The Official MTD USA Thread

[antontanzil]

I don't wanna' sound like a jerk, but it's right on his main page at the bottom. Regardless, here it is, as cut and pasted from his web site.



PH: 740-824-3598

Thanks Vic... And, no... You're not a jerk

 

[t0t0m]

Actually, Vic... I was talking about the wood combo, as in the specs NOT the sound, to be more spesific, the NECK wood combo, I know that the tulip, wenge-wenge is their most recognized wood combo, that other manufacturers don't offer, so you're totally correct, that will be their most 'Signatured' wood combo and/or sound.

I canceled my order at Bassexchange and took this one:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8781347#post8781347

My favorite colour (on any bass)

You're a lucky man..
very special MTD, look almost alike with Vic's MTD.

 

[bass12]

I've read several reviews of MTDs that mention how "dependent" these basses are on new strings for "good" tone. I definitely find that my 535 sounds a bit more "thunky" than some basses when the strings are dead but, at the same time, I can still dial in a pretty good slap sound. The way I see it is this: 535s provide such a broad sonic spectrum that, with new strings, you hear everything. This is part of what many love about the "MTD sound" and it is also what prompts some people to comment on how MTDs will show up any flaws in one's playing. When strings go dead, then, one is much more likely to hear the shortcomings in the strings with an MTD than with most basses. Does this seem like a reasonable explanation to you, or am I just rationalising? Do you agree with the suggestion that MTDs are more dependent on good strings for good sound than are many other basses?

 

[Vic]

I've read several reviews of MTDs that mention how "dependent" these basses are on new strings for "good" tone. I definitely find that my 535 sounds a bit more "thunky" than some basses when the strings are dead but, at the same time, I can still dial in a pretty good slap sound. The way I see it is this: 535s provide such a broad sonic spectrum that, with new strings, you hear everything. This is part of what many love about the "MTD sound" and it is also what prompts some people to comment on how MTDs will show up any flaws in one's playing. When strings go dead, then, one is much more likely to hear the shortcomings in the strings with an MTD than with most basses. Does this seem like a reasonable explanation to you, or am I just rationalising? Do you agree with the suggestion that MTDs are more dependent on good strings for good sound than are many other basses?

I've found this characteristic to be HIGHLY dependent on the woods.

In particular, IME(!!), wenge/wenge necks seem to really accentuate string death, whereas something with a maple neck fares much much better. My current ash/walnut ash/maple MTD sounds wonderful for the entire time the strings have lost their new sheen but still have a decent roundwound ring to them. Further, it doesn't sound bad to me even if I were to let the strings get kinda' thuddy, though I rarely let them get that bad because dead notes drive me nuts (which is why I'm super particular about dead zones on basses I buy).

Strong IMHO on this, but the tulip/wenge 535 I had just sounded horrible for anything but slap once the strings got past a relatively new condition.

For me, SS strings (pretty much all I use on my 535's) have three distinct phases they go through. The brand new brilliance/sheen phase, and then a MUCH longer lived "alive" but much more tame on the high end phase, and then death.

One of the things I really like about SS's is, if you don't mind dropping a treble control some when they're new, you can get a TON of life out of them, and that much longer lived middle phase just sounds great to me... almost as much brilliance as a brand new set of nickels, and way way more string life than them. You'll never get SS's to feel as nicely slickery as nickels, but I'm used to that anyway. I just can't get a set of nickels to last for me at all.

A buddy of mine had an ash/maple maple/rosewood 535 that just NEVER seemed to sound "bad" no matter how dead the strings were. Same for an ash/maple maple/ebony 535 I used to have. My current ash/walnut ash/maple bass is almost that good, but not quite.

 

[Joshyswing]

I've read several reviews of MTDs that mention how "dependent" these basses are on new strings for "good" tone. I definitely find that my 535 sounds a bit more "thunky" than some basses when the strings are dead but, at the same time, I can still dial in a pretty good slap sound. The way I see it is this: 535s provide such a broad sonic spectrum that, with new strings, you hear everything. This is part of what many love about the "MTD sound" and it is also what prompts some people to comment on how MTDs will show up any flaws in one's playing. When strings go dead, then, one is much more likely to hear the shortcomings in the strings with an MTD than with most basses. Does this seem like a reasonable explanation to you, or am I just rationalising? Do you agree with the suggestion that MTDs are more dependent on good strings for good sound than are many other basses?

I don't think I've ever heard a bass sound good with dead strings. Unless of course that's what you're looking for. I don't think/feel that MTD basses are guilty of sounding worse than any other bass with dead strings or do they show how dead strings are than on any other bass. That "MTD Slap" tone will be more pronounced with a fresh set of strings but the bass' tonal qualities are still there.

