Anyone love their composite/graphite basses but feel a bit lost in the "modern vintage sound consensus" aka fenderish

[Morten André Lekang]

I have developed a little unhealthy Obsession with how my bass sounds in different situations. I get very fixated with this, and have especially struggled with it in band situations. I find all sorts of problem areas and have spendt a lot of time and money trying to identify the problem. That involves of course a lot of purchases (basses, amps, cabinets). The thing is i keep coming back to my -05 modulus quantum bass and i really like the clear and modern sound of that bass. Other musicians i play with in different prosjects may or may not be on the same page with this. Some have even clearly stated their antisipation. I am well aware of that composite basses are less regarded today. What do you guys think about the subject. For me i have found the solution that works best for me. I bring my fender jazzbass where i know that my modulus is not so well regarded and use the modulus where i know it is accepted. The good thing is that i have learnt some tricks to use whenever i am dissapointed with my sound and that is not exclusively for my quantum (graphic and parametric equlizer pedals and pedals in general for the most part).

 

By the way new here even though i have read on the forum for years 🙂

[CPCustomdubwise]

Hi Morten,

As a less-frequent contributor here, let me join the welcome I am sure you will receive from many.

With regard to your post, my response is that, with genuine respect, you seem very concerned with the opinions of others about YOUR sound and style....but these things are yours. I am not suggesting we never seek the approval of others, because we know that we often do, but not to the point that it seems to be affecting you. You like your Modulus, so use it when you want to. The only people who even notice such things will be fellow musicians and producers (and probably a minority even of those)....audiences won't notice or care to know...they will hear music, part of which will be in the lower register, and they won't be analysing it.

Your fellow musicians will surely prefer that you play in a way that ensures you are comfortable and confident with your instrument, your sound.

I have several electric basses and use synth and sequenced bass sounds and a double bass as well...but that is to get texture and expression as a part of the music I am attempting to make...I try to communicate something, but certainly not that I am complying with rigid orthodoxies.

If you feel that constrained by the circumstances in which you are making music, it may be worth thinking about changing those circumstances?

Cheers

Crispin

Edited March 8, 2022 by CPCustomdubwise

[Geek99]

@Morten André Lekangyoure just being a tone-hound; nothing like “an unhealthy obsession”

[itu]

Would it sound strange, if you would go and tell the drummer, that the hihat is ugly, or the keyboardist should only play Rhodes?

 

I parted from my Quantum 5 only, because the string spacing was 17 mm. Now I play a Genesis 5, which has 19 mm spacing and suits me better. I did not ask my fellow players whether it fits their taste.

[Delberthot]

Some members will probably heard me say this before but but as someone who has owned over 170 basses - fretted, fretless, 4, 5, 6, 8 & 12 strings, semi acoustic, solid body & acoustic - I've bought every one of my basses becasue I wanted to.

 

I've played an 8 string at a wedding gig, a Yamaha TRB 6 fretless at a rock gig. I play whatever I have at the time, not because anyone might think that I'm wrong about my choice but because that's the bass I'm going to play that night.

 

Currently I have a chambered alder with mahogany top Warmoth DInky Jazz bass in satin Taos Turquoise with EMGs, Hipshot tuners and a Status Graphite jazz neck. This bass is used at all of my wedding gigs and if I get a call to dep with another band then this is the same bass that i will use for that as well. I might sell it tomorrow and buy a Chandler Royale 12 string if the mood takes me but at the end of the day I play what I want to play, what makes me happy and what sounds good to me

[uk_lefty]

I've had to say "trust me" a few times when pulling out a bass that doesn't look like it fits the bill... My "hair metal" style Kramer which is a lovely fretless, and while I had it my Washburn Status very modern sounding headless. I choose a bass that I think I can get a good sound out of for the musical situation, I like to experiment with different sounds, tones and now effects but I'm first to hold my hand up if I think it doesn't fit. I've never, ever had anyone ask for a more modern or more vintage sound. I've been told to turn up, turn down, play less notes and not to use certain effects, but never had a comment on the tone of a bass. Except for "that sounds massive!" often commented on my Stingray.

