The Official MTD USA Thread

[Vic]

Help, Need advice...

BTW, Ken and Jerry make great points I didn't even get into. I was already assuming you knew these basses were VERY different animals and you were more about making a choice between the types than comparing them as alternatives for each other (which I agree with Ken and Jerry, they aren't).

Anyway, in short, "+1" to Ken and Jerry's posts.

 

[excane]

I haven't posted mine in a long time:

 

[tyjacks]

Thanks for the feedback and great insight, and yes I do realize the difference in the basses I mentioned earlier. But I've only got the cash for 'one' bass and I was trying to make a decision on which bass would have the most versitle sound(s). The Fclef, Sadowskys and Lull's sound great but I wanted something that could cover mutiple types of styles/sounds. Let me know if I'm 'off base' with this decision process.

 

[VroomVroom]

FWIW I've been using my 635 on just about every gig since I bought it. Jazz, rock, Latin, R&B, funk, disco (I know there's some crossover there), it fits into all of those genres very nicely. On a few occasions I have dialed back the highs for a bit less aggression in the tone, but to be honest, I'm okay with that. I do the same thing on my Sadowsky. I'd much rather have the tiger on a leash than to hope the tomcat can fight for me. Or something...my metaphor engine seems to have crashed today.

 

[KJung]

Thanks for the feedback and great insight, and yes I do realize the difference in the basses I mentioned earlier. But I've only got the cash for 'one' bass and I was trying to make a decision on which bass would have the most versitle sound(s). The Fclef, Sadowskys and Lull's sound great but I wanted something that could cover mutiple types of styles/sounds. Let me know if I'm 'off base' with this decision process.

IMO, it's actually all about what sounds and feels good to you. Any decent player can play any style of music successfully with virtually any instrument. So, I guess in a way, the decision process of 'finding the bass that can cover the most styles' might not be the most useful. Any of those basses will give you a variety of tones just with right hand position and different playing techniques. However, they will all start out from a different place.

Quite frankly, it's hard to go wrong with a more Fender style instrument like the Lull, since the vast majority of music that many of us play was originally recorded on a J or a P. However, there's a certain beauty to that somewhat more 'over the top' big, active, modern tone of the MTD also.

I played an MTD as my primary bass in the pop/funk/jazz contexts I perform in for many years, and it worked fine. I now play basses closer to the FClef and Lull that you are considering in the same contexts, and I like them a bit better due to the more 'old school' tone that most listeners are used to in that style of music. However, I haven't lost nor gotten one gig because of my change in tone focus

Sorry, not making this much easier on you! It would be hard to be disappointed with any of those fine instruments.

 

[tyjacks]

FWIW I've been using my 635 on just about every gig since I bought it. Jazz, rock, Latin, R&B, funk, disco (I know there's some crossover there), it fits into all of those genres very nicely. On a few occasions I have dialed back the highs for a bit less aggression in the tone, but to be honest, I'm okay with that. I do the same thing on my Sadowsky. I'd much rather have the tiger on a leash than to hope the tomcat can fight for me. Or something...my metaphor engine seems to have crashed today.

So you mean "don't bring a knife to what might be a bear fight"
Yea, I think I'm going with the MTD 535-24.

 

[Vic]

Thanks for the feedback and great insight, and yes I do realize the difference in the basses I mentioned earlier. But I've only got the cash for 'one' bass and I was trying to make a decision on which bass would have the most versitle sound(s). The Fclef, Sadowskys and Lull's sound great but I wanted something that could cover mutiple types of styles/sounds. Let me know if I'm 'off base' with this decision process.

I hate to say it, but these basses are different enough you may just have to foot the bill to do the "eval period" from a couple dealers and keep the one you like best.

This is an area where Ken and I differ, and I'm a bit more like Jerry. I'm not quite as concerned about being faithful to a more classic tone as I am having a broad palette I can get a lot of very different sounds from. This is why I'd prefer the MTD over the other two. True, it won't sound as close to a real J as the other two, but IMHO, it can cover a lot more tonal ground than the other two.

The other wrench I'll toss in the works is, the Lull and MTD feel very different to play (I'm F-Clef ignorant... never touched one), so that might matter as well. Nothing negative about either, but one might work better for you than the other. Hard to say.

Bottom line is, you're talking about spending a lot of money, and it at least appears you don't have any direct experience to draw your own conclusion from. IMHO, that's the missing piece. Go ahead and spend a little bit of round trip shipping money to make the best choice.

Just make sure you do it over a weekend you'll be playing a typical gig (or at least have a full rehearsal with the band). "basement-only" evals are not effective, IMHO.

