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Thinking of Modulus

#21
I owned a pair of Modulus Quantum 5 basses, one with barts and the other with EMG. I sold them because string spacing at the bridge was 17mm... my right hand could never get comfortable.

More comments:

Fit and finish were excellent. Both had really pretty quilted maple tops... four A's out of five on my scale. Super-tight neck pocket, smooth curves, gorgeous deep poly finish that brings out the grain of the wood.

Weight, as noted, was on the heavy side. I believe this was due to the alder/maple body... graphite necks are usually hollow and lightweight. Balance was excellent due to the long upper horn.

Nut width was 1-7/8" which was perfect for my fretting hand. I had no problems with deadspots. The graphite neck has a gloss finish, and I prefer satin, but that's not a big deal. Neck profile was on the slim side of medium, I guess. Bottom line is that I'm not crazy about truly slim necks, but my left hand was happy on the Quantum.

Tone was transparent, hi-fi, modern on both basses. The EMG electronics were a little more aggressive. Also, the EMG bass had a parametric midrange control - very cool. The bart bass had a basic 2 band EQ... nice but limited in comparison with EMG (note that some Quantums with barts do have 3 band EQs). Warning about the transparency: the Quantum is an unforgiving bass, technique-wise. But I wouldn't consider that a bad thing. And really, any bass can be warmed up with tubes or tube emulation, tone tweaking, etc.

Finally: the Modulus Quantum has the best B string of any bass I've played. Now... I still haven't played a Dingwall or any other bass with a B string longer than 35". But I've played tons of boutique fivers and the Quantum's B is as good or better (usually better) than all of 'em in terms of sustain and clarity. That applies to all of the strings, actually... the string-to-string balance was amazing.
 
#22
weasel flejtuch said:
Helo, i'm new on talkbass and i'm sorry for my poor and lame english :) Could someone who has modulus FB-4 record some samples? I would like to listen that from anyone who isn't Flea :)
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Invalid Link Removed


http://clanesb.free.fr/bass/fichiers/09022007201030237459b4571d11832c8bde4e693b0d34.mp3

Those are my soundclips (with basslines pups).. i'm a terrible player, just judge the sound, :p
The sound isn't too loud, sorry
The first one is how does it sound in slapping
and the second one, with fingers.

Anyway, the bass, is just fantastic!
 
#23
I was looking for a 24 fret modern bass that did not sound like a Fender jazz bass and I found it in my semi-hollow Q5. Mine came with an Aguilar 2 band and a pair of Aero soapbars which I removed and replaced with a Bartolini 3 band and two Bart soapbars. I'm finding that I almost never have to boost any frequencies to get sounds that are usable either through a PA or my Eden amp (which has the EQ bypassed). The bass is much lighter than my Warmoth J copy and I really like the extended open upper range of the fretboard which makes solos and chords a breeze. Some people say that Modulus basses sound sterile or "they don't have soul" (whatever that means:rollno: ), but I'm not hearing that at all.

Modulus basses definitely have a sound so I'd try one out to see if it is your thing or not. For me, it made a great contrast to one of the best J basses I have ever played - my Warmoth J.
 
#24
Don't pass up Modulus for Zon just yet without some heavy A/B'ing. Remember, Modulus made the Zon's graphite neck for years. They're definitely the Granddaddy in the scheme of things.

What I like about them:
Quantums- arguably smoothest and fullest sounding bass around through a good rig. These are pro instruments, a top tier I'd say, so you need more than the Fender Rumble 100 to make it shine! ;)
Heavier of the models, but it's bigger w/ the 35" scale, and I love double hums, so it's my fave. Plus playability is second to none.

Fleas- lightweight, fast and aggressive. If you like to rip on a bass, this is it. More of the "traditional" feel of a P or J neck, but a lot better feel and playability. It's not so much of a change to the "D" type neck of the Quantum.

V(intage)J(azz)- If you just want a Fenfer but better?? Here it is. :) Name speaks for itself.

I have a Flea 5 and Dingwall 5, and like having both as go-to's for options. I'll never get rid of an "all wood" bass, but if I were ever to be sponsored/endorsed, they would hands down be my first call. Perfect touring bass as well, as you don't need adjustments per climate or time zone change, as the graphite doesn't move.

Also, most all of them (I believe) have an available chechen top on the fingerboard to help have a more "woody" sound to it. I haven't played one so can't A/B how much of a difference it is, I just know it is a popular option. :)

Just play one- won't regret it!!
 
