip of the cap to the original days of innovation. We are dedicated to bringing Modulus back as an American made boutique bass company, and ensuring the level of quality that you have come to know and trust when purchasing a Modulus instrument."
 
#137
went directly to commenting so you've likely decided to cut your losses, fix it, and enjoy your luck of getting it fairly cheap, no shipping damage, and no curb-side theft. it's typical to do whatevers to any bass new or used we get to make it perfect for ourselves, so no biggie there. have fun!
 
#139
TrustRod said:
Looks like eighties or maybe early nineties. Do you know the year? I remember seeing these at least as far back as the '86 NAMM and drooling. Even back then the lack of a truss rod freaked people out.
Click to expand...
The seller said it's a '93. I always wanted a 90's era quantum. Something about that era.,,I dunno, they just speak to me. As I've said, I really hope the tech tells me the issues on this one are an easy fix. I really want it to work out.
 
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