[Morten André Lekang]

Well guys thx for your replys

 

It seems to me that i was a bit unclear about especially the thing about other peoples concern. Its not like many people have commented badly about my tone. It is mostly me being very critical myself and some has to do with my use of the equipment. I found out for example some time ago that i couldent recognize any diference when i turned the mid freq pot (its a emg bqc pre amp). I realized after a while that i had dead strings on the bass and that matter was fixed as soon as i changed strings. I long time before that i was very frustrated about setting the right settings on my amps. I have gone trough some different amps because of that and i havent found one amp that have given me what i wanted. My fix on the situation is to use 2 equlizer pedals to sculpt the tone and i am pleased with that. Leaving the amps controls at twelve o´clock. I am not overly concerned about other peoples views 🙂

[Morten André Lekang]

1 hour ago, itu said:

Would it sound strange, if you would go and tell the drummer, that the hihat is ugly, or the keyboardist should only play Rhodes?

 

I parted from my Quantum 5 only, because the string spacing was 17 mm. Now I play a Genesis 5, which has 19 mm spacing and suits me better. I did not ask my fellow players whether it fits their taste.

 

It might sound strange but it could also serve as a mood crasher to comment on such things. I have been temped many times towards a drummer i play with on occations whitch use physical double bass drums without having invested enough time to practise this into his playing  😁 

[Lozz196]

I’d say always use the instrument you feel most comfortable with, and which you know how you can shape its sound the best. I flirted with a Jazz bass last year, but in a band mix I was nowhere near as familiar with how to get it to sit in the mix as I am with a Precision. Similarly whilst playing I’m so tuned to my Precisions that the Jazz in my hands wasn’t where I’m used to hearing the bass. So lesson learned, although I like Jazzes ultimately I realised, just take a Precision is what works for me, the instrument I’m most comfortable and connected with.

[funkypenguin]

I'm not a particular fan of carbon fibre necks but of the one's I've played I liked the modulus Q6 the most (it sounded more organic than the Status and Zon basses I've tried), and its news to me that they're apparently not well regarded any more! I concur with what others are saying, I wouldn't dream of turning up at a rehearsal or a gig and giving my opinion on the guitarist's axe or the drummers choice of cymbals.. It's what works for them and lets them feel comfortable, and so it should be with you, its about what you enjoy playing and that allows you to express yourself, not what the others in the band think you should be playing. IME the only times that changes are if its a tribute act of some sort or you're playing in an artist's band that is going for a really specific look.

[Sibob]

See if you can find a Modulus Jazz bsss, or a graphite neck for your Jazz. Get the same brand of pickup in there too (Bartolini?).

Optics of a Jazz those that care, a spec closer to your Modulus for you!

 

Si

[Misdee]

Hi Morton, I share your enthusiasm for graphite necks, but I also enjoy Fender-style basses too. And as others have said, you can combine the two elements of modern and traditional perfectly well in some instruments, ie a Fender-inspired bass with a graphite neck.

 

However, from what you say about your quest for a more satisfactory bass tone from your amps and eq ect, may I suggest trying your graphite bass through some valve equipment, or at least more lo-fi electronics than you might be using at the moment. With my current graphite bass, and most of the others I have previously owned, the tone benefits from a bit of warmth and dirt. Not necessarily an outright distortion, but just something to put a bit of "hair" on the sound, if you see what I mean.

[Morten André Lekang]

2 hours ago, Misdee said:

Hi Morton, I share your enthusiasm for graphite necks, but I also enjoy Fender-style basses too. And as others have said, you can combine the two elements of modern and traditional perfectly well in some instruments, ie a Fender-inspired bass with a graphite neck.

 

However, from what you say about your quest for a more satisfactory bass tone from your amps and eq ect, may I suggest trying your graphite bass through some valve equipment, or at least more lo-fi electronics than you might be using at the moment. With my current graphite bass, and most of the others I have previously owned, the tone benefits from a bit of warmth and dirt. Not necessarily an outright distortion, but just something to put a bit of "hair" on the sound, if you see what I mean.

 

Hi there!

I recently sold my fender bassman 100t mainly because of size and weight. Although i liked the sound of it i felt it didnt do so much  extra for me that i would still own it. I think there are some other amp heads that would be more to my liking than the ones i have now (markbass LM800/gallien kreuger mb200/EBS fafner). I feel that many modern amps have a baked in tone that is difficult to get away from. Thats why i use a boss GEB7 and a empress paraeq to modify the tone rather than rely on the toneshaping on the amp. I am reasonably content with this solution, especially in bandsituations for now.

[Morten André Lekang]

9 hours ago, funkypenguin said:

I'm not a particular fan of carbon fibre necks but of the one's I've played I liked the modulus Q6 the most (it sounded more organic than the Status and Zon basses I've tried), and its news to me that they're apparently not well regarded any more! I concur with what others are saying, I wouldn't dream of turning up at a rehearsal or a gig and giving my opinion on the guitarist's axe or the drummers choice of cymbals.. It's what works for them and lets them feel comfortable, and so it should be with you, its about what you enjoy playing and that allows you to express yourself, not what the others in the band think you should be playing. IME the only times that changes are if its a tribute act of some sort or you're playing in an artist's band that is going for a really specific look.

