JMarkD

I really like this one.  AVRI 63, now discontinued.  Great pick up.  

Aguilar DB750.   Exchanging Valves in the V1 position offers many tone variations.

BTW, I have a pdf of the original owner's manual for the 330.  It is low res but you may find it useful.

Acoustic 330 Manual.pdf

That is a great combination!  The 406 was one of the best cabs Acoustic Control made in my opinion.  I gigged a 330 for years.  Technically it was the guitar version of the 320 but it was pretty much the same amp.  Did you get the foot switch as well?  It looks to be in great condition.

17 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

Re: the Modulus;

The consistency might also be partly due to the Phenolic fretboard.. 

My Yamaha had one, as does my Vigier, so that's a Maple/Phenolic combo and a 10/90 & Phenolic combo.

Both are great basses.

Agreed.  I am sure that is a factor.  

I have several fives ranging from the exotic (early Steinberger L-2 5) to the popular (1991 Musicman StingRay 5 and  a 1997 Fender Roscoe Beck 5) and they are all great.  But when I used a five exclusively I went with a 2000 Modulus Quantum 5.  It came with the odd Bartolini NS3TMB preamp that featured the +9/-9 volt design that proved problematic.  After many years of constant use, I returned to four string basses for the most part.  

Last spring I decided to reacquaint myself with the five string, again turning to my old Modulus.  True to form, the preamp abruptly failed, rare for a Bartolini but not for this particular design.  Turning to our local repair gurus at The Guitar Factory in Orlando, they replaced the old preamp with a modern Bartolini as the old design is long discontinued (though Bartolini probably would have built me one if I really wanted it).  These guys like to tinker, having worked with Michael Tobias when he started out in Florida, so they added a pull pot to the mid-range knob allowing a shift to a lower frequency when engaged.  I love this modification!  When engaged it becomes a low-mid control.  If turned down, the low end cleans up and loses mud while leaving the deep lows intact.  When boosted this bass is a monster able to cut an overly frisky piano player's left hand down to size.

Why this bass?  I think it is the composite neck.  I have always liked what the composite necks provide, punchy tone, even note strength and great sustain with minimal dead spots.  There may be better fives out there but for me, this old Modulus works best for me.  The additional tone options make it even better.  But I really must dust those book shelves.

4 hours ago, 4000 said:

Best ones I’ve ever played were my 34” scale Seis. I’ve never liked any 35” or 36” scale I’ve played as much.

Never heard of Seis.  It is a matter of personal taste to be sure.  The downside of the longer scales for me is the size and weight.  I am most comfortable with a 34" scale.  The Alembic Essence is a 34" but it weighs a TON.  The Roscoe Beck, also 34" is quite heavy as well.  As much as I enjoyed playing five strings, as I've aged I seem to prefer nice light 34" scale fours!  😀

On 20/09/2019 at 18:29, chris_b said:

If someone said they had a floppy B string I'd ask how hard they hit/plucked/pulled the strings.

I've played basses were the B string didn't sound quite right, but I've not seen a floppy B string yet.

Has anyone with a light right hand touch experienced the floppy B string thing?

So true.  The B string requires a light touch!  Lighter gauge and a longer scale helps.  I could not get a sound I liked out of a low B on an otherwise wonderful StingRay 5 due to this issue.  Same with a rare Steinberger L-2 (5).  In all fairness, that one was designed more for a high C than the low B.  

Yeah, they are worth it if you want one.  They offer both advantages and some disadvantages.  You really won't know until you try one.  I played them for years but eventually realized that for me the disadvantages outweighed the pluses.  My personal recommendation, should you decide to get one, is to go for a 35" scale version and if possible a composite neck.  The longer scale and composite neck give the low B great clarity and help with the "floppy" feel the B string often has.  My fiver of choice was a Modulus Quantum which I still use when I need a five string.  

FWIW the only 34" scale five strings I liked were an Alembic Essence and a Fender Roscoe Beck.  But neither of them equaled the Modulus Quantum for a solid and focused B string.

4 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

I had one a few years back. Well, the 54 MIJ re issue in paisley.

The thing that put me off it was that the E string somehow became stuck under the ridge of the single coil pup and nearly ripped the whole thing out!

Apart from that I quite liked it even though the output lacked a bit of definition.

That is a common issue with that pick up!  It happened to me with the old '56 I had.  I wonder if that is what inspired the pick up cover.

18 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said:

The 'tubby' sound may have been because original 50's p basses had a 0.1 cap which removes most of the high end, so you lose definition.

You may be correct.  I was too young to know anything about that.  It did have a ground wire under the pick up cover that was left off the CS reissue in the photo.  I used only flats on it as that was really all you could get back then and I hated how bright they sounded when new!  LOL.  I purchased that old bass from a guy who had been in a fifties band for $75.00.  I certainly wish I still had it!  I have only one photo of it from my very first gig.  A church picnic when I was a teenager.  The amp was a cheapo piece of crap but I loved it.

Those single coil pick ups do sound great.  They are noisy of course and though they have the P bass sound, they have a bit more of a "twang" to them.  Very unique.  I enjoy recording with a Custom Shop '55 reissue with the that pick up. Many years ago I had an actual '56 and it had a very "tubby" sort of sound but that may have been my poor technique and crappy amp as much as anything. 

This is my '64 I purchased used as a boy in 1971.  I have shared a very long ride with it and would never part with it.

Ready to entertain the tourists.  DB750 & DB410.  Lakland Joe Osborn J Bass.

For me it would be the Aguilar DB750.  I was always trying different amps and they were all great but once I got my DB750 it was game over.  I have lusted for nothing else since.  I have used it since 2003 with out any problems.  As of late I am using a Tonehammer head as the weight and power of the 750 can be a bit much.  As good as the Tonehammer is, I still consider the DB750 the best amp I have ever owned and one of the best bass amps ever made.

Sorry.  In the US it refers to service organizations that have local lodges.  Moose Club, Eagles Club, Elks Club, for example.  They are private clubs and usually are a gentler venue than a typical bar or pub.  I'm new here so forgive my assumptions!  I am still learning how to navigate the site.  Seems like a great bunch of folks here.

I'm Mark and I live in a small town near Orlando Florida called Howey-In-The-Hills.  I just discovered Basschat and decided to sign up as I really would like a more international perspective on all things bass related.  I have played as a pro for many years.  I was born in Philadelphia, PA and gigged along the Jersey shore, the Baltimore/Washington DC area and Florida.   I've played many gigs from roadhouse bars in Florida (chicken wire?) to The White House in DC.  I like all kinds of music but find R&B styles the most enjoyable to play.  I have many basses but mostly I use an old Lakland Joe Osborn, an older Lakland 4-94 and a twenty year old Modulus Quantum 5.  I use Aguilar amps, either a DB750 or a Tonehammer 700 with DB112 cabs.  Currently I play with a couple of bands around central Florida, mostly covers with some originals.  Not too many bar gigs these days, mostly tourist venues and the "animal clubs".  I do some recording with a drummer / songwriter using Logic Pro X on my iMac.

Photo of the rig at Old Town in Kissimmee, FL