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The Official MTD USA Thread

#3,001
Saluki said:
Thanks Vic. You da man. I went back three pages and compared. Your new top has quite a bit more color variation than mine. Mine is more boring:D and subdued and yours is more stunning and with the BEM board it is off the charts. Nice work Mr. T.

On the FCC gig, I am quite sure the Branson players will be much better, but rehearsal is the 6th if you are interested in hearing the FOH without the congregation.
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Nice bass there Saluki!
 
#3,004
Well I just (finally!) put on the MTD Custom Nickels that shipped with my 535 Rodman from Bass Central, and I REALLY really like 'em.

If you have trouble taming the ultra-sheen from your wenge/wenge setup, this is the key. I always have liked nickels, and these don't disappoint. I don't even have to notch my Treble control back, just to feel like I'm playing "flat" anymore, as opposed to the stainless set that comes stock.

If you like the ultra-crisp with the stainless', go for it, but I can even boost the Treble a little now w/out it going overboard. For this wood combo (wenge/wenge + burl + tulipwood), these strings are a great match.
Probably for something darker like mahogany the SS's will go better, but I love the authority of the wenge/wenge, and I'm even happier now. Which, of course, I didn't think possible after getting this bad boy!

Can't wait to get another/more MTD's... they're soooo so good!!!
 
#3,011
lefty007 said:
Isn't that a ZX he's playing on that clip? Not a J5. . .
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You guys are right, thanks. . . for some reason I was thinking that it was a JJ5 he was playing. Regardless, he's a fantastic player! :bassist:

And thanks RoBear, things are much better, I appreciate it!

EDIT: The JJ5 is leaning up behind him... anyone know where there are any clips of the MTD JJ's?
 
#3,014
I think the thing about these MTD JJ's is they're kinda' designed to be the polar opposite of the 535... in other words, all about classic tone... not modern wide and bright. Norm specifically wanted this bass for a classic rock type setting... one where the 535 simply didn't fit, so it's entirely possible he is also using an old-school rig with a thicker tone with not as much going on at the high end.

I could be wrong, I haven't personally asked him about this (tho sadly, I could have a while back), but this is what I tend to glean from what I've read of him and the JJ anyway.
 
#3,015
Vic said:
I think the thing about these MTD JJ's is they're kinda' designed to be the polar opposite of the 535... in other words, all about classic tone... not modern wide and bright. Norm specifically wanted this bass for a classic rock type setting... one where the 535 simply didn't fit, so it's entirely possible he is also using an old-school rig with a thicker tone with not as much going on at the high end.

I could be wrong, I haven't personally asked him about this (tho sadly, I could have a while back), but this is what I tend to glean from what I've read of him and the JJ anyway.
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10-4 on that. As the interview with Mike says, the JJ is more traditional, but still, that youtube clip must not really represent what the JJ really sounds like. Any bass equipped with bartolini J pickups and preamp is still going to sound more modern than a passive Fender.

That sound in the vid is most likely the product of the amp and the setting, obviously dialed for a rock sound.
 
#3,016
lefty007 said:
10-4 on that. As the interview with Mike says, the JJ is more traditional, but still, that youtube clip must not really represent what the JJ really sounds like. Any bass equipped with bartolini J pickups and preamp is still going to sound more modern than a passive Fender.

That sound in the vid is most likely the product of the amp and the setting, obviously dialed for a rock sound.
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Agreed except for one qualification... any pickup can be wired to sound any way, and even without going custom, Bill offers mutliple versions of the J style pickups, some notably brighter than others, and Mike's are custom beyond that, so I don't agree they'll necessarily sound brighter than a passive Fender. Of course they could, but I don't think it's a guarantee... especially if something close to a passive Fender is actually the tonal goal, which I thought was supposed to be the case here.
 
#3,017
i would say that the JJ5 that i had would be a very modern take on the traditional sound...through my accugroove and LMII that bass sounded HUGE...slap tone to die for, and a really great fingerstyle tone...i'm not sure the tone controls changed the tone that much one way or the other, though...cranking the knobs gave a pretty subtle change in overall tone, but not much...
 
#3,018
with headphones the "regular verse/chorus" tone sounded huge, full, and very modern sounding J but definitely a narrow single-coil signature to them. as to the solo tone, I dunno, sounded like a guy digging into the neck p/up of a J bass playing live and a board mix
 
#3,019
Hi folks,

The boost on my bass pot has stopped working, has anyone had that happen and was it just a pot-swap or circuit problem? The cut still works and you can occasionally get the boost working by tapping the pot or jiggling it a bit, but not for long. Both batteries are fine and I checked out the wiring and everything looks in-place and soldered up nicely.

Cheers,

EG
 
#3,020
Hi folks,

I can't seem to stop thinking about ordering another 535, so would appreciate a bit more feedback/advice on wood combos. I've read all the existing comments, but there's been a lot of new owners joining lately with interesting combos that I'd love to hear back about! :)

I currently have ash/maple burl with ash/mac ebony, which has a pretty great sound for a lot of funk and rock stuff, but can be a bit too open, especially in the bottom end and 2K area. Would really like something a bit more focussed for prog-rock and maybe fusion styles, but still quite thick and punchy. Maybe the "traditional" tulipwood/wenge/wenge combo would be good, but I'm concerned that it might be too "glassy" in the highs and often need treble cut. I mostly play close to the bridge pickup and slap around 30% of the time.

Maybe tulipwood/burl with wenge/wenge?
Or even tulipwood/burl with maple/wenge?
Or ash body with hard top and wenge/wenge?
Or maybe maple/ebony neck?

Looks-wise, I'm really digging the more colourful finishes, like myrtle burl with Iced Tea or Tobacco Sunburst, just want something different to my existing orange bass.

Also, dumb question, but I presume the 21 fret models are a bit shorter in the neck, so less of a reach? I've only ever played my own 535-24. :)

Cheers,

EG
 

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