 

[LikeButtah]

An MTD with dead strings still sounds better than any store bought bass with brand spankin' new ones. Heck, an MTD strung with shoelaces sounds better than most store bought basses.

 

[VroomVroom]

FWIW, I'm definitely more sensitive to string life on my MTD than I am on most of my other instruments. Part of that may very well speak to the woods - ash/walnut, ash/maple - but when the strings (MTD SS) start to lose their zing I don't much care for the sound. Granted, I'm a pretty frequent string-changer across the board, so that may certainly factor in as well. The only two exceptions in my arsenal are my Rob Allen MB2 - the original tapewounds have been on there for a year and they're just starting to really sound happy, and my alder/rosewood Lull M5V - the "half life" on the DR Sun Beams just seems so nice and long that I tend to keep strings on there for quite a while.

 

[bass12]

I've found this characteristic to be HIGHLY dependent on the woods.

In particular, IME(!!), wenge/wenge necks seem to really accentuate string death, whereas something with a maple neck fares much much better. My current ash/walnut ash/maple MTD sounds wonderful for the entire time the strings have lost their new sheen but still have a decent roundwound ring to them. Further, it doesn't sound bad to me even if I were to let the strings get kinda' thuddy, though I rarely let them get that bad because dead notes drive me nuts (which is why I'm super particular about dead zones on basses I buy).

Strong IMHO on this, but the tulip/wenge 535 I had just sounded horrible for anything but slap once the strings got past a relatively new condition.

For me, SS strings (pretty much all I use on my 535's) have three distinct phases they go through. The brand new brilliance/sheen phase, and then a MUCH longer lived "alive" but much more tame on the high end phase, and then death.

One of the things I really like about SS's is, if you don't mind dropping a treble control some when they're new, you can get a TON of life out of them, and that much longer lived middle phase just sounds great to me... almost as much brilliance as a brand new set of nickels, and way way more string life than them. You'll never get SS's to feel as nicely slickery as nickels, but I'm used to that anyway. I just can't get a set of nickels to last for me at all.

A buddy of mine had an ash/maple maple/rosewood 535 that just NEVER seemed to sound "bad" no matter how dead the strings were. Same for an ash/maple maple/ebony 535 I used to have. My current ash/walnut ash/maple bass is almost that good, but not quite.

Interesting. I can see why a wenge-necked 535 might sound less lively with dead strings than one with a maple neck. An insightful post, Vic - thanks.

 

[antontanzil]

I recieved my 'Rodman' Ash/Maple, wenge-wenge (which I shipped out today) with half-dead strings. They still sounds great. I guess I'll see what will happen to my new Ash/Walnut, Ash/Maple.

IME, the Bass I use to have that's very dependent on New strings is my F-Bass BN5, I remember installing new sets of strings (SS and nickels), and after just one week, the sound changed a whole lot. It still sounds decent, but sounds like just any other Bass, not an BN5.

 

[bass12]

I don't think I've ever heard a bass sound good with dead strings. Unless of course that's what you're looking for. I don't think/feel that MTD basses are guilty of sounding worse than any other bass with dead strings or do they show how dead strings are than on any other bass. That "MTD Slap" tone will be more pronounced with a fresh set of strings but the bass' tonal qualities are still there.

I think Vic is probably right about the wood combinations. My wenge/wenge 535 definitely sounds more thuddy with dead strings than do my maple/maple basses (or my maple/rosewood jazz for that matter).

 

[t0t0m]

I've found this characteristic to be HIGHLY dependent on the woods.

In particular, IME(!!), wenge/wenge necks seem to really accentuate string death, whereas something with a maple neck fares much much better. My current ash/walnut ash/maple MTD sounds wonderful for the entire time the strings have lost their new sheen but still have a decent roundwound ring to them. Further, it doesn't sound bad to me even if I were to let the strings get kinda' thuddy, though I rarely let them get that bad because dead notes drive me nuts (which is why I'm super particular about dead zones on basses I buy).

Strong IMHO on this, but the tulip/wenge 535 I had just sounded horrible for anything but slap once the strings got past a relatively new condition.

For me, SS strings (pretty much all I use on my 535's) have three distinct phases they go through. The brand new brilliance/sheen phase, and then a MUCH longer lived "alive" but much more tame on the high end phase, and then death.

One of the things I really like about SS's is, if you don't mind dropping a treble control some when they're new, you can get a TON of life out of them, and that much longer lived middle phase just sounds great to me... almost as much brilliance as a brand new set of nickels, and way way more string life than them. You'll never get SS's to feel as nicely slickery as nickels, but I'm used to that anyway. I just can't get a set of nickels to last for me at all.

