The "Official" MTD USA Thread (Part 8)

[bass12]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

That does seem like a great bass!

I'm wondering how similar the Makore body would be to a Maple body in the tone department.

Makore, from what Mike has said (and from my one experience playing a makore-bodied MTD, though it was at Mike's workshop - not a familiar enough environment for me to test out a bass' tonal characteristics with confidence), should be warmer and less "brittle" sounding than maple.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by antontanzil

That's just nice that you get what you want tonally, and quite a unique on-board EQ setting (at least for me) I must say, I never cut the Bass on my on board EQ, but if it works on an actual gig, that will break all the 'MTDs has no low end push' paradigm that most people say (which I never agree with).

I've never heard that assessment of MTDs and I wouldn't agree either. The 535s I've played have all had an extremely powerful low end. Plenty of bass in those instruments with the EQ set flat!

[TapyTap]

Originally Posted by bass12

Makore, from what Mike's has said (and from my one experience playing a makore-bodied MTD, though it was at Mike's workshop - not a familiar enough environment for me to test out a bass's tonal characteristics with confidence), should be warmer and less "brittle" sounding than maple.

From what I have read, Makore is of a similar average weight and specific gravity to both European and North American Red Maple, so I have wondered how they might compare tonally. Thanks for sharing your personal observations.

[antontanzil]

Originally Posted by bass12

I've never heard that assessment of MTDs and I wouldn't agree either. The 535s I've played have all had an extremely powerful low end. Plenty of bass in those instruments with the EQ set flat!

In my experience I heard that quite a lot, and I myself once think like that, mostly it's when people play them for the first time ever, and compare it with a more 'traditional' bass.

But it actually not the low end that is lacking, it's the rest of the frequency that stands out and can be heard much much more compare to ANY other Bass out there, and as the human ear hears the mids and highs more at close proximity (like standing or sitting next/in front of an amp), so when people try MTDs for the first time, that 'hi-fi' sound stands out IMO.

I myself thought that my former MTD needs some low boost, that's why most of the time I boost my lows and low mids on my onboard EQ, coz that's what I want to hear from my monitor and my amp, but one day my sound guy told me that he loved my MTD's sound coz he just left everything flat, and cut the low EQ on the board a little. That's new information for me, since then I never boost my Low Eq again, I set it flat and only boost the low mid around 25%, boost the lows only on my amp and my sound guy literally set everything flat on his end, he's one happy sound guy for sure, and when I sold that MTD to fund my custom build, he was unhappy and always asks when is my new one coming

[antontanzil]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

From what I have read, Makore is of a similar average weight and specific gravity to both European and North American Red Maple, so I have wondered how they might compare tonally. Thanks for sharing your personal observations.

I hope this helps, when building my Bass, I discussed about body wood options with Mike, and when it comes to Makore, he told me that it has more similarity in tone with Mahogany, also in appearance.

He said that it's low end is similar, though not as 'boomy' as Mahogany, and has a more present mids and highs. I tried my friend's Makore bodied Marylin 534, that's on the Classifieds right now, and compare it directly with my former Mahogany bodied MTD, they both had same Redwood Tops, though the two is quite different (ebony vs honduran RW, chambered vs solid body). I have to agree that to a degree where the body wood effects the overall tone, Mahogany and Makore is pretty similar in that 'Pillowy' Lows and Mids characteristic. My 2c

[LeonD]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I'm just learning now what you've all know for years.

Originally Posted by antontanzil

That's just nice that you get what you want tonally, and quite a unique on-board EQ setting (at least for me) I must say, I never cut the Bass on my on board EQ, but if it works on an actual gig, that will break all the 'MTDs has no low end push' paradigm that most people say (which I never agree with).

I've never been a big fan of anything but subtle eq adjustments. Usually I'll leave the bass flat and cut the low end on the amp so I'm not boomy in the room. With the eq on the 434, I'm leaving my amp flat and replacing the lows with low-mids. I'll then dial in the low end till the tone sounds full.

This bass has taught me it's ok to turn those eq knobs. There are so many good tones in there, it's nice to let them out every once and a while.

Originally Posted by antontanzil

... I believe that this is MAYBE the first time he put together a Makore body with a wenge neck-maple board so he cannot tell for sure also, but what he said was 'that will be a nice combo'.

I'd be curious to hear the bass with a wenge neck and maple board. That sounds very interesting.

Originally Posted by antontanzil

... of Mike Tobias being one of the nicest and greatest Builder in the world EVER...

In addition to being a talented builder, Mike is truly a nice person. And I think that comes across in the basses.

Originally Posted by TapyTap

I'm wondering how similar the Makore body would be to a Maple body in the tone department.

When discussing body wood, maple never came up. Alder was discussed but thought it'd be a little too warm and not focused enough. We also talked about mahogany but thought the low end would be too much.

[TapyTap]

Originally Posted by antontanzil

I hope this helps, when building my Bass, I discussed about body wood options with Mike, and when it comes to Makore, he told me that it has more similarity in tone with Mahogany, also in appearance.

He said that it's low end is similar, though not as 'boomy' as Mahogany, and has a more present mids and highs. I tried my friend's Makore bodied Marylin 534, that's on the Classifieds right now, and compare it directly with my former Mahogany bodied MTD, they both had same Redwood Tops, though the two is quite different (ebony vs honduran RW, chambered vs solid body). I have to agree that to a degree where the body wood effects the overall tone, Mahogany and Makore is pretty similar in that 'Pillowy' Lows and Mids characteristic. My 2c

Originally Posted by LeonD

When discussing body wood, maple never came up. Alder was discussed but thought it'd be a little too warm and not focused enough. We also talked about mahogany but thought the low end would be too much.

