A Jazz About Rockets

One of the most innovative advances in the realm of the bass guitar has been the carbon fiber neck. From that day in 1976 when bass-playing rocket scientist Geoff Gould (he was a carbon fiber designer on the Voyager probe) first wondered, “What if …” the electric bass has had a different sound. The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh played one of the first carbon fiber-necked basses and from that point forward, some of the most accomplished and creative bassists in the world have played a Modulus instrument. From players like Alphonso Johnson, David Ellefson and Flea, to masters like Oteil Burbridge, Mike Gordon and Me‘Shell NdegéOcello. And a most outstanding player, Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament. To this day, Modulus Quantum basses are made using the same aerospace “hand layup” process as in the beginning. Each neck is still hand laminated with layers of carbon fiber “pre-preg” and cured in a Modulus autoclave. The distinctively spacey exterior layer of carbon fiber is known around the shop as KLD or “a thousand (k) ladies dancing.” This artistic touch has been a Modulus trademark for over 15 years. In 1996, Modulus president Rich Lasner designed the Genesis neck system that takes advantage of carbon fiber’s extremely high strength and the sonic benefits of lightweight tone woods, woods so light that would not be able to stand the tension applied by the strings. Rich’s carbon fiber skeleton supports the string tension and the tone woods give the neck shape and controlled resonance. When you first pick up a Genesis instrument, you’ve got to look closely to see the carbon fiber. But play one note and you’ll hear it for sure. While both systems deliver the benefits of carbon fiber construction, each has subtle differences in tone. Quantum instruments tend to be brighter, with an extended harmonic mix. Genesis instruments tend to be warmer, with a greater fundamental pitch focus.

And with this cultural refreshment I'll now talk about the Modulus Vintage J Bass. This bass is inspired in the shape of a Fender Jazz bass, but the construction is quiet different. The standard options for this bass are as follow. This bass may come in both options, a Quantum KLD neck or a Genesis neck for a warmer tone. 21 frets in a composite fingerboard and a 34in scale. Routed alder body. Tortoiseshell, black or white pickguard. Equipped with Dunlop straplocks. It comes with passive Bartolini pickups. Some upgrades come with active eq's and electronics (Bartolini, Villex and Aguilar), different body woods, flame and quilt maple tops, chechen finguerboards, or no-pickguard-rear-routed electronics. There is also a Genesis 5 string version with fancy woods. The important thing here is the neck, you could put a bullet there and it would bounce right back to your face. It's impervious to dents, cracks, moisture and heat, allowing it to keep its sound throughout the years. The Genesis is subtle to those things but there are people like me, who certainly love the sound of an aging neck. You'll se that the Genesis neck is a clear wood with a dark stripe in it (that would be the carbon fiber core. This instruments are not as expensive as its Quatum Bass or Flea Bass brethren, but they still are fairly pricy, we're speaking here of some $1500usd at least, but they are worth it. The only bad thing about this solid babes is that if you are involved in an argument with your old lady and this is the closest thing around, the bass ain't gonna break, you will x_X.