 

[KJung]

This is an area where Ken and I differ, and I'm a bit more like Jerry. I'm not quite as concerned about being faithful to a more classic tone as I am having a broad palette I can get a lot of very different sounds from. This is why I'd prefer the MTD over the other two. True, it won't sound as close to a real J as the other two, but IMHO, it can cover a lot more tonal ground than the other two.

Mostly +1 to your entire post. I'm not sure about covering more ground. It's just a different starting point. All three basses have two pickups, roughly in J locations, active, powerful preamps, etc. I don't find any two pickup active bass being that much different as far as the range of palette as another. I can get a tight burp, and an old school pseudo P Bass tone, a big, scoopy tone, a grind both pickup on tone, whatever, out of each of those basses.

I agree though, the starting point is different, although IMO the 'range' of tones (i.e., getting 'different sounds' out of each instrument) is pretty much identical if you have good control of your plucking/slapping/thumbing/muting hand.

Minor point... the key is to get the one that speaks to you. You will be able to play any gig and any style of music with any of these three.

 

[VroomVroom]

I can only get a tight burp if I drink my soda very quickly.



Sorry... Great stuff all around. Youse guys are both making good points on this. Just last night I played a Lull 5 and a Lakland 4. Both sounded great. (Actually, it was the most awesome Lakland I've experienced...in Lake Placid Blue no less!) As much as I loved 'em, they're night & day in comparison to the MTD. Totally subjective to what your ears want to hear. You've picked out three fine instruments, and good luck with everything!

 

[pbass6811]

You'll be sorry...

Actually, I'm pretty happy about it! The MTD was great, but this Roscoe is SWEEET! Great tonal character, AND it's good-looking too, which is a nice bonus! The best part is...I still have an MTD 535-24! !

 

[Bassflute]

I haven't posted mine in a long time:

You need one more to complete the collection...

4


5


6!

Wouldn't mind knowing the detail on that yellowish one. Is that an early 434, 435?

Cheers,
Cameron

 

[DRay521]

Wouldn't mind knowing the detail on that yellowish one. Is that an early 434, 435?

Cheers,
Cameron

Ooo, ooo, I wanna take a guess.

I'm going to say low 300's serial #, with a bridge update, and possibly pickup replacement. Those covers look pretty new. Ash body, wenge neck/fb. I'm curious to see how close I am.

 

[black.rose1402]

Ah , you guys have to stop showing these wonderful instruments, I have a fodera on order but everytime I hear or see a nice mtd, I wondering if I should change my order to get mtd instead (I already have a fodera )

 

[excane]

Ooo, ooo, I wanna take a guess.

I'm going to say low 300's serial #, with a bridge update, and possibly pickup replacement. Those covers look pretty new. Ash body, wenge neck/fb. I'm curious to see how close I am.

I will go open up the case and get the serial number for both of you right after my cup of coffee

 

[excane]

It is indeed a model 435........with an ash body..........wenge neck and FB.........

The serial # is...........drum roll..........













#412

 

[DRay521]

Ha, well at least I was close.

Was I right about the bridge?

 

[excane]

As far as I know, everything was original when I bought it (according to the previous owner) it has the same bridge as the 535.

 

[tyjacks]

Any MTD guys here who own, or have owned an F-Bass, BN5 or BN6? Whats your opinions? Specifically tone, playbility, and sound...

 

[KJung]

Any MTD guys here who own, or have owned an F-Bass, BN5 or BN6? Whats your opinions? Specifically tone, playbility, and sound...

Both great, but very, very different. The FBass, to my ear, is a smoother, mellower, more refined Fender J tone. The MTD is all about bright, wide, aggressive active electronics and big, active tone.

If you like a Fender J, but tend to want a little more 'satin and smooth' to your sound, the FBass is great. If you have very little interest in a Fender J tone, and want it modern, crisp, big, aggressive and a bit 'electronic', the MTD's are amazing.

Another way to put it, the FBass sounds pretty much the same in passive mode and with the preamp engaged and the tone controls boosted slightly. The MTD has no passive mode (due to somewhat unusual active Bartolini pickups).

Fit and finish is great on both, although I was never a fan of that very soft FBass Nitro finish. I understand George has revised his finish to be more durable, but have not seen it.

IMO and IME from my experience on quite a few gigs with both these fine instruments.

Edit: Also, there is a BIG difference in feel when these basses are 'on the strap', with the FBass hanging quite a bit to the right of the body, and the MTD pushing first position quite a ways away from the body. The FBass feels unique in standing position (I don't dig it), while the MTD just moves first position out a touch from the standard 'J/P' feel.

 

[tyjacks]

KJung,
So would it be safe to say that if I were wanting a Norm Stockton/Andrea Gouche, go for the MTD. Or for a David Hughes/Alain Caron type sound and tone go for the F-Bass.