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The Official MTD USA Thread

#7,221
blen dem said:
Thanks Vic BUT after a few hours I'm back in the club! The Zon was amazing but I bit the bullet, got store credit for the Zon and having my local dealer (Gelb) put in an order for a 534/21 mañana :hyper:! Still finalizing specs but shouldn't be too far off from what I currently have. Sorry, I couldn't stay away!
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LOL!!!

Well, mainly I'm just saying either way you have one hell of a bass, so you can't go wrong at all.

On the bridge spacing, If you think you might want to mess around with the whole 18-19mm thing, I strongly suggest you get the A bridge. He'll build you a bass that's suitable for 19mm spacing but send it out the door set up for either 18 or 19mm spacing and you can move the strings around from there if you so desire.

That said, Mike does prefer the simpler B bridge, as he feels it couples with the wood a little better than the more complex A bridge, but honestly, I don't think that's as big of a deal as your playing comfort and possibly even health.

Now... the interesting thing is, I'm pretty sure HipShot makes an 18mm B bridge, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same exact bolt pattern... in fact I'm pretty sure it is (another story). So even if Mike didn't want to offer it for some reason, you could always get one yourself and simply switch back and forth as you see fit. It would be a little more expensive (but still a drop in the bucket compared to the value of the bass or your comfort), but would make changes much simpler and also get you the coupling Mike prefers.

Just food for thought.
 
#7,222
Vic said:
LOL!!!

Well, mainly I'm just saying either way you have one hell of a bass, so you can't go wrong at all.

On the bridge spacing, If you think you might want to mess around with the whole 18-19mm thing, I strongly suggest you get the A bridge. He'll build you a bass that's suitable for 19mm spacing but send it out the door set up for either 18 or 19mm spacing and you can move the strings around from there if you so desire.

That said, Mike does prefer the simpler B bridge, as he feels it couples with the wood a little better than the more complex A bridge, but honestly, I don't think that's as big of a deal as your playing comfort and possibly even health.

Now... the interesting thing is, I'm pretty sure HipShot makes an 18mm B bridge, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same exact bolt pattern... in fact I'm pretty sure it is (another story). So even if Mike didn't want to offer it for some reason, you could always get one yourself and simply switch back and forth as you see fit. It would be a little more expensive (but still a drop in the bucket compared to the value of the bass or your comfort), but would make changes much simpler and also get you the coupling Mike prefers.

Just food for thought.
Click to expand...

A: love the new Avatar pic, talk about CHILLIN!
B: Much thanks for this info Vic. Definitely lots of food for thought here. My "damaged" left hand is actually ok with the 19mm spacing. It's the 35" stretch that causes quite a bit of discomfort. I can not spread my left hand as wide as I can before the accident. Mike's asymmetrical neck really helps with the spacing too so I have decided to stick with the 19mm. Just got off the phone with my man Ed @ Gelb and looks like we are going with:
MTD534/21
Ash Body, Walnut Top, Ash Neck, BEM FB, standard black knobs, no world logo but matching veneer head stock... It's basically identical to what i have now except it will have a BEM FB in a 34" scale. Ed says it may be ready before NAMM:hyper: Looking at a mid-January delivery. Yipee!!!
 
#7,225
Vic said:
Now... the interesting thing is, I'm pretty sure HipShot makes an 18mm B bridge, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same exact bolt pattern... in fact I'm pretty sure it is (another story). So even if Mike didn't want to offer it for some reason, you could always get one yourself and simply switch back and forth as you see fit. It would be a little more expensive (but still a drop in the bucket compared to the value of the bass or your comfort), but would make changes much simpler and also get you the coupling Mike prefers.

Just food for thought.
Click to expand...

IIRC I spoke to MT a few years ago when I was considering changing the bridge to be a 18mm spacing from the standard 19mm. I'm pretty sure that the conclusion was that you would only need a set of new bridge saddles from Hipshot, with the spacing set to 18mm, so no need for a new bridge.
I decided to stick with 19mm in the end, but if anyone is thinking of doing this, it may not be necessary to change the whole bridge unit, just speak to Hipshot about replacement saddles first :)
 
#7,226
dirtbird said:
IIRC I spoke to MT a few years ago when I was considering changing the bridge to be a 18mm spacing from the standard 19mm. I'm pretty sure that the conclusion was that you would only need a set of new bridge saddles from Hipshot, with the spacing set to 18mm, so no need for a new bridge.
I decided to stick with 19mm in the end, but if anyone is thinking of doing this, it may not be necessary to change the whole bridge unit, just speak to Hipshot about replacement saddles first :)
Click to expand...
This is true. I totally forgot about that.
 
