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The Official MTD USA Thread

#2,861
Georges Abitbol said:
Really nice!
When was your order date? Just wanted to know your waiting time...
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I ordered mine on January 30th and managed to get it into Mike's manufacturing schedule so I'll probably have it by late August or early September. That's a long time, but not compared to the 18-month lead-time that's pretty normal these days. I was fortunate to have ordered mine from a place that has pre-arranged "manufacturing slots" with Mike T. (Bass Central). Otherwise, I don't think I'd have it until mid 2009 or thereabouts.
 
#2,862
rockstarbassist said:
It's sad that you're so right.

With all of the options available on these, you get one, immediately fall in love with it for it's own reasons, and already start daydreaming about how awesome your next one will be, and you'll love it JUST as much because of how awesome THAT one is!
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So true. For me, the most addicting brands of basses seem to be those that maintain a definite vibe in every instrument, but each instrument has its own character. That combination of the consistent and familiar 'centerline' across the brand, with the unique personality of each instrument, is what really makes me bonkers to hear what the next one is going to sound like. :cool:

Tom.
 
#2,865
mjw said:
I ordered mine on January 30th and managed to get it into Mike's manufacturing schedule so I'll probably have it by late August or early September. That's a long time, but not compared to the 18-month lead-time that's pretty normal these days. I was fortunate to have ordered mine from a place that has pre-arranged "manufacturing slots" with Mike T. (Bass Central). Otherwise, I don't think I'd have it until mid 2009 or thereabouts.
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Lucky you!

I've ordered a similar bass at the groove shoppe (most of the specs are the same)

I hope it will be as beautiful as yours, and I JUST CAN'T WAIT! :hyper:
 
#2,866
Georges Abitbol said:
Lucky you!

I've ordered a similar bass at the groove shoppe (most of the specs are the same)

I hope it will be as beautiful as yours, and I JUST CAN'T WAIT! :hyper:
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Hey that's awesome man. I'm sure it'll be tremendous! (Mike doesn't know how to make anything that looks/sounds bad) :D

FYI, just received an update from Mike after submitting my previous post. I guess won't have to wait tilll August/September after all! Yippeeeee!!! :hyper: Here's the part of the email I just received:

Finish may be done by Monday. I should be able to ship it next week.

Peace,

Michael Tobias
MTD (Michael Tobias Design LLC)
3 Lauren Ct
Kingston, NY 12401 USA

v 845 246 0670
f 845 246 2838

[email protected]
www.mtdbass.com
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#2,869
tombowlus said:
So true. For me, the most addicting brands of basses seem to be those that maintain a definite vibe in every instrument, but each instrument has its own character. That combination of the consistent and familiar 'centerline' across the brand, with the unique personality of each instrument, is what really makes me bonkers to hear what the next one is going to sound like. :cool:

Tom.
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Big +1, and the thing I have yet to be able to REALLY quantifiably define is, how that happens.

I've seen and played instruments made with apparently really great woods and great construction that just "lay there" musically. I have lots of theories about this, but at the end of the day, IMHO, there are simply few builders/luthiers out there that are nearly 100% reliable in that an instrument will be firing on all cylinders perfectly when you get it, and have that "special feeling" when you play it. Mike is one of them.
 
#2,873
jazzy grille said:
Vic: Did you get rid of the other Walnut 535 due to the weight?
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That was one of the factors for me, but not the only one, and I definitely want to stop short of saying the weight was a deal killer for me. Had the opportunity not arose, I'd still be playing that killer bass today. That said, since it was a downside for me on it, in an effort to make this bass even better for me, we hand selected a lighter piece of ash for the body. It took a while, because he doesn't really do the uber-light ash thing, and it's definitely not going to be a 7-8 pounder at all, but it should be at least noticeably lighter.
 
#2,874
Vic said:
HAH! NOT going to happen! :) You win. I concede. :)
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Oh, I did not mean that in a 'contest' sort of way. It's just that I find seven MTDs to be the point at which you don't break out in a cold sweat when someone mentions a wood combination that you haven't played yet. It's more of a 'warm sweat' after seven. :smug:
 
#2,875
tombowlus said:
Oh, I did not mean that in a 'contest' sort of way. It's just that I find seven MTDs to be the point at which you don't break out in a cold sweat when someone mentions a wood combination that you haven't played yet. It's more of a 'warm sweat' after seven. :smug:
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AAAACK! Ok, so now you're showing me the end of the GAS tunnel? NOT GOOD. That makes it a goal... help... help me... help... :crying: :)
 
#2,877
Saluki said:
First off, I like the second walnut top wayyyyyyy better than your first Vic (not that the first one was shabby).


Update on the 535-24 that I got. It is a few years old now. THe serial number is 10##. The last two escape me now. Anyway it sounds great. I really wanted it to sound as good as the "old" one (as it has no been referred to), but to my ears it is not quite as special. Does it sound like an MTD? Yip. So it is still special, but it doesn't make me smile ear to ear like my other one. It is less organic or woody sounding then my other one. It sounds more mid scooped naturally then the other, which one might think it is a better slapper but on the contrary to me.

This one excels in fingerstyle and can get aggressive. I really like the tones from the bridge pickup soloed on this bass. It is a great bass overall, but I think I prefer the warm aggression of the 535-21 better. I wish the tops were switched though, because I really like the walnut top better then the spalt top. And come someone tell me how to use those three extra fret thingies.
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Hey so what wood combo was this "old" one you're referring to?
 
#2,879
Vic said:
IIRC, (I'll let him confirm), it's a 535/21 with an alder body, spalted maple top, rosewood board, and maple neck... oh yeah, and friggin' killer tone... even amongst MTDs.
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Vic is suffering from a little MTD amnesia. This happens when have too many MTDs;). Heck, Tom has it so bad he thought my "old" 535 was actually a beast. It is actually an ash body, with a thin spalt top. Very aggressive by MTD standards (IMO). I need to give the new one more time, new strings and setup to see if it is going to be keeper for sure. I, unlike a few others here,(won't mention any names to protect the guilty) don't have and MTD GAS problem :hiding:.

I picked up a little 4 track zoom recorder this weekend, so hopefully by the time Vic's new MTD is in I will have it figured out and post some comparision clips for some TBers input.
 
#2,880
Saluki said:
I picked up a little 4 track zoom recorder this weekend
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I presume you mean the Zoom H2? I've had one for a while now and it's a great little unit. Extremely greedy on batteries, especially for playback, but the recording quality is good. It picks up bass very well, so you kinda need to keep it out of line-of-sight of your rig. (And use Compression/Limiter settings.) I have some recordings of my 535-24 at rehearsal the other night, will post a few up soon.

Cheers,

EG
 

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