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The Official MTD USA Thread

#4,081
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By the way, this bass was eating batteries very fast (less than 1 month). As it was brand new, I told Mike about this and after helping me troubleshooting with emails it seemed the Bartolini module have failed, as I live in France for now he sent me a brand new pre-wired MTD/Bartolini preamp! Now all seems OK... I have to check it the coming month.

He definetly builts world class instruments, and provides a world class service! Buy with confidence!
 
#4,083
Thanks Vic!

I would add, because a lot of people where asking the difference between MTD Stainless Steel and Nickel strings in previous posts, I'm actually trying the MTD Nickel strings on this one (colored in white at the headstock).

When I first received the bass, it was delivered with SS strings and I felt the sound was too zingy. I think this wood combo is kind of punchy piano-like with a lot of warmth, and it works better for me with the Nickel strings.

The balance between Low and Treble is just perfect on these strings, Mids are emphasized so the fingertsyle sound is accurate and punchy without being too zingy. For slap tones, SS are a better choice because these strings sound brighter a longer time, but Nickels sound nice too.

Hope this help.
 
#4,084
Georges Abitbol said:
Thanks Vic!

I would add, because a lot of people where asking the difference between MTD Stainless Steel and Nickel strings in previous posts, I'm actually trying the MTD Nickel strings on this one (colored in white at the headstock).

When I first received the bass, it was delivered with SS strings and I felt the sound was too zingy. I think this wood combo is kind of punchy piano-like with a lot of warmth, and it works better for me with the Nickel strings.

The balance between Low and Treble is just perfect on these strings, Mids are emphasized so the fingertsyle sound is accurate and punchy without being too zingy. For slap tones, SS are a better choice because these strings sound brighter a longer time, but Nickels sound nice too.

Hope this help.
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This is very similar to what I've found. I've never been a big fan of SS strings, so I tried the MTD Nickels on my 435. I think the sound is just about perfect, not too bright fresh-out-of-the pack. I agree that the nickel strings don't last very long, especially if you're gigging longer sets often. But the sound for me is worth it, and the nickels feel great too.
 
#4,086
Vic said:
CRAP! Now I gotta' go out and buy some strings... *sigh*... :)

You MTD nickel fans, same gauges as the standard 135x SS's?
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Yeah, I've been going with the medium lights, and they work great. Of course, I'm buying 4-string sets, so you'll want to make sure. I recommend The Perfect Bass. If you type in "talkbass" in the promo code, you get 10-15% off the strings. And who wouldn't like that?? :D
 
#4,087
DRay521 said:
Yeah, I've been going with the medium lights, and they work great. Of course, I'm buying 4-string sets, so you'll want to make sure. I recommend The Perfect Bass. If you type in "talkbass" in the promo code, you get 10-15% off the strings. And who wouldn't like that?? :D
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Perfect. Nice! Thanks. :)
 
#4,088
Exactly, it was the left hand position in the lower positions (although not just when standing). I'm a little guy -- all of 5'6"....however, the 534 that I have is wonderful and not a problem...these rarely come up in the used market, but if you are ordering direct from Mike, it's not a problem to have him build you one.

KJung said:
I think what you were feeling was the way the bass is positioned when standing. As mentioned above, a lot has to do with the horn design. The Lakland 55-94 really feels like a more traditonal Fender, even though it's a 35" scale. The MTD pushes your left had out quite a ways in the standing position, which can be an issue for some. I don't think it's really that tiny, tiny difference in the distance between the frets.

IMO, if you are sensitive to the feel of scale length, I would avoid the MTD's. I never had a problem with it myself though.
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#4,092
Saluki said:
I tried DR sunbeams on ash/walnut/maple/maple MTD and it mellowed the ash/maple combo out perfect for me. Tom B has it now. How's it sound now Tom.
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I am not normally a huge fan of Sunbeams, but they work fairly well on this bass. The high end is great, the lows are quite nice, but the mids aren't quite as aggressive as I might like.

We'll see...
 
#4,093
These strings came with my MTD 535-24, manufactured 08-08-08 and acquired not long ago. They sound great in every way,great for slappin, deep and articulate mids and they fit my MTD 35 inch scale neck perfectly. What else could a guy want?

Gitcher mind out the gutter! :D

I will always use these MTD strings on my MTD bass,so thats easy.

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#4,095
livingstone said:
And the MTD strings last/sound bright longer for me than DRs.
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Reall? They seem about the same to me... at least with the HiBeams. Tho to be fair, you'd have to compare them to the LoRiders (hex core), but those also do REALLY well for me, so I'd still say they're comparable. Still, I generally prefer MTD strings on MTDs anyway, so it's kinda' moot for me anyway. :)
 
#4,096
Had a really fun gig on Friday night, and wanted to share why I love the 635 so much. (And it's running MTD strings, so this isn't a total hijack from the post above. :D

Talk about being right in the wheelhouse - this was an R&B hit with a really cool singer/songwriter. My first time playing with her, but she had a smokin' guitarist and drummer on the date. We played a mix - mostly her tunes, but with some fun covers as well. Her tunes groove nicely, there are just enough changes to keep things interesting, but not enough to keep your nose in the book all night, and best of all...she encourages her cats to reach, interact, and take solos. It was a blast! Here are some clips - running into the Epifani 502 & UL-310-2. Everything flat on the amp, tweeter down to ~ 10 o'clock on the cab, and everything centered on the bass, except for bass boost @ ~ 7/10. Warning...as always :D ... bass solo content.

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Finally, here are a few pics from the gig...

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#4,097
VroomVroom said:
Had a really fun gig...
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Man, it sounds like it. Nice clips! I used to play almost exclusively in small heavily improv-oriented groups (mostly jazz) in the 80's and I REALLY miss that. Every time I hear a clip like this it takes me back to those wonderful boundary pushing days.

Nice. Congrats on everything... bass and group. :)
 
#4,099
VroomVroom said:
Had a really fun gig on Friday night, and wanted to share why I love the 635 so much. (And it's running MTD strings, so this isn't a total hijack from the post above. :D

Talk about being right in the wheelhouse - this was an R&B hit with a really cool singer/songwriter. My first time playing with her, but she had a smokin' guitarist and drummer on the date. We played a mix - mostly her tunes, but with some fun covers as well. Her tunes groove nicely, there are just enough changes to keep things interesting, but not enough to keep your nose in the book all night, and best of all...she encourages her cats to reach, interact, and take solos. It was a blast! Here are some clips - running into the Epifani 502 & UL-310-2. Everything flat on the amp, tweeter down to ~ 10 o'clock on the cab, and everything centered on the bass, except for bass boost @ ~ 7/10. Warning...as always :D ... bass solo content.

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Finally, here are a few pics from the gig...

3519985022_03b6cfe21a_b.jpg


3519172281_496990ea1b_b.jpg


3519984854_82916a04e7_b.jpg
Click to expand...

It's interesting that you ran everything flat except the bass, the tweeter turned down to 10:00, and I could still hear the high frequency's clearly; not too bright, but just enough. Did you go into the PA system, or were we listening to the amp and speakers as it was heard in the house? Nice clips, nice rig and nice playing. I am sure that the audience had a blast listening to you guys....I did.
 

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