ok i admit it, i covet an mtd 535 i have to say, i've been fortunate enough to play a bunch of mtd basses and wow is that guy on the right track i was lucky anough to purchase used tobias #474 (4 string) and it is the axe for me mike certainly knows how to make a bass responsive to the woods used in it as every combination i have played in mtd's sounds markedly different fwiw, i would rather have a wenge neck than maple as wenge seems to add a lot more clarity to his basses so far the coolest i have played have been his wenge neck/korina body basses - unbelivebale punch and, um, balls recently i got to try 2 new 535s in the late 900 serial #s at G guitars in new haven ct (great shop) one ws ash/wenge and the othe rwas tulipwood/wenge - both had exotic tops too the ash had zing and presence for days but i preferred the punchy and "fuller" sound of the tulipwood boy does this guy build the best hmmmmmmm anyone wanna lend me 3 grand?
Wenge you say? This one has had some war wounds, but it is KILLER! PS, they can be had under 3k, you just have to wait for them to be run over first
Small world, I have relatives in New Haven. I have to agree that MTD's are awesome. I really like the Norm Stockton model.
yeah,,,just wait for somehting to happen to them..lol and hey tim you need to fix your profile...o wait so do i..lol steve
honestly, i cant reccomend g guitars enough they have an unbelivable selection of high end basses and do a lot of out of state buisiness plus, their website lets you tour the shop and see what is currently available www.gguitars.com
My MTD 535 is my favorite player: fits me like a glove; I don't even notice that it's 35" scale. Preamp is awesome: all kinds of great tones. The the woods and finish are top notch. I got it used for $2200: minor playing wear, a couple of dents on the outside bottom edge that aren't through the finish and aren't noticeable from the front. Also, Mike Tobias gives great customer service. FWIW, I've bought basses from GGuitars, Bass Northwest, and Bass Central... I'm very happy with all three.
I have a 635 and this bass covers all the different types of gigs that I play and I have to agree with IvanMike the tulipwood does have a fuller sound than the ash however I chose to go with a mapleneck/rosewood fingeboard which gives it a real,real good Fender Jazz tone.The bass is very comfortable and very player friendly.
now that's a beautiful thing guru........ hmmmmmmmm, i wonder how much i could get for my kids if i sold them to finance a 535..........
Yep, I agree with your comments on Mike's MTDs. The articulate and punchy B string on this baby is what I use to judge Bs on all other basses. Don't sell the kids! if you keep them, you can make them work and generate income for you when they get older.
ANB TCole I sit here looking at this beautiful bass, and wonder, Fretboard ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE PICKUP sorry, I was at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence faculy art show opening last night , and the artist mind got really pumped! Then my son showed up with his black shoes painted weird colors with latex paint. Bless him ... Sow and yee shall reap ... I gotta do more art, right after the AC Cobra I want.
I hear ya man. I felt the same way until late last year, when Gard "made" me buy a 535. Yowza!!! What a phenominal instrument! Mine's tulipwood with a wenge neck and wenge fingerboard and I've yet to find anything else that sounds better to me for the types of music I play. Yeppers........ Mike T. is definately "Da Man"! BTW, you might not have to spend $3K for a new one. Have you checked Bass Central? PM Gard for more info.
Theres a couple of really nice Looking MTD's on ebay right now. I love the burst finish on the 4 string...... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2561297575&category=4713 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2561297258&category=4713
What's with no-one mentioning the Korean or Czech MTDs? Of course Mikey's work culminates on the top-of-the-line American MTDs, but besides the actual building the basses there's also the designing part, and when it comes to building to a certain price point it's even more difficult! As we talked with Jan-Olof Strandberg(who is behind importing MTD's to Finland) last night, Mikey T has actively taken part in building methods and quality of his Korean partners, it's not just that he sends drawings to them with a note saying "build me an axe that looks like this". I think Mike Tobias is successful as both, a craftsman and an instrument designer, which results to a balance that really separates him from the other builders.
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