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The Official MTD USA Thread

#4,402
fLaT-fIfTh said:
Ash Body/Ash Neck 635
Maple burl "10" top w/ wenge veneer
Birdseye Maple fingerboard
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Just slurp. :D Good for you - and I too am anxious to hear this beauty.


evilgus said:
So, am I crazy to sell a perfectly gorgeous ash/maple-burl MTD to a mate, just to go ahead and buy one of those much-talked-about ash/walnut MTDs in the same week? :)EG
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Yes and no. If "perfectly gorgeous" also applies to the sound, than yes. However, if the ash/walnut bass makes your ears happy, than absolutely not. Good luck with the transaction(s), and my only suggestion would be in hoping that you can hear the walnut bass before buying. I know I've said this before, but one of the main reasons I bought my 535 was that it just sounded amazing...both on its own, and particularly when compared to an identically spec'd bass that was in the shop at the same time. Point being...each bass is unique and only you can determine if it's truly right for you. [/soapbox] :D
 
#4,403
VroomVroom said:
Yes and no. If "perfectly gorgeous" also applies to the sound, than yes. However, if the ash/walnut bass makes your ears happy, than absolutely not. :D
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Good points and ones I have thought about. I've had rehearsals and even gigs where my "old" MTD simply knocked my socks off, but then I bought a (keeper) pre-Gib Sig 5 that actually sounds very similar, so simply needed something different to justify the spot in the stable. I've listened to a few ash/walnut samples (yours?) and realised that the general sound is....1. Pretty damn great, and 2. Different enough to my Sig5 and old MTD to cover new ground and open up my playing styles. There's just something about the ash body and maple board that works incredibly well, like a mid-70s Jazz bass, I guess. I seriously wasn't planning on replacing my MTD, for financial reasons, but once I saw it "leave the building", I realised I just had to have another one to replace it.... Damn. :)

Cheers,

EG
 
#4,404
evilgus said:
So, am I crazy to sell a perfectly gorgeous ash/maple-burl MTD to a mate, just to go ahead and buy one of those much-talked-about ash/walnut MTDs in the same week? :)

EG
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You're only crazy if you make a final decision without enough information. :)

So if you're already interested in selling the previous bass anyway, then I'd say no, you're not crazy. However, if you're selling a bass you're happy with and replacing it with something else strictly based on others' comments with no personal experience, and without allowing yourself at least a short A/B test period, then maybe you are. :)

Here's what I'd recommend, if you do currently like your bass, and can financially swing it...

Keep your current bass AND buy the new one. If you're buying "off the shelf" from a dealer, you'll even have an eval period making it a zero risk item outside of paying shipping costs. Play both, and plan to do this on a weekend when you have a gig scheduled. THEN decide and either sell your older one or return the newer one.

If you're talking new custom order, depending on your dealer, you might not have the eval period, but to be honest, especially with this popular config, I don't think a dealer would force you to commit. Otherwise, if you're talking about a used purchase, well, then it just becomes which one do you flip after the comparison period.

Bottom line, as much as I love that ash/walnut/ash/maple config, I'd never recommend somebody jump blindly from something they like to something they have no experience with... especially at this price point.
 
#4,405
Vic said:
So if you're already interested in selling the previous bass anyway, then I'd say no, you're not crazy.

Bottom line, as much as I love that ash/walnut/ash/maple config, I'd never recommend somebody jump blindly from something they like to something they have no experience with... especially at this price point.
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Hey Vic,
Thanks for the feedback and sensible tips. I was already considering selling my old one, as my Sig5 sounds like a tighter version of it, so when my friend made a decent offer, I took it. Once it left the building though, I realised I still *needed* one and therefore saw it as an opportunity to try the next thing on my GAS list, an AWAM MTD. :) Have read all the feedback and heard the sound samples, seems different enough to my old one to justify the relatively small cost of changeover. If it doesn't work out for me, no biggie, I can easily sell it here as there's none available in the local market.

