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My new MTD 535 - Pics included

Marlat

Marlat

Sep 17, 2002
13,780
51
London UK
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#1
Well, those in the Official MTD thread (also known as MTDanon) have already seen these, but I thought I would share them with the wider audience.

Last January - I believe it was the 2nd of January 2007 - I placed an order with Joel at Link Removed for an MTD 535. Although it sounds funny, since 1997 and the Bassplayer 5 String Shootout I have always wanted an MTD as they just have this classic look and the Tobias heritage that makes them a "dream bass" for me. The closest I came in Australia was a MTD Kingston 5 used from Tim Cole and the neck profile on it was just so amazing that it cemented my desire to order a "real" MTD.

I worked with Joel and came up with some specs to make an MTD that would be a very cool and unique sounding bass and also something that was a bit of a showpiece (god knows my bassplaying talent doesn't deserve it!).

So the specs were:

MTD 535-21
Chambered alder body
Figured Walnut "10" top
Wenge neck
Birdseye maple fingerboard
Matching headstock and trussrod cover
World logo

Joel found me this awesome piece of walnut:

IMG_7654.jpg


Which, during the course of the year turned into this:

GSLatimorecopy.jpg


and then, according to the signature on the back, on 31 December 2007, became this:

IMG_2280.jpg


IMG_2287.jpg


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IMG_2310.jpg


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:eek:

All I can say is this bass is flat out amazing. The combination of the chambered body, wenge neck and bart electronics make this a much more versatile bass than anything I have ever owned. The range of tones is unbelievable. It can go from a very aggressive Geddy growl by favouring the brige to a really great slap tone in the middle to a deep dark thump in the neck. Its the first bass I have owned that needs to be "tamed" via the preamp rather than boosted.

It sounds so much more alive than my US Joe Osborn (ash/maple w/ nordies and OBP-1), which itself is an amazing jazz bass. I couldn't be happier with this bass and if anyone has any hesitations about getting an MTD - go for it. It is much mcuh more than I could have hoped for in a bass and is a pleasure to play.

Please excuse my waffling indulgence. :D

Mark
 
#8
Congratulations Mark, While I'm more of a J bass guy, that is an impressive and beautiful work of art, and it's probably a good bass too.

At the current time social constricts approve of this instrument, although that may change due to the prevailing morays of society. Because that approval is not pre existing, but merely a temporal granting of recognition by the non universal, temporal, whims of evolutionary chance which may progress and change as scientific method expands our rationalizations.:D ( a little TB lounge humor)
 
#14
ToddC said:
If I had a bass like that I would never need to practise.
People would be amazed and overwhelmed by my gorgeous bass.
I could relish in 'I cut the mustard' and what a hot dawg I am.

serioulsy though ... a very beautiful instrument!
Congratulations.
Click to expand...
I've tried that, it doesn't work! :D

The problem I have found is that when you work a job that makes it easier to be able to afford the bass of your dreams, the hours you have spare to be able to play the bass of your dreams are spent working the job! :( Such is life, but every night when I get home to pull this thing iout to practice, its so hard to put down sometimes I don't have time to eat! :)
 
#15
Mark Latimour said:
I've tried that, it doesn't work! :D

The problem I have found is that when you work a job that makes it easier to be able to afford the bass of your dreams, the hours you have spare to be able to play the bass of your dreams are spent working the job! :( Such is life, but every night when I get home to pull this thing iout to practice, its so hard to put down sometimes I don't have time to eat! :)
Click to expand...

Great!
Now that you have the bass you can quit that nasty job. Right? And.. if keeping the bass... under those conditions becomes a problem....... you can send it to me. At which time I could attemp to refute your previous assertion and actually relish in being a hot dawg.
 

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