Personally, I think the maple/rosewood,ash body/walnut top or avidore is best combination via the 21 fret fingerboard.As you mention Gard,the wenge can be very midish,and IMO it seem to me that the 24 fret model did not have the "fattness that the 21 fret models have.Gard said:I really dig the ash/maple neck combination, but it may be a bit aggressive for what you're looking for!
Probably a maple/rosewood combo, and an ash or avidore body either with or without a top (I actually really like the ash bodies WITHOUT a top myself, nice punch and growl).
The wenge/wenge is very mid-heavy, and may not have the clarity you're looking for, although for some tones it is very cool.
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An MTD Question???
- Thread starter jokerjkny
- Start date
funny that you mention this Phil,because I felt the same way about mine when I had it,but I felt that it did get lost in the mix,which I thought was strange to say the least,because my preGibson Tobias V NEVER ! got lost in the mix,anyway to make a long story short,I sold the bass,and am waiting on a Sadowsky Metro Vphiliprst said:I smiled when I read your post. I would have loved to have traded my 535 for your beautiful Sadowsky
I owned a maple/rosewood 435 with an ash body without a top and I still own a 535 wenge/wenge with a korina body and myrtle burl top. I talked with Mike Tobias about the selection of woods for the 535 and, at that time, he felt that the top made only a slight difference in tone and was mostly cosmetic. This was a while back and I note that he is making a lot of instruments with exotic tops now.
The main difference between by 435 and 535 was that the 435 had a more "traditional" tone while the 535 is extremely aggressive with a "growl" that the 435 didn't have. Personally I felt that 435 had somewhat less clarity but that depends on what you hear as clarity in a tone. What I mean by clarity is the ability to cut through in a band situation which some people interpret as uneveness.
It is worth bearing in mind that the Bartolini pickups are fantastic and the electronics are very flexible so you can really tweak the tone you want.
Even though my 535 has not turned out to be a perfect match for me, it is a very wonderful bass. I am sure you will be happy whatever combination of woods you choose.
Best wishes
Philip
I played a bunch of 4 and 5 string MTDs at Gelb one time ... came very close to buying a Wenge neck 535. The wenge just had this great personality to the sound ... the maple necked ones were great, but sounded more like every other bass I'd ever played. The Wenge 535 does not sound like a warwick, does not sound at all like a fender, does not sound like any of the great old tobias basses I've played. And thats why I loved it.
I played two ash body/maple top 535's, one with wenge/wenge and one with maple/ebony. I ended up with the maple/ebony model because I felt it had a wider range of tone. I'm mostly a finger-style player, tho. If I was primarily a slapper, I prolly woulda' went w/w. The w/w was more "compressed" sounding in the midrange and had a bit more emphasis in the low mids... maybe a little bit like a warwick (for obvious reasons). Anyway, the m/e seemed to give me more depth and more of an "open" sound, which I thought complemented the clarity of the MTD nicely.
IMHO...
Oh, and "+1" to whomever recommended Glenn at Austin Bass Traders. That's where I got mine and he does a fantastic job with MTD's. Mike speaks very highly of him, as well. He's expert at matching player to instrument even before you test drive one.
IMHO...
Oh, and "+1" to whomever recommended Glenn at Austin Bass Traders. That's where I got mine and he does a fantastic job with MTD's. Mike speaks very highly of him, as well. He's expert at matching player to instrument even before you test drive one.
Mike Dimin said:
...uh...dunno!!!
(...actually, he's about to be spending a good bit of his time in your neighborhood...)
I've owned three 535 and have played many more, and my two favorite necks combos are the Wenge/Wenge and the Maple/Rosewood. Overall, I think the Wenge/Wenge is the most flexible option, but I think the Maple/Rosewood is probobly the best for fingerstyle.
I do not want to hijack this thread but can anyone tell me what a wenge neck with maple stringers and a maple board would sound like as a combination.
Many thanks
Matthew
Many thanks
Matthew
Brian Barrett
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I have a bass just like that and it gives a very deep growl with awesome snap and slap tone. It looks different with the Wenge neck and maple board, but actually works awesome!
That said, MTD does 1 pc neck's unless you pay some extra money and get a Neck-through from Mr. Tobias. I haven't seen regular MTD's with multi neck's unless they were neck-through's.
That said, MTD does 1 pc neck's unless you pay some extra money and get a Neck-through from Mr. Tobias. I haven't seen regular MTD's with multi neck's unless they were neck-through's.
jokerjkny said:
I've had a 535 swamp ash with quilted maple top and a wenge/wenge neck. I'm not sure exactly what kind of sound you are going for, but the swamp ash wenge combo is very articulate with a very sizzly high end (8K sizzle). The B string is very open and huge (maybe too open for some). The wenge neck is a very unique sound, and is great for chording and hi-tech slapping. I've played some maple/maple necks and they are much more traditional sounding, with much less high end. So, if you aren't a fan of 'smiley face' EQ with a huge low end and very upper treble range highs.... stay away from wenge! It's a love/hate sort of sound... you either love it or hate it!
matthewfoote said:
This is not exactly the same, but i have a Stambaugh with a maple neck with wenge stringers and an Ebony board. The wene stringers (they are 1/2 inch wide) seem to really give the neck a lot of solidity (if that's a word!) and a nice snap to the high end. The wenge makes the neck very stiff also. So, I think putting wenge stringers in a classic maple neck with maple board would sound great. I've never heard of anyone puttin maple stringers in a primarily wenge neck. Since wenge is so hard, I'm nor sure that the maple would have a lot of tonal impact.
thx again guys,
definitely beginning to lean towards the rosewood / maple combo, tho wenge on wenge action does sound very cool to have in the arsenal.
still, anyone have a chance to compare honduran rw to madagascar or brazilian rw?
definitely beginning to lean towards the rosewood / maple combo, tho wenge on wenge action does sound very cool to have in the arsenal.
still, anyone have a chance to compare honduran rw to madagascar or brazilian rw?