As far as dealers go, here in Australia, there's only one here in Sydney and they are still waiting for their first MTD USAs to be delivered, sometime later in the year. When those two arrive, that will make a total of 4 in the entire country, as far as I know. Seems CRAZY, doesn't it!!! :) The one I just sold is the only one I've played and the one I've just paid for (#1651) will be the second. :)

Cheers,

EG
 
#4,406
Well, folks, my newly acquired AWAM 535-24 has entered the building...and I can't see it leaving for quite some time! :) There's certainly something special about this wood combo, it sounds "smoother" than maple-burl on ash, but still has the distinctive bite and big bottom-end. The top-end seems to have more bite at a higher frequency, but not sure whether that means there's a bit of scoop going on or just a peak higher up. (All compared to my last one.)

Pics with one or more of it's elder siblings to come soon... :)

Cheers,

EG
 
#4,407
evilgus said:
Well, folks, my newly acquired AWAM 535-24 has entered the building...and I can't see it leaving for quite some time! :) There's certainly something special about this wood combo, it sounds "smoother" than maple-burl on ash, but still has the distinctive bite and big bottom-end. The top-end seems to have more bite at a higher frequency, but not sure whether that means there's a bit of scoop going on or just a peak higher up. (All compared to my last one.)

Pics with one or more of it's elder siblings to come soon... :)

Cheers,

EG
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What was the neck and fingerboard on your maple burl/ash bass?
 
#4,409
evilgus said:
Macassar ebony on ash. Looks fantastic, but have heard that combo isn't recommended by Mike himself. The maple on ash just seems to be smoother and have more synergy... :)

Cheers,

EG
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Yes to both counts. I've never actually played the ebony ash combo, but Mike always told me he felt it was a bit harsh... especially by comparison to the maple ash combo. I would trust his opinion on that, and it sounds like your experiences mirror that as well. :)
 
#4,410
Vic said:
I've never actually played the ebony ash combo, but Mike always told me he felt it was a bit harsh... especially by comparison to the maple ash combo.
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Yup, I wouldn't kick *either* one out of bed, so to speak, but the maple/ash is more balanced and versatile, IMHO. I reckon if I played far more slap than fingerstyle, I'd prefer the ebony/ash, as it has a stronger top-end and slightly better slap response. I'm talking pretty minor differences here and some/most of that could probably be matched with a little EQ or even different brand/type of strings. Should switch back to nickels too, came with stainless.

Cheers,

EG
 
#4,411
Does anyone know if there's been much variety in the fretwire Mike has used for MTDs over the years? Or whether it varies across wood combinations or only by custom order?

The reason I'm asking is that the frets on my new ASAM 535 *appear* to be narrower than the ones on my previous MTD, and maybe even more of a gold/bronze colour. Maybe Mike uses slightly different metal/colour fret-wire for maple-board basses, to accentuate the grain? :)

Cheers,

EG
 
#4,412
evilgus said:
Does anyone know if there's been much variety in the fretwire Mike has used for MTDs over the years? Or whether it varies across wood combinations or only by custom order?

The reason I'm asking is that the frets on my new ASAM 535 *appear* to be narrower than the ones on my previous MTD, and maybe even more of a gold/bronze colour. Maybe Mike uses slightly different metal/colour fret-wire for maple-board basses, to accentuate the grain? :)
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IMHO, I don't think he'd switch fret material for cosmetic reasons.

However, if I were to take a wild guess (seriously... I have no certain idea), if anything, I'd guess it would be more about him just changing his mind about what works best from time to time. It could also be related to material availability, but I'd think fret wire would be so plentiful that's not very likely.
 
#4,415
Should I feel guilty for owning both of these? (Plus a few more...) :)

wSigNMTD.jpg

SigMTDHeads.jpg


EG
 
#4,418
Kuma9, it sounds terrific! Really nice playing too. I play almost all of those tunes frequently, and it's neat to hear how other players approach the lines. I really dug the fingerstyle tone on 'Dancing...' - it's all there...fat lows and happy mids. The slap playing on 'Finally' is terrific as well. Were you running DR Black Beauties for that shoot?

Thanks for sharing...great stuff.
 
#4,419
VroomVroom said:
Kuma9, it sounds terrific! Really nice playing too. I play almost all of those tunes frequently, and it's neat to hear how other players approach the lines. I really dug the fingerstyle tone on 'Dancing...' - it's all there...fat lows and happy mids. The slap playing on 'Finally' is terrific as well. Were you running DR Black Beauties for that shoot?

Thanks for sharing...great stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes i had the Black Beauties on. I string all of my basses with them.
 

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