+1 to all.
Modulus is great stuff, but different from Zon, in ways that result in me personally preferring Zon over Modulus.
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Modulus is great stuff, but different from Zon, in ways that result in me personally preferring Zon over Modulus.
The first time I touched a Zon was several years ago when I worked for Bass Player magazine for a summer. They had a Sonus in their testing room, among several other basses. Not being very familiar at the time, it never even crossed my mind that it might have a composite neck, whether by tone or feel. Not so with Modulus, although there's merit in their approach as well (albeit quite different, and not to my taste).
- Dec 21, 2007
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I have owned three Modulus Genesis 5's and really liked them.I ended up having buzzing problems with the last one.A cold front would move in and it would buzz.So I got a Modulus Vintage Jazz with the all composite neck.Good bass.Excellent playability.Really loved the neck .Was playing speed metal with three guitar players who were fast like nobodys business and loud as they could go.That bass worked very well for that.Never thought I would be able to keep up with them but that bass made it possible and worked excellent for what we were doing.It certainly stood out nicely.
Came across that 2005 interview in a search and read it .Really great interview ,very in depth .I love reading success stories of people making their love their life .If you like what you do for a living that is one of the keys to life .That is a very elusive thing for many people .
I read every post on the whole Zon club the other nite .There were alot of cool posts and alot of cool basses .One of my favorite Zon basses was the red one from the Lady in Florida.I also found myself laughing outloud a couple times at the comedy .I believe it was the comment that a fellow had about an eight string bass and not wanting to play his wifes ironing board.FUNNY !
Mastering four strings seems a lifelong task .Sometimes the proper teacher is key .I wasnt very good at math until for a year this one middle school teacher handed back every work sheet assigned until you got every single problem assigned correct and showed your work ,or else you got a zero on it .Eventually we got really good at math because we were forced to learn every aspect of his intense cirriculum and then being really good at it made it fun .
Mastering four strings seems a lifelong task .Sometimes the proper teacher is key .I wasnt very good at math until for a year this one middle school teacher handed back every work sheet assigned until you got every single problem assigned correct and showed your work ,or else you got a zero on it .Eventually we got really good at math because we were forced to learn every aspect of his intense cirriculum and then being really good at it made it fun .
Iam a pretty big Rush fan .Actually that is a major understatement .There are so many tones to be influenced by in bass history .My favorite all time bass tone is Subdivisions by Rush.Not to say there are not many others probably hundreds and new ones all the time .
Tone is a finnicky and elusive thing.It is interesting that my all time favorite tone comes from a 72 Fender jazz bass(Iam pretty sure that is what Ged used on that song)but that I prefer ash for my own bass tone .Jazz basses are described as having growl.Its interesting to me - words used to describe tone ,especially by some manufacturers or whoever.Used to have a Hartke amp that had a" transient attack"logo on the front -?? ok then I guess that explains it?Race cars do look cool with stuff on them though.Having a Fender Geddy Lee jazz bass a couple times I found it hard to get it to growl especially thru a super clean amp .It sounded like a clean Fender Jazz and sounded good but I couldnt get it to "growl" very well .I was thinking hey this doesnt sound like "vital signs"? what the ?I could get my Stingray5 to get more of a "Growl"but it seemed that it also needed some tube "saturation" or "warmth " to get it to really growl. A Fender Jazz seemed to be more of a "mwah"tone to me than a "growl" tone .Someone who makes basses is a pretty qualified person to state in word description how woods affect tone.Years ago Michael Tobias had a list of woods and how he felt they affected tone .He stated that ash created growl and having owned alder and ash body basses I had to agree with him 100%on that .So where I was going with this was what woods do you have or owned in a bass and how would you describe them .There are so many tone factors in a bass .Even thinking of string type.Wouldnt matter what a guitar was made of if it didnt have strings it wouldnt sound at all.The Zon I have ordered is ash with a cocobolo top.Iam not familiar with cocobolo but it has been described as dark and cuts thru well ?This was from Joe and another prominant luthier who talked of its tone qualities.So Iam assuming my bass is going to be a real aggressive "darkhorse" for rock and metal wich suits me fine .I would think it would be good for anything .Time will tell.
Tone is a finnicky and elusive thing.It is interesting that my all time favorite tone comes from a 72 Fender jazz bass(Iam pretty sure that is what Ged used on that song)but that I prefer ash for my own bass tone .Jazz basses are described as having growl.Its interesting to me - words used to describe tone ,especially by some manufacturers or whoever.Used to have a Hartke amp that had a" transient attack"logo on the front -?? ok then I guess that explains it?Race cars do look cool with stuff on them though.Having a Fender Geddy Lee jazz bass a couple times I found it hard to get it to growl especially thru a super clean amp .It sounded like a clean Fender Jazz and sounded good but I couldnt get it to "growl" very well .I was thinking hey this doesnt sound like "vital signs"? what the ?I could get my Stingray5 to get more of a "Growl"but it seemed that it also needed some tube "saturation" or "warmth " to get it to really growl. A Fender Jazz seemed to be more of a "mwah"tone to me than a "growl" tone .Someone who makes basses is a pretty qualified person to state in word description how woods affect tone.Years ago Michael Tobias had a list of woods and how he felt they affected tone .He stated that ash created growl and having owned alder and ash body basses I had to agree with him 100%on that .So where I was going with this was what woods do you have or owned in a bass and how would you describe them .There are so many tone factors in a bass .Even thinking of string type.Wouldnt matter what a guitar was made of if it didnt have strings it wouldnt sound at all.The Zon I have ordered is ash with a cocobolo top.Iam not familiar with cocobolo but it has been described as dark and cuts thru well ?This was from Joe and another prominant luthier who talked of its tone qualities.So Iam assuming my bass is going to be a real aggressive "darkhorse" for rock and metal wich suits me fine .I would think it would be good for anything .Time will tell.
The last bass I owned was a Modulus vintage jazz .The body was alder with a fashion maple top.It sounded good deep and clean but there was no growl .I often wondered if an ash body would have made it growl?
One of the Genesis fives I owned had a soma body with a czhechen finger board and some type of cedar on the back of the neck .I dont know how to describe that combination other than it sounded absolutely awesome .Almost like a natural compression.When I would slap that basses open B this singer would just go nuts -he couldnt get over that tone .I had the same bass made with other woods and it sounded completely different .We are living in a time of very exciting advances in bass guitar .These modern day warriors these luthiers bring to us these exciting advances .The bass scene is so much more exciting now than in the eighties.
One of the Genesis fives I owned had a soma body with a czhechen finger board and some type of cedar on the back of the neck .I dont know how to describe that combination other than it sounded absolutely awesome .Almost like a natural compression.When I would slap that basses open B this singer would just go nuts -he couldnt get over that tone .I had the same bass made with other woods and it sounded completely different .We are living in a time of very exciting advances in bass guitar .These modern day warriors these luthiers bring to us these exciting advances .The bass scene is so much more exciting now than in the eighties.
bobunit said:
It is. Ideally I would have gotten a 519-34 with 24 frets, but this will be just fine.
The_Owl said:
Yep. Specs are:
Ash body
Koa top and headstock
Bart pickups and preamp
35", 19mm, 22 frets
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