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The Official MTD USA Thread

#4,561
CliffD said:
I think this pic really captures the vibe of my Marilyn:
IMG_2902.gif
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Very nice. Voluptuous and chocolatey. Kind of makes me want to eat your bass... :ninja:
 
#4,565
evilgus said:
Did I tell you guys the whole ash/walnut+ash/maple thing didn't work for me and I sold the bass again? :)

Guess it's time to try something totally different, maybe even the "traditional" poplar/wenge/wenge combo...

Cheers,

EG
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Could you remind me which one you got, and what you didn't like about it?

I'd recommend you get these thoughts together anyway, because the answer will be very helpful if you want to talk to Glenn or Mike regarding what you should probably try next to maybe hit your tonal goals.
 
#4,566
Vic said:
Could you remind me which one you got, and what you didn't like about it?
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I bought it here on TB from xkimsungminx (Paul), a lovely ash/walnut, ash/maple 535-24. It was an '07 or '08 NAMM bass, so extra juicy to look at! There was actually nothing wrong with it, I just didn't like the sound as much as my previous ash/maple-burl, ash/ebony 535-24, so it didn't make sense to keep the money tied up in it. (And the neck was thicker, so slightly more hard work.) I completely got why that combo is so popular though, it has plenty of body and depth, plus a good bit of bite and aggression with a nice smoothness over the top. I think I just prefer dark-wood fretboards that have more strength in the 2-4K area, whereas the new one had more of a New York/Sadowsky vibe, with more bite between 4K and 8K. Just guessing on the frequencies, but you probably know what I'm getting at.

The other problem is that I haven't been playing much this year, due to work commitments, so I haven't been able to validate my bass purchases in the field. This can often lead to rash decisions, which I later regret! :(

Cheers,

EG
 
#4,567
evilgus said:
I bought it here on TB from xkimsungminx (Paul), a lovely ash/walnut, ash/maple 535-24. It was an '07 or '08 NAMM bass, so extra juicy to look at! There was actually nothing wrong with it, I just didn't like the sound as much as my previous ash/maple-burl, ash/ebony 535-24, so it didn't make sense to keep the money tied up in it. (And the neck was thicker, so slightly more hard work.) I completely got why that combo is so popular though, it has plenty of body and depth, plus a good bit of bite and aggression with a nice smoothness over the top. I think I just prefer dark-wood fretboards that have more strength in the 2-4K area, whereas the new one had more of a New York/Sadowsky vibe, with more bite between 4K and 8K. Just guessing on the frequencies, but you probably know what I'm getting at.

The other problem is that I haven't been playing much this year, due to work commitments, so I haven't been able to validate my bass purchases in the field. This can often lead to rash decisions, which I later regret! :(

Cheers,

EG
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Makes sense.

Well, keep us updated on your quest. It's been kinda' quiet around here lately. :)
 
#4,571
Vic said:
Wow, Sassafras, right? How did Mike describe that wood tonally?
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Well, I don't want to give too much away, that would be letting you guys score on teh first date. . But he did mention that it would "warm up" the woods that its being paired with.

It is Sassafras, Tasmanian Blackheart Sassafras to be exact. I think its a one of piece that Mike had as it was the only one available when I was scoping out tops. Funnily enough many years ago when I was in Tasmania on a holiday I saw some blackheart sass in shops there and wondered why no one had used if for a bass top yet. WHen this top was suggested to me, it was fate! :D
 
#4,572
Mark Latimour said:
Well, I don't want to give too much away, that would be letting you guys score on teh first date. . But he did mention that it would "warm up" the woods that its being paired with.

It is Sassafras, Tasmanian Blackheart Sassafras to be exact. I think its a one of piece that Mike had as it was the only one available when I was scoping out tops. Funnily enough many years ago when I was in Tasmania on a holiday I saw some blackheart sass in shops there and wondered why no one had used if for a bass top yet. WHen this top was suggested to me, it was fate! :D
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Way cool! I'm guessing you're going with a maple/ebony neck then as well, but I'll let you eventually confirm if that's true. :)

Lessee... going to warm up the tone a bit, so 535/21 is also my guess on this one.

I could be totally wrong, but since I don't have any money on this, who cares. :D
 
#4,574
Vic said:
Way cool! I'm guessing you're going with a maple/ebony neck then as well, but I'll let you eventually confirm if that's true. :)

Lessee... going to warm up the tone a bit, so 535/21 is also my guess on this one.

I could be totally wrong, but since I don't have any money on this, who cares. :D
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Well, I already have a 535/21 and I'm doign a lot of chording stuff at the moment, so that would suggest a different configuration. But then again, I also have the 38 fret Ritter strung E-C so its not like I need the extra room....

:ninja:
 
#4,575
Mark Latimour said:
Well, I already have a 535/21 and I'm doign a lot of chording stuff at the moment, so that would suggest a different configuration. But then again, I also have the 38 fret Ritter strung E-C so its not like I need the extra room....

:ninja:
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Nice try at a redirect. I'm sticking with my predictions. If for no other reason than I don't care if I'm wrong, and it's just fun to say so. :D
 
#4,577
evilgus said:
That's a good enough reason for a new question - how much different, in practice, is a 535-21 to a 24? There's obviously a bit more room for slapping, but is it that noticable? Is there any other differences due to the slightly shorter fingerboard?

Cheers,

EG
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I think the cutaway is slightly deeper on the 24 to allow access to the higher frets. The pickup cover thats exposed is slightly smaller. Otherwise there isn't a lot of difference. Its mostly a slap guy vs chord guy thing as a lot of splap players are used to slapping over the 20th or 21st fret and not the 24th (which can ring out harmonics).
 
#4,578
Mark Latimour said:
I think the cutaway is slightly deeper on the 24 to allow access to the higher frets. The pickup cover thats exposed is slightly smaller.
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You mean the truss rod cover, right?

Otherwise there isn't a lot of difference. Its mostly a slap guy vs chord guy thing as a lot of splap players are used to slapping over the 20th or 21st fret and not the 24th (which can ring out harmonics).
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Yep.
 
#4,580
Mark Latimour said:
Its mostly a slap guy vs chord guy thing as a lot of splap players are used to slapping over the 20th or 21st fret and not the 24th (which can ring out harmonics).
Click to expand...

For me it's not so much about any harmonic ring, but about string tension. I find the string a little more taut when popping on a 24 fret versus a 21. This increased tautness sometimes results in a slightly thinner sound being produced.
 

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