1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
(almost) Indestructible!!! ... and it sounds pretty good, too!, July 18, 2009
This review is from: Modulus Guitars Funk Unlimited FB4 Bass Guitar (Flake Green)
I own the same bass in silver flake, and it's the best bass I've ever owned. Seems expensive, but well worth the extra cost if you're a serious gigging musician. Because of the carbon fiber neck and headstock, it rarely goes out of tune and can accept whatever kind of punishment you can imagine.
Not really all that surprising, considering that it was designed by Flea, who is one of the more physically aggressive slap/funk players out there...
During the course of my musical experience, this bass has withstood; being left in direct sunlight for a few hours and then played for a two hour show without going out of tune, left in the back of the van in sub-zero weather and then played at a show in a snowboarder bar without going out of tune, being thrown 20 feet across the stage and landing on the headstock without breaking... or going out of tune.
Did I mention that this bass will rarely go out of tune?
The active electronics are a single closed-face pickup bar that has separate bass/treble adjustment knobs and a single volume. The knobs that come stock are chrome with knurled sides and are located far enough away from the strings that you won't accidentally spin them while playing. There's a single panel in the back of the body that houses the electronics and the battery. The cover to the panel does need to be unscrewed in order to access the battery, which can be inconvenient at times if you're trying to do a quick swap-out. The battery itself is also unsecured within the compartment, which never really was an issue for me, but I've had other basses with much more accessible and secured battery setups.
The neck has fast action and a tendency to get slippery when your hands get sweaty. The fingerboard is composite, so if you're a player that is used to the feel of a wooden neck/fingerboard, then you might have problems adjusting to the synthetic feel of the Modulus composite neck. The cutaways on the body and the transition area where the neck is attached are constructed so that even players with smaller hands can play all the way to the top of the fretboard without too much stretching.
Overall, I have to say that the subtle details and construction details all add up to make an extremely playable electric bass. I read an article that said Flea wanted to combine a Musicman Stingray and a 70s American Fender Jazz Bass, so if you're an aficionado of either of those models and are looking for other funk/rock options, I'd highly recommend checking one of these out. And if you're playing shows every other night and on weekends, and need a bass that doesn't require too much TLC or compassion in order to maintain, I'd definitely order you to save up for a Flea Bass.
I did mention that it never goes out of tune, didn't I?
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