MTD Z-Bass: OMG She CAN cook!!!

Yep -- I said it many times here. Based on my first Z-Bass experience (back when they first came out), that was my exact opinion. The problem is, the Cherry/Maple one was SO pretty that I had to come back and at least TRY to give her some cooking skills.

Well, I have to say -- in her upgraded state, this fine woman can BURN!​

The biggest problem with the Z bass to many people is the extreme midrange-focus and lack of low end. That's primarily due to the offshore electronics -- they just weren't happening. I thought if I could do something about that, then perhaps the bass might come to life. I've added a set of Bartolini P25CBC's and an Aguilar OBP-3 (with mid selector switch) and WHAM -- the bass works!!!

Make no mistake -- this is NOT a J bass -- never will be. This bass is all about Modern, midrangey tones. But with the upgraded electronics, there is now a goodly amount of low-end to be had to balance things out. This is also NOT a USA MTD -- that bass has a far wider frequency response. On the other hand, it has a great deal of the USA's feel & playability. It's not the pinnacle of MTD-ness but at 25% of the price, it's not supposed to be. (That said, a Hipshot B bridge and some USA knobs would definitely complete the look!)

For those who want to know, I got the bass for $1000 and the electronics upgrades were another $400. Kudos to Brian at Bestbassgear.com for his recommendations and his support. For $1400 there is a tremendous amount of goodness here and right now, I feel like it's worth every penny.

I bought this bass SPECIFICALLY to play in church. You know the deal -- big choir, full rhythm section, Hammond B3 w/Leslie. In that environment, you need the low-end but you MUST have clarity in the mids or else you'll get lost in the sonic mix. I expect that this bass will fit the bill perfectly but I'll make sure to provide a report after rehearsal this weekend.

I'm glad I gave this bass a second chance -- I love the way she looks and now, I love the way she cooks!

chinjazz said:

Do you have MTD strings on it? Both the Steel and Nickel on a Z bring it closer to USA.

Click to expand...

I do and yes, they do!

Pickebass said:

... what do you think make the biggest difference, the pickups or active electronics??

Click to expand...

santucci218 said:

... would the pups alone or the preamp alone make a bigger difference?

Click to expand...

It's really hard to say because I did the mods in one sitting and it wasn't really practical to test the upgrades incrementally.

That said, Robear22 has a 6-string Z that he's upgraded to an Aggie OBP-3 and he's pleased with the result -- although he too, is seriously considering upgrading the pickups.

IMO, the stock pups AND pre are equally sub-standarrd.

santucci218 said:

also, were the pups a direct drop in?

Click to expand...

Absolutely -- a perfect fit. I had to drill another hole because the original pups have 3 screws and the Barts have 2 but that was it.

Ryan L. said:

Dwayne, you're not making this any easier on my wallet right now!!!

Click to expand...

Ry -

Trust me, if you're sitting on the fence, these are mods that are definitely worth doing. You can actually save some money on the deal if you do the wiring yourself -- I paid to have Brian pre-wire the thing b/c the Aggie would have been too complcated for someone with my (extremely) limited skills in that area.

I was able to do the install but the actual wiring would have cleaned my clock.

Robear22 said:

... The Z basses have been getting a terrible rap around these parts due to what I would like to call the "MTD Syndrome". Expectations were so high for this bass that when they were not met it was a total bash fest. In no way should this bass be anywhere close to a US MTD because the total sum of the parts does not add up to a US model. But if you want a well constructed bass with a clean, modern tone with excellent feel and playability then this is your bass.

We all agree that the electronics are the weak spot on this bass but I could still do good things with this bass without an upgrade. I had mine for nine months prior to making the change and I was happy but curiosity got me and I choose to try another pre. Now I am thinking about the pickups but that will be later on after hearing about what it has done for Dwayne. I now wonder how the ZX models are going to sound since they are pretty much the same basses but with Bart electronics installed?

Click to expand...

Ro -

Very eloquently stated.

As I mentioned in the OP, the Z bass costs about 25% of what a USA does -- that's a bigger spread than USA/Skyline or even NYC/Metro -- it stands to reason that it would be "less bass." I can also say that the stock Z's are not "bedroom" instruments -- you really have to play them in a mix in order to evaluate them. That said, the upgrades make a real difference.