#26
i have a quantum 4 with emgs and a quantum 6 sweetspot with lane poor and bartolini electronics.

the 6 is fantastic. it sounds amazing and it sits well in the mix and cut exactly right. i'm thinking of swapping out the bartolini preamp in favor of an aguilar. i'm on a passive kick and i wonder what this bass would sound like. it's got a wood fingerboard. that and the electronics make for a surprisingly warm tone. people call modulus basses sterile and unnatural. then they hear me playing it through 2 ampeg 15's and realize that they were just plain wrong.

the quantum 4 is probably the most playable 4 string i have ever owned. the neck is kinda slender. i would call it less than P-ish and more than J-ish. the satin finish is fast. i'm also thinking of switching out the emgs for some nordstrand fat singles and an aguilar preamp. the passive thing again.

both basses are extremely rewarding to play. they are supremely responsive and i can cover just about any tone that i want. except that passive thing. weight has never been an issue for me, but i'm 6'3".

i will never part with these two basses.
 
#29
chunkstyle said:
oh yea... the B-string.

besides a Dingwall, nothing beats the low B on a Modulus. and the tone is even from one string to the next. the difference between open E and the E on the 5th fret of the B string is imperceptible.
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+1.

As from having owned both at the same time (or within a week of each other), this is fact. :)
 
#30
funkalicious101 said:
im also thinking of a modulus Q5. but im not very interested in the low b. would it still sound alright if i threw on a high c instead? or are the electronics not made for that?
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Electronics don't care what you have on your bass. My ex-Q5 fretless was strung E-C before I got it, and I even left it for a week or two before going back to BEADG and it sounded incredible!
 
#32
rockstarbassist said:
Electronics don't care what you have on your bass. My ex-Q5 fretless was strung E-C before I got it, and I even left it for a week or two before going back to BEADG and it sounded incredible!
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hmmm, thank you. but what i meant was maybe the pickups or electronics might not be made for higher frequencies

but the more i think about it, it just makes less and less sense

now all i have to do is figure out how to pay for one
 
#33
funkalicious101 said:
hmmm, thank you. but what i meant was maybe the pickups or electronics might not be made for higher frequencies

but the more i think about it, it just makes less and less sense

now all i have to do is figure out how to pay for one
Click to expand...

Yeah but anything not exclusively custom made (which is venturing into the 8 and above range) is going to be fine. It's just like your amp, which is just channeling signals no matter what they are, whatever you put into it.
 
#34
One thing I'd like to add is that IME (I've owned 2 quantums) Modulus basses are tough as hell. Both of mine looked virtually new after lots of play time, in one case years of it.
The finish is very durable and the wiring and electronics are built to last. I see lots of Modulus basses used for sale with small chips on the edges of the neck, or small places where a piece of layered graphite flaked off. this might be a concern, but I never experienced it with either of my basses. We're talking about very small dings on basses that were probably treated pretty roughly. Also Modulus still offers a lifetime warranty on their necks to the original owner as far as I know.
The one way I would improve a modulus bass is to put a passive option in there so you could go passive if your batteries started to go. Other than that I echo most of the observations already sited here. If you really, really want to hear yourself night in and night out in any mix you can't beat a Quantum.
9996253_ddfe740b59.jpg
 
#35
I have a Q6 Sweet Spot that I got someone to carry back by plane from in from the US in January. I'm in Malaysia. I got it second hand and from what I can gauge, the original owner bought it in 1999.

Here's what impressed me. The bass is as good as new. You'd never know that it was second hand (with the exception of one single scratch) or that it was 8 years old.

Normally I'd have to spend at least two weeks to set the bass up and acclimatize it to our humid weather. When I opened the case for the first time, I could just as well have gone on stage.

Aside from crediting the original owner for taking such great care of the instrument, I'd say that this is testament to how great the graphite works. The thing never goes out of tune!

I love the sound and got great compliments the first time I played it. It really has punch and can easily cut through the mix.

Modulus is worth checking out.
 
#37
I've owned all three types of modulus basses. A VJ4 and I still own a Genesis 5 and quantum 6 fretless.

All basses are extremely well made. The b string is awesome! Personally, I would recommend a wood fingerboard. It feels a little better IMO under your fingers. The stablity of the carbon fiber neck is great with the fretless and but definitely not as warm. With a fretted neck, I like the tone better with the chechen fingerboard (on a quantum). I would definitely get the bartolini pickups instead of the EMGs. The EMGs can be really sterile sounding on Modulus basses.

I have taken the Genesis 5 literally to the other side of the world during the winter and didn't have one problem or need to make adjustments to the neck.

Great basses
 
#39
Add me into the Modulus Flea fan club
I bought a Flea - 4 in Feb 2001 w/a Single Seymour Duncan MM pickup in Bartolini 2-Band EQ.and Flea - 5 w/Barts (J/MM)in 2002, sold the Flea-5 in early 2004 and ordered another w/a Single Seymour Duncan MM pickup in Aguilar 3-Band EQ. The 5-String has the BEST neck I have ever played !!

I own 9 Basses and I keep bringing out the Flea-4 every gig NO MATTER what the gig is . . the Flea-4 Always seems like the perfect fit . . I play in two very different groups and many venues around CNY . . .Tonight it's the Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse !!!
 

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