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The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
Hello all.
I've got a question for those more informed. I currently own a MTD 635-24 Marilyn #19 chambered bass. Alder body, water cured blackened redwood top, maple neck with a Honduran rosewood fingerboard. A great bass with a lot of tonal clarity. I run her thru an Eden 800 WT with a combo of Bergantino HT115 and SWR Henry the 8s. I would like to get your opinions on the differences between my bass and the Ash body/Ash neck MTDs and the Ash body/Wenge neck MTDs. I haven't had the opportunity to play and or hear the Ash/ Ash or Ash/ Wenge yet so I’d just like to know your opinions.
I’m an all finger style player and primarily play hard to very heavy rock, heavy blues, and jazz/ world beat jazz-fusion.
Steve
I've got a question for those more informed. I currently own a MTD 635-24 Marilyn #19 chambered bass. Alder body, water cured blackened redwood top, maple neck with a Honduran rosewood fingerboard. A great bass with a lot of tonal clarity. I run her thru an Eden 800 WT with a combo of Bergantino HT115 and SWR Henry the 8s. I would like to get your opinions on the differences between my bass and the Ash body/Ash neck MTDs and the Ash body/Wenge neck MTDs. I haven't had the opportunity to play and or hear the Ash/ Ash or Ash/ Wenge yet so I’d just like to know your opinions.
I’m an all finger style player and primarily play hard to very heavy rock, heavy blues, and jazz/ world beat jazz-fusion.
Steve
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,516
- 19,950
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Well, I'll let Vic handle the ash body + ash neck comparison, but comparing my Marilyn #3 to my ash body, wenge neck MTDs, the Marilyn is bigger, wider, more dynamic, has sustain for days, and has that 'baby grand played well and loud' kinda tone. My ash/wenge MTDs are more low-mid focused, not quite as dynamic, not quite as open/wide, a bit more mid-present, and a bit more focused.
I also play in a band that covers rock and blues, and I'd choose the ash/wenge basses most times over Marilyn for these tunes. I'd think, however, that your Marilyn might be da bomb for jazz/world-beat/fusion.
Tom.
Tom's of course correct here, but he left out a point I think may be important to you...
The thing about the wenge neck'd basses is they have more going on than just the low mid push Tom mentions. They have a characteristic "focus" which is really nice, BUT... they also have an upper mid cut, which is why they're so well loved by folks that slap.
I'm also primarily fingerstyle (tho I do slap a little), had a wenge neck'd MTD for a while, and while it was a great bass, the upper mid scoop drove me nuts. For my personal tastes, it hurt my tone. I had to boost upper mids to "get back" what I needed. That was with a tulip/poplar body (the "classic" combo). I loved the low mid push, but really disliked the upper mid cut, and also the high end "zing" wenge has was at the wrong freq for my taste, which sent me off looking for a "solution".
I contacted Mike with the idea I'd use an ash body to get back some of those mids I was missing, which is when he suggested the ash neck for me. His exact words were precisely what I wanted... "all the focuse of wenge, but without the choke". Sold. I now have two ash neck'd MTD's (one "sorta" by accident... just a deal I couldn't pass up).
So IMHO, "ash is the perfect wenge", if I may be so bold. It adds a really nice low mid push, adding just the right amount of that nice fat punch, but then kinda' flattens out as you go up without taking anything else away. The extra girth at the low end sweetens the slap but without being overly boomy (like wenge) but also without taking away stuff up higher (unlike wenge). Also, when combined with and ash body, growls especially well for my prefs, and that's what I love.
If I was more of a slapper, I'd probably have liked the wenge more than I did, and this is NOT to say they sound "bad" for fingerstyle AT ALL (all you wenge neck'd dudes back off!
)... just that IMHO(!!), the ash neck works a lot better for fingerstyle, yet still VERY well for slap.
My 535 has an ash body, ash neck, and maple fingerboard, and Vic described it's tonal characteristics perfectly. I originally had an ash neck but a ebony fingerboard, and the ebony had a compressive component that I did not like; now I could not be happier.
Has anyone owned or played an MTD J or 535/635 with the following wood combinations: Alder Body, Maple neck and rosewood fingerboard? What were the tonal characteristics? Liked/dislike? Why?
Has anyone owned or played an MTD J or 535/635 with the following wood combinations: Alder Body, Maple neck and rosewood fingerboard? What were the tonal characteristics? Liked/dislike? Why?
vision
It's all about the groove!
- Feb 25, 2005
- 3,988
- 618
- 47
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, La Bella Strings, and 64 Audio IEMs
Hey Vic, quick question...I know that the ash necked MTD fixed your issue with the wenge upper mid scoop, but does ash also not have that wenge high end zing? I personally love that zing, and if the ash necked MTD's don't have it that may affect my choice when I get my next MTD...