A buddy of mine had an ash/maple maple/rosewood 535 that just NEVER seemed to sound "bad" no matter how dead the strings were. Same for an ash/maple maple/ebony 535 I used to have. My current ash/walnut ash/maple bass is almost that good, but not quite.

Hi Vic,

Can you explain me the sonic characteristic for Ash Body - Buckeye top, Maple neck - Rosewood FB?
But as far as wood combo, these are what I'm looking for.
Thanks

 

[Vic]

Hi Vic,

Can you explain me the sonic characteristic for Ash Body - Buckeye top, Maple neck - Rosewood FB?
But as far as wood combo, these are what I'm looking for.
Thanks

That's gonna' be aggressive. Mike normally uses typical northern ash bodies, which are fairly dense, and as I THINK buckeye is kind of a hard top, though I must admit, I don't have a lot of playing experience with it (Just a Fodera Emperor and an F Bass BN5). The Rosewood board will soften the attack a bit, which will smooth out the high end a bit, but the rest of the woods will give you an aggressive bass with a lot of focus and sustain. I LOVE ash bodies because of this. I'd predict that bass would be 9.5-10 pounds.

 

[t0t0m]

That's gonna' be aggressive. Mike normally uses typical northern ash bodies, which are fairly dense, and as I THINK buckeye is kind of a hard top, though I must admit, I don't have a lot of playing experience with it (Just a Fodera Emperor and an F Bass BN5). The Rosewood board will soften the attack a bit, which will smooth out the high end a bit, but the rest of the woods will give you an aggressive bass with a lot of focus and sustain. I LOVE ash bodies because of this. I'd predict that bass would be 9.5-10 pounds.

You are correct for the weight, 9 lbs 11 oz.
even my ash-maple, ash-maple is aound 9.5 - 10 lbs.perfectly balanced, actually my MTD 535 is the first bass that don't have neck dive at all.
Is there any MTD 535 that lighter than 9 lbs?

 

[Vic]

You are correct for the weight, 9 lbs 11 oz.
even my ash-maple, ash-maple is aound 9.5 - 10 lbs.perfectly balanced, actually my MTD 535 is the first bass that don't have neck dive at all.
Is there any MTD 535 that lighter than 9 lbs?

Yes... just generally not an ash bodied one... except mine. Long story short, I told Mike I needed an ash bodied bass to be both a piece of ash that he was tonally satisfied with, yet net'd me a bass that was no more than 9 pounds. It literally took him 3 months before the right piece of ash came along, but it did. My bass came out weighing 8.6 pounds!!! It's extremely rare for a ash bodied MTD to be this light, but it's for real, and it's deadly.

My older ash/maple maple/ebony 535 was about 9.6 pounds, though. Much more typical, and yeah, like you said, balanced just great on a strap, just as all the 535's I've played do.

However, regarding that weight in general, there are alder and especially the tulip/poplar bodied 535's and they are very typically under 9 pounds.

 

[Virgil]

I recently played a 535 alder/wenge/wenge that was 8 pounds.

 

[Halftooth]

That's gonna' be aggressive. Mike normally uses typical northern ash bodies, which are fairly dense, and as I THINK buckeye is kind of a hard top...

Actually Buckeye is closer to a sponge than a typical piece of woods, so sonically, it offers virtually nothing.

 

[Vic]

Actually Buckeye is closer to a sponge than a typical piece of woods, so sonically, it offers virtually nothing.

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I would then assume this will add punch and maybe a little depth. I don't believe it's possible for it to literally have no effect on tone, however... at least on an MTD.

 

[Halftooth]

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I would then assume this will add punch and maybe a little depth. I don't believe it's possible for it to literally have no effect on tone, however... at least on an MTD.

No, I recall Mike telling me that Buckeye adds nothing. In fact, for years, Mike would not use Buckeye at all for this reason. I've noticed that he tends to use only very solid pieces with little to no inclusions now.

 

[VroomVroom]

Agreed. As I understand it, buckeye isn't one of those woods that necessarily adds to the tone, but any time you've got more than one piece of wood, there will certainly be an effect. From my limited experience with suckeye hurl (sorry!) tops, I'd say that Vic is spot-on. A bit of focus, a bit of punch...

 

[Vic]

No, I recall Mike telling me that Buckeye adds nothing. In fact, for years, Mike would not use Buckeye at all for this reason. I've noticed that he tends to use only very solid pieces with little to no inclusions now.

Well, I definitely trust Mike's word on this, but this still comes as a surprise. I just figured every kind of wood does "something" to the sound... again, especially in an MTD. Interesting!