• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

The Official MTD USA Thread

#3,061
lefty007 said:
Just, wow. That has to be one of nicest MTDs ever, and that's a lot to say.

I envy you for the weight; my 535 is 9.5 lbs.
Click to expand...
The other 535's I have are both over 9 pounds, but they sound so amazing it's worth it... so don't feel too bad, anyway. That said, this is kind of a special one... Mike simply doesn't do the lightweight ash thing because it's SO hard to find a piece that meets his tonal criteria. The good news is, his ergos make it no too big of a deal anyway.

In my case, I have lower back issues. :( Not debilitating or cripling at all, but enough to be fairly uncomfortable at the end of the night... especially if it's a Friday gig and I've been at work all day. So while I can play my other MTDs, if I play one for all sets, I do feel it at the end of the night. Strange, 9 pounds seems to be a magic barrier. If I can top out at that, or even better, stay under, I do a LOT better. I'll be able to play this bass all night no problem. What's amazing to me about myself is, once I get over 9 pounds... even 1/2 pound seems to make a noticeable diff.

Folks, take care of your backs while you're still young enough to make a diff! :)
 
#3,062
rockstarbassist said:
How do they vary?
Click to expand...
I can't improve on Mike's quote "all the focus of wenge, but without the choke". The thing that always bugged me about the wenge/wenge combo is the scoop they have in those upper mids. I think that's why slappers love them so much. The ultra-high snap they have doesn't bug me at all, but I do like the high end to be just a tad lower... maple does that pretty well.

I've brought this up before, and the wenge/wenge fans... even the fingerstylers (which I mostly am as well)... pushed back, but it ended up boiling down to personal style and pref as you'd guess. At least for me, that wenge/wenge choke fell in a bad place, and it really just didn't work for me.

The ash/maple combo gives me exactly the tone I was always trying to get from a wenge/wenge combo by trying different body wood combos. I really like the look and feel of the wenge/wenge combo, so I wanted to find something that'd also work tonally for me. I called Mike a little over a year ago with this quandary and that's when he suggested something totally different... the ash/maple combo, and even specifically with the walnut/ash body. I hate to admit it, because they're not really that new, but I'd never heard of an ash neck before... and quite frankly, if it was anybody but Mike or maybe one other Luthier suggesting it, I'd probably have nacked the idea right away just from it being such an unknown to me.

Well, suffices to say my trust in Mike has paid off... again... :)
 
#3,064
Vic said:
The other 535's I have are both over 9 pounds, but they sound so amazing it's worth it... so don't feel too bad, anyway. That said, this is kind of a special one... Mike simply doesn't do the lightweight ash thing because it's SO hard to find a piece that meets his tonal criteria. The good news is, his ergos make it no too big of a deal anyway.

In my case, I have lower back issues. :( Not debilitating or cripling at all, but enough to be fairly uncomfortable at the end of the night... especially if it's a Friday gig and I've been at work all day. So while I can play my other MTDs, if I play one for all sets, I do feel it at the end of the night. Strange, 9 pounds seems to be a magic barrier. If I can top out at that, or even better, stay under, I do a LOT better. I'll be able to play this bass all night no problem. What's amazing to me about myself is, once I get over 9 pounds... even 1/2 pound seems to make a noticeable diff.

Folks, take care of your backs while you're still young enough to make a diff! :)
Click to expand...

10-4 on that. I usually can't stand anything over 9 lbs, but somehow, the balance on the MTDs let you play them longer without so much fatigue.

I still alternate with a Z5 that weighs 7.5 lbs (:)), until I can affort to order a lightweight 535.
 
#3,066
Vic said:
Wow! That sounds cool! Not to derail, but are they typically that light?
Click to expand...

Correction, 7.5 lb is the weight the store gave me when I bought it. It could be, but let's say they are right around 8 lbs.

Yes, they are that light. Check out www.theperfectbass.com

They have the weight of the some of the basses listed, and sure enough, there are a few 5-string at less than 8 lbs. I also have an older Kingston 5 that is no more than 8.2 or 8.3 lbs.
 