Depends on the fingerboard. If you get a maple fingerboard, IMHO, it's perfect, because it's got a really nice smooth but crystal high end. Not quite as edgy as ebony or even wenge, but IMHO, really really nice. There's something about the ebony board, however, that Mike doesn't like too much particularly with the ash neck. Don't recall exactly what.
Remember, for the most part, with wenge neck'd basses we're talking about BOTH the fingerboard and neck... with the ash neck'd basses, we're just talking about the neck. I probably should have differentiated that, because I believe that wenge zing is from the fingerboard, not the neck. However, IMHO, the neck is mostly responsible for the low mid push and upper mid scoop.
It might be really interesting to hear Mike's thoughts on an ash neck with a wenge fingerboard if you really like that particular zing.
vision
It's all about the groove!
- Feb 25, 2005
- 3,988
- 618
- 47
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, La Bella Strings, and 64 Audio IEMs
I had a 535 with Tiger Myrtle top, Alder body, Maple neck, and RW board, and it it was probably the plainest sounding MTD that I've owned.
A lot of people are fans of Alder's midrange response, but it does nothing for me. Not sure if the midrange voicing just sits at a frequency that doesn't do much for me or what, but right after getting this bass, it was then that I decided that Alder just wasn't a wood for me.
I talked with Mike about the ebony board on ash neck basses, because New Jersey bass and guitars had an ash body, walnut top, ash neck and ebony board. At first I thought cool, then after talking with Mike I cooled off about it. His spefic words to me were (about the ebony on ash) " it is to harsh to my ears" ( I assume he was talking abou the high end here) and " I hope I don't every have to glue up an ebony board to an ash neck again".
I ended up trading my Roscoe for the 535 that I have and it is way cool. I can't wait to A/B it with some of Vic's MTD's, but I bet the slap tone is as good as his ash body, ash neck basses. The combo for mine is ash body/spalt top,maple neck/rosewood board. It is killer slap and fingerstyle, just enough agression. I think the rosewood mellows it out just enough, so I am wondering how rosewood would sound on an ash neck.
I know we're talking minute detail here, but I'd think rosewood on maple would be better than rosewood on ash. I'd think the rosewood would tend to "soften" something that was already pushing lower than the maple neck, which would be too much stuff going "the same direction" and not enough "balance". Just a guess tho. If it was pau ferro, on the other hand, that might be interesting.
I've been wondering about this one for a while.
I've got a korina body wenge neck/fb combo, and I find it could be more aggressive. I talked with Joel at GS and he suggested ash body with the wenge. But after reading some thoughts on here and on the part 2 thread, I'm thinking about ash body with ash neck/wenge fb. I think it'd be killer. I'm sure Mike might have an opinion on it too.
Doesn't Mark Lattimour have a wenge neck with maple? Would that be similar??
I'd think wenge neck with a maple board would be a bit smoother on the high end, which would be good for me, BUT, you'd still have that scoop in the upper mids from the neck. I don't think I could ever really be totally happy with that.I've been wondering about this one for a while.
I've got a korina body wenge neck/fb combo, and I find it could be more aggressive. I talked with Joel at GS and he suggested ash body with the wenge. But after reading some thoughts on here and on the part 2 thread, I'm thinking about ash body with ash neck/wenge fb. I think it'd be killer. I'm sure Mike might have an opinion on it too.
Doesn't Mark Lattimour have a wenge neck with maple? Would that be similar??
However, if you like the wenge zing, but don't want the choke/scoop, I'm starting to think an ash neck with a wenge board might be a good thing. I know he's done a lot with wenge boards on maple necks.
I'd suggest emailing him tho, I'm just extrapolating, which is just a best guess. I've never played an ash/wenge neck. I've played plenty of maple/wenge's, and thought they were pretty cool, but I've never settled on one because I've always liked the high end of maple and ebony more.
Thanks for the reply's Tom and Vic.
You're comparison's and definitions have been a big help. I totally agree with Tom when he says Marilyn would be da bomb for WorlBeat Jazz/fusion. It is and I use it primarily for that, and that leads me to my next question. I'm gassing real bad for a six string fretless and again it will be used primarily for the above genre of music. The bass will have to have serious Mwah and growl but with clarity of note and tone. Would a frettless Marilyn be the way to go or would you suggest a different wood configuration?
Steve
You're comparison's and definitions have been a big help. I totally agree with Tom when he says Marilyn would be da bomb for WorlBeat Jazz/fusion. It is and I use it primarily for that, and that leads me to my next question. I'm gassing real bad for a six string fretless and again it will be used primarily for the above genre of music. The bass will have to have serious Mwah and growl but with clarity of note and tone. Would a frettless Marilyn be the way to go or would you suggest a different wood configuration?
Steve
I should have my Marilyn fretless (chambered Mahogany body, maple neck, ebony board, blackened redwood top, one pickup in the sweet spot with a piezo system) sometime next week. I can tell you what it's like after I have a chance to play it. I'm hoping the piezo will add a lot to it.