Hi 

 

Its strange that you mention this because i was long time under the impression that maybe my modulus was the problem. I then ordered a bogart bass and have a long time owned a Zon legacy fretless. I found out that i still prefere my modulus over the bogart and having the zon coming on a second place. I even have changed the pre and pu on my modulus from bartolini pu and aguilar pre to emg only. I found out the emg solution made the bass more punchy and easier to dial in with the bqc preamp

[Morten André Lekang]

5 hours ago, Sibob said:

See if you can find a Modulus Jazz bsss, or a graphite neck for your Jazz. Get the same brand of pickup in there too (Bartolini?).

Optics of a Jazz those that care, a spec closer to your Modulus for you!

 

Si

Hi

 

I am content with the fender the way it is. If i would change things on that bass it would be a sadowsky preamp and pick ups. Its a elite so i am a little hesistant to do modifications on it. I use it on occations when i need a more natural and less pronaunced bass ( i think some will adress it like more woody sound)

[Lfalex v1.1]

In the past,  I've tried to use the bass that would fit best in the musical environment I was in at the time, but not because of criticism from other band members.

There's no point in taking a pointy BC Rich to a folk gig.

That said, surely the most important aspect of being in a band is your ability to perform, both individually and as part of a unit. 

As long as your sonic footprint isn't wholly out of step with the rest of the band (wild distortion during the mandolin solo) then the rest of the band has little basis for criticism.

Beyond that,  it's down to your preference/s in terms of gear and , to an extent,  tone.

[Bassfinger]

You could always try setting the bass, mid and high knobs on your amp to a different position if it worries you that much.

[Chris2112]

I have always loved 'high tech' basses. My first proper bass was an Ibanez BTB so I guess I was never going to fit the 'P bass, blue jeans and white sneakers' crowd. I bought a Kubicki Ex Factor when I was 16 and that really began my love affair with high tech bass guitars.

 

That said, as much as I used to consider graphite necks a superior option, I have eventually settled on them just being 'different' and not exclusively better or worse than wood. My Spector and my Pedulla Pentabuzz are both all maple and I find the response from them to be utterly amazing. In terms of low end articulation they both punch alongside the very best carbon fibre necked basses I've played and owned. 

 

I do currently own a Bogart Blackstone five string with a carbon fibre neck and composite body. I've had that for a good few years now and though I prefer my NS-5CR, I can't deny the all-round ability of the Bogart with it's thin, flat neck that never moves. 

 

I just love basses that are a bit different and that feel special. I've played many nice jazz basses and played many P basses too, but I just don't think I could excited about them like I could for something a bit more exotic. 

[Russ]

I've travelled a lot, and had various issues with neck warp on some of my basses, to the point where I've had to have the necks on a couple of my basses "reset", or, in one case, had it refretted using compression fretting to straighten the neck out.

 

Here in the US, the variation in humidity is crazy, from bone dry in winter to sopping, walking-into-a-wet-towel territory in summer, so graphite necks that don't move are very attractive to someone like me. 

 

I was gutted when Moses shut up shop, as they offered replacement graphite necks for all different sorts of basses, from the standard P/J style, all the way up to replacement necks for Ibanez 6-strings. I was going to commission them to make a graphite neck for my 5-string Bongo, but, by the time I had the cash together, they'd stopped making them! 

 

As for the traditional/modern thing, I've tried out P-basses with flats that just happened to have a Status neck, and they sound like a P-bass should, just a little clearer and with a bit more of a "bump" in the low-mids. To anyone in the audience, they wouldn't notice the difference. 

 

[zero9]

A graphite neck makes much less of a difference compared to strings, pickups and pickup location, although that may be going down the rabbit hole of which wood / materials make the most difference to sound. As mentioned earlier, the audience is much less critical of the bass’s sound than us bass players.

 

I’ve only ever had complimentary remarks on my sound, which at the time was a fretless, headless Status king bass, which I used for a wide range of musical styles & genres.

 

Sometimes our perception of what the bass sounds like is very different to what people hear out front.

[Guest]

I have a Zon Sonus - composite neck including wood and a wood fingerboard injected with resin. Sounds like a slightly more modern jazz bass to my ears. It’s probably the East circuit and the Bart single coils (together with the strings) that influence the tone the most.