Although I've owned a 535 for 5 years, I don't consider myself an MTD expert by any means. My 535 has a maple neck / Wenge fretboard and swamp ash body / maple burl top. It is very articulate, authoritative, focused, and punchy, more so than the vast majority of basses that I've ever played.
If my memory serves me right (it doesn't do so all the time), I recall comments on MTDs with all Wenge necks as saying that these basses have a very punchy, focused, and somewhat compressed tone. I understand that's a good thing, depending on your taste. For me, it might be too much of a good thing.
Ditto on Greg's suggestion on contacting Glenn at Austin Basstraders. I bought my 535 from Glenn sight unseen & unheard based on his verbal description of the bass tone and playability. Glenn is truly gifted at being able to describe "sonic phenomenon" in terms of plain english that anyone can understand. If anyone can tell you what wenge wood is going to do to the tone of a bass, aside from Michael Tobias himself, Glenn will be able to assist you. Give him a shout.
If my memory serves me right (it doesn't do so all the time), I recall comments on MTDs with all Wenge necks as saying that these basses have a very punchy, focused, and somewhat compressed tone. I understand that's a good thing, depending on your taste. For me, it might be too much of a good thing.
Ditto on Greg's suggestion on contacting Glenn at Austin Basstraders. I bought my 535 from Glenn sight unseen & unheard based on his verbal description of the bass tone and playability. Glenn is truly gifted at being able to describe "sonic phenomenon" in terms of plain english that anyone can understand. If anyone can tell you what wenge wood is going to do to the tone of a bass, aside from Michael Tobias himself, Glenn will be able to assist you. Give him a shout.
IME this all comes down to how much time you want to spend "learning" the bass and how much you want to cut through in the mix
I've had my Ash w/Burled Maple top-Wenge-Wenge neck for a few years and it never ceases to amaze people live. Excellent open sound (great low B IMO) and what first seems like an inordinate amount of sizzle can end up being a phenomenal growl machine once you learn how to work it. That's when the fun starts.
As far as clarity, mine has a ridiculous amount of clarity... chords are piano-like. Push just a bit harder and growl happens. Again, learning how to control it is key. I've said it a bunch of times before and I'll say it again... my MTD made me a better player.
My 635 embodies what Mike's bolt-on basses are about to me. The other neck combos are nice but they aren't Wenge-Wenge... I guess it depends on how much attention you want.
I've had my Ash w/Burled Maple top-Wenge-Wenge neck for a few years and it never ceases to amaze people live. Excellent open sound (great low B IMO) and what first seems like an inordinate amount of sizzle can end up being a phenomenal growl machine once you learn how to work it. That's when the fun starts.
As far as clarity, mine has a ridiculous amount of clarity... chords are piano-like. Push just a bit harder and growl happens. Again, learning how to control it is key. I've said it a bunch of times before and I'll say it again... my MTD made me a better player.
My 635 embodies what Mike's bolt-on basses are about to me. The other neck combos are nice but they aren't Wenge-Wenge... I guess it depends on how much attention you want
.
Having spent time with just about every MTD combo I have developed a pretty strong sense of what I like and what I don't. My favorite as of late is Ash with Wenge/Wenge.
Ash with a Wenge/Wenge neck is an unbelievably articulate combination. You will have well defined notes up and, possibly more importantly, down the neck. The other benefit of this combo is what happens to the B string. If you are looking for big, open low B sounds then you should definitely check out that combo.
If you're looking for something with a little less commitment, I would strongly suggest going with Ash and a Maple/Rosewood board. These basses still possess the classic MTD voice yet have a bit more of a traditional overall vibe. I think this would be a nice compromise between some of the combinations that have come up already.
Hope this helps.
Ash with a Wenge/Wenge neck is an unbelievably articulate combination. You will have well defined notes up and, possibly more importantly, down the neck. The other benefit of this combo is what happens to the B string. If you are looking for big, open low B sounds then you should definitely check out that combo.
If you're looking for something with a little less commitment, I would strongly suggest going with Ash and a Maple/Rosewood board. These basses still possess the classic MTD voice yet have a bit more of a traditional overall vibe. I think this would be a nice compromise between some of the combinations that have come up already.
Hope this helps.
There is one other difference that no one has mentioned. Since Wenge and Ash are open grained woods, you can feel the grain on the back of the neck more so than something smooth like maple. If this bothers you, then you should stick with maple. Personally, I love the feel of the grain on my ash neck.
MIke
MIke
Hi Mike,Mike Dimin said:
Yes, I have played that combo. I love the sound of that combo with an Ash body, though I'm thinking it might be too aggressive in this situation.
I agree about the feel of Ash and Wenge. I really like the feel of the open grains under my thumb. You're correct though, some guys can't get used to it.
I'd imagine you have a Sadowsky ash w' maple neck in your arsenal. If so, for tonal variety maybe consider the MTD wenge?
Joelc73 said:
Joel,
I'm hoping to tap into your experience here. Where does the maple/ebony combination fit into all the other neck combinations you've tried?
Thanks,
LeonD
