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The Official MTD USA Thread

#4,904
Vic said:
Definitely. That's some of the tightest burl I've ever seen in my life.
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+1 That is a one in a million instrument there. A bit over the top, but in a good way. Amazing finish, topwood, attention to detail, etc.

The only minor thing is the gold hardware with the black midrange switch... should have been gold (or the hardware should have been black). Of course, very minor, but on a piece of art like this, I would have gotten it 100% perfect. Easy to fix (and of course, very minor)
 
#4,907
That bass is the hottest looking MTD I've ever seen, and the best looking I've seen owned bt a Talkbass member.

O'yeah I called Mike today. And I was right, the Pickups are Reverse 'P's. And the cover is not wood, because if it's made from wood, the wood cover's thickness will decrease the Pickups' gain, meanwhile if the covers are too thin, it'll break easily, Mike tried it, and the covers broke in just months.

Bill Bartolini never liked wood covers, and he even refused to make wood covers for MTD USA. So Mike had another company made the wood covers for the 'experiment' mentioned above, and he has tried everyway possible to make a wood cover for the PUs. Until today he wanted wood PU covers for the USA MTDs. But just can't happen. Sacrificing the tone is not an option for Mike, so the PUs are the way it is today because of that reason.

The Kingston Series however, has wood covers and according to Mike, the tone was sacrificed. The preamp has to be boosted so hot to reach a decent output level, and therefore reduce the 'woody' sound.

And I also ask him about the BFTS. And His answer is the same as our conclusion, it's useful if the Bass is set up properly, and Mike told me somewhere along the way I will notice the difference.

Also we're very lucky, Mike said that the finish on all MTD US Basses are the same finish used for the bottom grille of a Jeep. Yes, the Car. So it's very durable, with proper treatment it won't show any wears (including the maple boards) until like 10-15 years from now.

That's just 'Wow'...
 
#4,908
antontanzil said:
That bass is the hottest looking MTD I've ever seen, and the best looking I've seen owned bt a Talkbass member.

O'yeah I called Mike today. And I was right, the Pickups are Reverse 'P's. And the cover is not wood, because if it's made from wood, the wood cover's thickness will decrease the Pickups' gain, meanwhile if the covers are too thin, it'll break easily, Mike tried it, and the covers broke in just months.

Bill Bartolini never liked wood covers, and he even refused to make wood covers for MTD USA. So Mike had another company made the wood covers for the 'experiment' mentioned above, and he has tried everyway possible to make a wood cover for the PUs. Until today he wanted wood PU covers for the USA MTDs. But just can't happen. Sacrificing the tone is not an option for Mike, so the PUs are the way it is today because of that reason.

The Kingston Series however, has wood covers and according to Mike, the tone was sacrificed. The preamp has to be boosted so hot to reach a decent output level, and therefore reduce the 'woody' sound.

And I also ask him about the BFTS. And His answer is the same as our conclusion, it's useful if the Bass is set up properly, and Mike told me somewhere along the way I will notice the difference.

Also we're very lucky, Mike said that the finish on all MTD US Basses are the same finish used for the bottom grille of a Jeep. Yes, the Car. So it's very durable, with proper treatment it won't show any wears (including the maple boards) until like 10-15 years from now.

That's just 'Wow'...
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wow..:eek:
nice info..thanks Anton..
 
#4,910
bass12 said:
Good to know Mike won't be switching to wooden pickup covers on the U.S. models any time soon. :)
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Meh, no big loss to me anyway. I think in some cases wood pickup covers can be kinda' cool looking, but for the most part, I just like a pickup to look like a pickup. If nothing else, it's a nice contrast to the top of the instrument. IMHO tho.
 
#4,911
Vic said:
Meh, no big loss to me anyway. I think in some cases wood pickup covers can be kinda' cool looking, but for the most part, I just like a pickup to look like a pickup. If nothing else, it's a nice contrast to the top of the instrument. IMHO tho.
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Vic, I'm even more picky about this, although admittedly I did go through a stage where I liked pickup covers (and birdseye maple boards :ninja:). Now I really prefer the look of an instrument where the pickups and knobs aren't disguised at all...and this certainly applies to MTD instruments. Certainly a "to each his/her own" thing, but I don't think I'd appreciate the walnut top on my 635 nearly as much without the contrast.

Taking this one step further - I have a Roscoe with Nordstrand pickups, and aside from the top, the first thing that hit my eyes was the pickups and those sexy exposed pole pieces. No way I'd want to change that mix of industrial-meets-elegant. :)
 
#4,913
VroomVroom said:
Vic, I'm even more picky about this, although admittedly I did go through a stage where I liked pickup covers (and birdseye maple boards :ninja:). Now I really prefer the look of an instrument where the pickups and knobs aren't disguised at all...and this certainly applies to MTD instruments. Certainly a "to each his/her own" thing, but I don't think I'd appreciate the walnut top on my 635 nearly as much without the contrast.

Taking this one step further - I have a Roscoe with Nordstrand pickups, and aside from the top, the first thing that hit my eyes was the pickups and those sexy exposed pole pieces. No way I'd want to change that mix of industrial-meets-elegant. :)
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+1 with what Jerry said.
 
#4,917
antontanzil said:
I forgot to ask Mike why are the knobs ain't wood? :hiding:

Personally, I like wood covers with exposed coils, like I have on my Stambaugh. But heck I care, as long as my Bass sounds great.
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Probaby to reduce manufacturing cost...:D (knobs made from exotic woods to match the exotic top will be pretty expensive)
my F bass has wood knobs, looks pretty awesome..but I personally like the plastic knobs on my MTD, look more like a bass than a coffee table:D
 
#4,918
I like both, wooden pickup covers and the plastic, depends upon the top and the fingerboard. As long as the tone is not compromised, I am pretty flexible. My Skjold has wooden pickup covers and knobs, and my MTD which is in the planning stages will have wooden knobs to match the top, but plastic pickups. My 535 has the plastic knobs and pickups and it looks fantastic. I try to keep an open mind about most things, it fosters creativity.
 
#4,920
Vic said:
Actually, they can be. Mike offers them as an outsourced upcharge, or you can get them made for you by Pete Skjold, THG, or Dave King (kingbass.com). LOTSA' options on that.
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Yep... I already called THG and I'm gonna go for the wood knobs... I was wondering why it's not a strandard on the MTDs
 

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