MTD Artist 4

[Pep]

I was looking for an MTD Artist 4 and found 2, both about $600. One was amber sand the other was blue. I preferred the blue one but upon inspecting the pics it looked a bit rough. I wasn’t really fond of the amber with the maple neck.
On a whim I called MTD to see if they had any even though they haven't been made for several years.
I got lucky. They had one new “old stock” left and gave me a discounted price. Upon checking it out one tuner was faulty so they replaced them either Hipshot Ultralites at no additional cost.
I wanted black hardware instead of the black chrome. The only things available were the US bridge and tuners. Since I was getting a great deal I opted to have them installed.
The bass was to ship Monday but they ran into a problem with the truss rod. They offered to send it for me to check out, or try to locate another Korean neck.
Also since it was delayed they offered me an additional discount.
They located a new Korean neck in thrur stock and installed it. Thry let ne knoe yhr headstock was black and it had a rosewood fretboard. They sent pics and the rosewood looked better with amber than the maple.
It just arrived and I’m gigging it tonight.
I played it a bit during set-up. The action is great and the neck is fast.
It’s going take a couple of gigs to dial it in.
Here are some pics.

 

[jTrolt]

Nicely done!
I had a similar experience dealing directly with DJ earlier this summer. Just the best. Wish everyone operated like them.
Very nice instrument - enjoy!

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

Korean Artist basses are fantastic. I miss my fretless sometimes.

 

[Pep]

Well I played it tonite and I absolutely love it. It was so easy to play and it has a really punchy sound. I was contemplating replacing the pickup and electronics even before I played it, but I don’t see that happening. It’s near perfect as us!

 

[paddydaddyo]

Great get on that one amigo! I really like the way the amber looks with the rosewood board and black headstock. Put that all together with the black hardware and upgraded tuners and you've got yourself a "MTD Kingston Artist 4 Custom" ... won't see another one just like it onstage, that's a sure bet.

Cheers!

 

[Pep]

Great get on that one amigo! I really like the way the amber looks with the rosewood board and black headstock. Put that all together with the black hardware and upgraded tuners and you've got yourself a "MTD Kingston Artist 4 Custom" ... won't see another one just like it onstage, that's a sure bet.

Cheers!

I agree Patrick. I have a Dingwall NG3 (4 string) and I believe this Artist 4 is every bit as good at 20% the cost.

 

[Jugghaid]

Korean Artist basses are fantastic. I miss my fretless sometimes.

Me too. My first 5 string fretless was a Korean MTD

 

[CascadeBass]

I love stories like this. MTD is so great. I had two of these in 5 string-- one red, one white, both rosewood fretboards. I miss them. Congrats and enjoy!

Edit: mine were the original passive Artists.

 

[Hunter34]

I agree Patrick. I have a Dingwall NG3 (4 string) and I believe this Artist 4 is every bit as good at 20% the cost.

Yep! I've had my blue w/maple neck Artist 4 since 2006. I had an NG3 5-string for a year, but I had to sell it to pay some bills. It is amazing how similar the necks feel. Overall playability for me, however, goes to the Artist 4.

 

[Pep]

UPDATE:
Since I was making a Wenge “slap ramp” for my MTD Norm Stockton Bass I decided to make one for the Artist 4 as well. After looking at the ohoto realized I needed to wipe down the ramp.

 

[Hunter34]

I discovered something cool about my MTD Artist 4! I am in the process of replacing the preamp and pup. I plan to wire the new pup (Nordstrand 4.2) in series/parallel/single switchable. I'm also going to replace the volume pot with a CTS 500K push-pull switch so I can switch between active and passive.

Well, when I pulled the old pup, I found out it has 4 wires! I wish I'd realized that before I went down this rabbit hole. I could have wired the original with series/parallel/single. I think DJ might have been right when he said the original pickup/preamp were pretty darn good. Oh well. I've got a backup now.

My next thought became... hmmm, I wonder what it would sound like if I routed out a new pickup cavity directly above the existing one and reused the old pickup in the neck position? Each one wired series/parallel/single?

 

[Pep]

I discovered something cool about my MTD Artist 4! I am in the process of replacing the preamp and pup. I plan to wire the new pup (Nordstrand 4.2) in series/parallel/single switchable. I'm also going to replace the volume pot with a CTS 500K push-pull switch so I can switch between active and passive.

Well, when I pulled the old pup, I found out it has 4 wires! I wish I'd realized that before I went down this rabbit hole. I could have wired the original with series/parallel/single. I think DJ might have been right when he said the original pickup/preamp were pretty darn good. Oh well. I've got a backup now.

My next thought became... hmmm, I wonder what it would sound like if I routed out a new pickup cavity directly above the existing one and reused the old pickup in the neck position? Each one wired series/parallel/single?

I think the idea of series/parallel/single is great as is the active/passive option but i would simply install another mini toggle for that. JMHO
Please update as you move forward.

I wouldn’t rout for a second pickup because it will destroy the resale value and these are hard to come by since they’ve been out of production for several years.