Thanks for providing more insight. It seems that I lean more towards the Ash or Maple side of things for a bass body.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by TapyTap

Thanks for providing more insight. It seems that I lean more towards the Ash or Maple side of things for a bass body.

I only ever had one bass with a maple body. It was a Warwick Streamer Stage I and I found it to be too brittle sounding in the upper mids and highs. I don't know whether or not the body had much to do with that but I haven't been inspired to go the maple body route since.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by antontanzil

In my experience I heard that quite a lot, and I myself once think like that, mostly it's when people play them for the first time ever, and compare it with a more 'traditional' bass.

But it actually not the low end that is lacking, it's the rest of the frequency that stands out and can be heard much much more compare to ANY other Bass out there, and as the human ear hears the mids and highs more at close proximity (like standing or sitting next/in front of an amp), so when people try MTDs for the first time, that 'hi-fi' sound stands out IMO.

I myself thought that my former MTD needs some low boost, that's why most of the time I boost my lows and low mids on my onboard EQ, coz that's what I want to hear from my monitor and my amp, but one day my sound guy told me that he loved my MTD's sound coz he just left everything flat, and cut the low EQ on the board a little. That's new information for me, since then I never boost my Low Eq again, I set it flat and only boost the low mid around 25%, boost the lows only on my amp and my sound guy literally set everything flat on his end, he's one happy sound guy for sure, and when I sold that MTD to fund my custom build, he was unhappy and always asks when is my new one coming

This is funny: I had a sound check this afternoon and for the first time the sound guy asked if I could turn the bass down on my onboard preamp (I was playing my alder/maple/maple/rosewood 535 with the EQ set flat save for a very slight bump at 500Hz). I hesitated for a minute and then he said, "Oh, it's okay - leave it as it is".

[thomaskung]

Anyone has experience on Handmade Saratoga ? Is it just a jazz version of 435 ? What is the difference ?

[carlis]

Originally Posted by thomaskung

Anyone has experience on Handmade Saratoga ? Is it just a jazz version of 435 ? What is the difference ?

jazz-style pickups, narrower nut width, different peghead and body design...

[metallutca]

Originally Posted by carlis

jazz-style pickups, narrower nut width, different peghead and body design...

I believe they are 34" scale.

[metallutca]

Originally Posted by Vic

We will.

Thanks, Vic!

[BiigM]

Hey guys.

I just traded my way to my first MTD USA. Very nice bass, and definitely a departure from my Fenders and Alleva.

I do have a question though. What pickup height does Mike set this up with? This is one of the old ones, where the pickups a active.

Right now the bridge PU is somewhat higher than the Neck PU. Is this how he would do it?

[carlis]

Originally Posted by BiigM

Hey guys.

Right now the bridge PU is somewhat higher than the Neck PU. Is this how he would do it?

In short: it's normal.

The ideal configuration is to match the volumes across all strings (by making both pickups slightly tilt in a way that they're lower at the B/E string end and higher at the G string end) and between the two pickups – since there's always "smaller" string vibration towards the bridge, the bridge PU has to be higher than the neck one to make up the volume.

These will make sure you won't hear a sudden jump (or boost) in volume when you pan from the neck to bridge pickup or vice versa.

[BiigM]

Thanks :-)

I was more after the string of PU height. Some guys like it close, some farther away. Too close and we get that weird fasing sound from magnetic pull.

So do you know if Mike T has a standard height?

Originally Posted by carlis

In short: it's normal.

The ideal configuration is to match the volumes across all strings (by making both pickups slightly tilt in a way that they're lower at the B/E string end and higher at the G string end) and between the two pickups – since there's always "smaller" string vibration towards the bridge, the bridge PU has to be higher than the neck one to make up the volume.

These will make sure you won't hear a sudden jump (or boost) in volume when you pan from the neck to bridge pickup or vice versa.

[LeonD]

Mike has a video on his web site where he talks about setting up his basses. It mentions pickup height. I'm not sure if your pickups fall into that range but it'd be a good starting point.

For an exact answer, he should be back from NAMM this week. I'd drop him an email and see what he says.

And here's a link to the video: http://www.mtdbass.com/setting-up-your-mtd/

[BiigM]

Thanks.

[metallutca]

From Dana B. Goods facebook page:
"...all the USA basses sold out within 4 hours of NAMM and there were orders for more!"

Malcolm trying a 635-24... rumbling bottom & clear highs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHz5mwtj72M

Andrew Gouche:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJCuHHh02bg

[BiigM]

Hi guys.

Thought i would post some pics of the MTD I traded my way to.
This is my first MTD, and so far I'm impressed. Sounds very nice when playing along with tracks in my studio.
But I'm a firm believer in that it's what happens on the gig that counts. Since I got it I've been reading up on some of the previous MTD threads, and it seems that some opinions say that wedge necks is not always the best on big PA's which is the setup for many of my gigs.
Maybe the maple board will help?

Also, i would like to give the finish some wax but I don't know what butchers wax is called in Denmark where i live. if anyone knows where to buy it online in Europe somewhere, please let me know.

anyway here are the pics. Sorry for the Iphone quality:-)