#3,067
lefty007 said:
Correction, 7.5 lb is the weight the store gave me. It could be, but let's say they are right around 8 lbs.

Yes, they are that light. Check out www.theperfectbass.com

They have the weight of the some of the basses listed, and sure enough, there are a few 5-string at less than 8 lbs. I also have an older Kingston 5 that is no more than 8.2 or 8.3 lbs.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a Z, or one of the limited ZX's?
 
#3,072
Vic said:
I can't improve on Mike's quote "all the focus of wenge, but without the choke". The thing that always bugged me about the wenge/wenge combo is the scoop they have in those upper mids. I think that's why slappers love them so much. The ultra-high snap they have doesn't bug me at all, but I do like the high end to be just a tad lower... maple does that pretty well.
Click to expand...

Sounds quite interesting....I have been curious about his use of ash in necks for awhile...

+1 on the back thing....my current fretless is about 10lbs and I really feel it after a night, I also notice a night of playing a 35" scale bass....so I have sort of backed of the 35" thing...my next fretless which im about to pick up is a 33" scale chambered body so im sort of hoping it hits about the 8lb mark..

I love the MTD sound but the 35" thing has been a bit of a killer.....now a 534 with that same Wood combo...that would be a killer..
 
#3,073
smakbass said:
I love the MTD sound but the 35" thing has been a bit of a killer.....now a 534 with that same Wood combo...that would be a killer..
Click to expand...
Interestingly, at least on MTDs and Skjolds, the 35" scale doesn't bug me, even though I'm not a large person, but I can definitely see your point. Lots of folks feel the same. On the 534, I would think that would be something Mike could definitely do. It might possibly cost a little more if he has to do more hand work due to a lack of some template(s), but he could tell you that for sure. I know he's done 434s before, just don't know if he's done a 534 before.
 
#3,076
lefty007 said:
Wasn't that Eclipse protoype at the Bass Emporium 34" scale?
Click to expand...
That's a good question... and I think it might be... that sounds familiar about it. I definitely remember the bass, and even have an "ok" pic of it somewhere, but I also seem to remember it being described in an article or interview segment as 34" scale.
 
#3,078
Vic,

I really do think that is one of the most aesthetically pleasing basses I have seen. I mean ever aspect is way cool. We all know the top is just rockin' it, but I love the back of the neck..like someone just dropped a pebble in an ash pond right about the 12th fret. I can't wait to gig it this Sunday when you are in Branson. That's alright, I give a full report to the thread while you are gone:D.
 
#3,080
Vic said:
The other 535's I have are both over 9 pounds, but they sound so amazing it's worth it... so don't feel too bad, anyway. That said, this is kind of a special one... Mike simply doesn't do the lightweight ash thing because it's SO hard to find a piece that meets his tonal criteria. The good news is, his ergos make it no too big of a deal anyway.

In my case, I have lower back issues. :( Not debilitating or cripling at all, but enough to be fairly uncomfortable at the end of the night... especially if it's a Friday gig and I've been at work all day. So while I can play my other MTDs, if I play one for all sets, I do feel it at the end of the night. Strange, 9 pounds seems to be a magic barrier. If I can top out at that, or even better, stay under, I do a LOT better. I'll be able to play this bass all night no problem. What's amazing to me about myself is, once I get over 9 pounds... even 1/2 pound seems to make a noticeable diff.

Folks, take care of your backs while you're still young enough to make a diff! :)
Click to expand...

have you tried Neotech straps? Neoprene over the shoulder, but not inherently bouncy like the comfort straps. Just enough give that I can play heavy basses all night no problem.

Check them out - I've used them since they first came out in the late 80's:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

And ****, now I'm having to rethink the whole wenge on wenge issue...dang you, Vic!

BTW, for Canadians, Act One Music in Langley has a couple of MTD 535 Americans coming in soon, including a wenge/wenge one...

:D

Cheers,
Cameron
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back