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The Official MTD USA Thread

#4,221
So you suggest i need to check the battery clip? I 'll do that even if i already did it and saw nothing strange.
I didn't make any brutal movement, i really wonder how the clip could be broken. It really happens like that, in a fraction of seconds...Why me? :)
Thank you for the response!
Cheers!
 
#4,222
mikezimmerman said:
If it's an older MTD, the pickups themselves are also active, in addition to the active EQ. If the EQ is getting power but pickups aren't--or not getting enough power--they'll still produce output, but it will be very low. At least, that's what I'd expect to happen based on my experience with EMGs in my old Steinberger when the battery clip got broken...

Mike
Click to expand...
Actually, it doesn't matter if it's an older or newer 535, the pickups are still active. The only difference is where the pickup preamp is. At one point, it was built into the pickups, but currently, it's an extra module.

On that note, is there any chance some steel wool fibers got under the pickups, maybe as a result of some fret or fingerboard cleaning you or someone in the past may have done?
 
#4,223
Tony G said:
It's long enough that I notice it when standing, and it physically strains my wrist compared to my other basses with a shorter scale and an upper horn at or above the 12th fret postions. Think of me what you will, but I'm just stating how I feel about it. Ultimately I think it was a driving decision in my selling of this bass. I'm just not comfortable on it at gigs anymore.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think I'm having a similar issue. I having problems getting comfortable with mine. If I adjust my strap so that the bass is higher, my left hand is comfy on the the neck, but my right wrist hurts. Lengthening the strap makes it a long reach to the upper frets. Still workin' on it...
 
#4,229
Vic said:
+1 :)
Click to expand...

Fa-sho:
IMG_2769.gif

IMG_2766.gif
 
#4,230
pfunker said:
So you suggest i need to check the battery clip? I 'll do that even if i already did it and saw nothing strange.
I didn't make any brutal movement, i really wonder how the clip could be broken. It really happens like that, in a fraction of seconds...Why me? :)
Thank you for the response!
Cheers!
Click to expand...

Hi Julien,
It seems the Bart module inside you bass has failed.
I had an issue with the Bart module in my latest 535: it failed and drained batteries even if the bass was unplugged.
I asked Mike for troubleshooting and he sent me a brand new pre-wired preamp for free. I sent him back the defective preamp and asked local repair luthier (DNG in Paris) to install the new one. It works perfectly now. My bass was under warranty so I had nothing to pay for the repair.
So I think your Bart module is the cause of your problems, as all electronics is encapsulated inside in resin, it can't be repaired, it must be replaced.
I must say Mike provides world class service as he builts world class instruments, so don't worry, this can easily be fixed, even overseas. You can contact me if you want more information as I experienced the same kind of problems and as I live in Paris for now.
 
#4,232
Shelly said:
Honestly, I think I'm having a similar issue. I having problems getting comfortable with mine. If I adjust my strap so that the bass is higher, my left hand is comfy on the the neck, but my right wrist hurts. Lengthening the strap makes it a long reach to the upper frets. Still workin' on it...
Click to expand...

Tony G said:
So I think I've solved the mystery as to why my MTD always feels so "long" when on a strap while standing. All of my comfortable basses have the upper horn at 12th fret, while my MTD, and every MTD I've looked at on the internet has the upper horn ending at the 13th fret. This seems to add an extra inch of reach making the bass feel longer than any 35" inch scale I've seen or played. Why is this done on MTD's? Is it purely cosmetic?
Click to expand...

If you use the Seymour Duncan Straplocks, they protrude out the end of the strap peg, which will give you back about 1/2 " or so of the inch you seem to be plagued by. If you actually experimented with strap placement a bit, the teeny weeny little bit of difference that you are talking about might go away.

I think what may also be bugging you is the size of the body, which also plays a factor in how the bass sits. I found the MTD's to be the most extraordinarily comfortable bass in the world from the moment I put one on - he took what was wrong with a Fender Jazz and made it better, period. There are slight variations in the body, but on both of mine, the top horns ends at about the 12.5 fret, but with straplocks, pretty much perfectly at 12.

And if I had any money at this point, I'd buy yours in a heartbeat.

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#4,234
Today I announce my resignation from the MTD USA club. As some of you may know I've gone back and forth on selling my MTD for a while, but then seemed as if I had held off for another year. I finally commited to listing it for sale at the beginning of June, and today it was put into the hands of it's next owner. Maybe one day I will own one of these fine instruments again, but for now I say goodbye.
 
#4,237
superflybass said:
so I just got it today I will post some pics tonight or when I get back from summer namm
Click to expand...

as you knew it is about to change...

Your neighbours are going to hate you. You'll be on a first name basis with the cop who patrols your area - he'll show you his decibel meter. The band will fire you for wanting to take bass solos in every tune. Your wife will take off with another man, but you won't notice. Your kids will be grown up and in college before you wake up from it...

Cheers,
Cameron
 

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