#7,227
Just got my first mtd USA. Just a great bass. Here are the specs

535
2004 yr
Ash body
Ash neck
Maple board
Walnut top
9lbs 5 oz
24 fret
Matching walnut head

Since this is the only mtd I have ever played how would this compare to other typical mtd wood choices? Is this considered an average weight for a mtd?
 
#7,233
michricker said:
Just got my first mtd USA. Just a great bass. Here are the specs

535
2004 yr
Ash body
Ash neck
Maple board
Walnut top
9lbs 5 oz
24 fret
Matching walnut head

Since this is the only mtd I have ever played how would this compare to other typical mtd wood choices? Is this considered an average weight for a mtd?
Click to expand...

Have you gigged the bass yet? I'd say that 9.5 lbs is about average weight for a 535. The lightest I've owned was around 9 lbs while the heaviest was around 10.2 lbs.
 
#7,234
bass12 said:
Have you gigged the bass yet? I'd say that 9.5 lbs is about average weight for a 535. The lightest I've owned was around 9 lbs while the heaviest was around 10.2 lbs.
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If I were in the enviable position of calling Mike up to order today, I'd probably have to go the chambered 'route;' there's no way I'd be able to love a 10-lb bass. Generally, the closer to 8, the better IMHO.
 
#7,235
roadkill2309 said:
If I were in the enviable position of calling Mike up to order today, I'd probably have to go the chambered 'route;' there's no way I'd be able to love a 10-lb bass. Generally, the closer to 8, the better IMHO.
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Have you ever played on for an extended period of time? Mine is around 9.5lbs or so as well. With a good strap, i've never had any shoulder issues. Even on a long gig. They balance very well. I was a little concerned at first. But, it really works
 
#7,236
roadkill2309 said:
If I were in the enviable position of calling Mike up to order today, I'd probably have to go the chambered 'route;' there's no way I'd be able to love a 10-lb bass. Generally, the closer to 8, the better IMHO.
Click to expand...

I've never played a chambered MTD but I'm under the impression that there is a more notable difference between the chambered and the non-chambered MTDs (tone-wise) than there is between the chambered and non-chambered Sadowskys (for example). I'm not sure why I have this impression but I do. I know there are a couple of guys here who have experience with chambered MTDs so perhaps they'll chime in. While 10 lbs is a bit heavy for my liking (and over 10 is a deal breaker) I find 9.5 to be manageable. 8 lbs is alright but anything less than that and I start to feel like, I don't know... I like my basses to have a bit of heft. It's got nothing to do with tone (I'm not one who believes that light-weight basses can't sound just as ballsy as heavier basses) - I simply like the substantial feel of a mid-weight bass.
 
#7,237
bass12 said:
I've never played a chambered MTD but I'm under the impression that there is a more notable difference between the chambered and the non-chambered MTDs (tone-wise) than there is between the chambered and non-chambered Sadowskys (for example). I'm not sure why I have this impression but I do. I know there are a couple of guys here who have experience with chambered MTDs so perhaps they'll chime in. While 10 lbs is a bit heavy for my liking (and over 10 is a deal breaker) I find 9.5 to be manageable. 8 lbs is alright but anything less than that and I start to feel like, I don't know... I like my basses to have a bit of heft. It's got nothing to do with tone (I'm not one who believes that light-weight basses can't sound just as ballsy as heavier basses) - I simply like the substantial feel of a mid-weight bass.
Click to expand...

I would agree...Personally, 8.5-9.5lbs seems to be the sweet spot for tone vs weight. IMO anyway.
 
#7,238
bass12 said:
I've never played a chambered MTD but I'm under the impression that there is a more notable difference between the chambered and the non-chambered MTDs (tone-wise) than there is between the chambered and non-chambered Sadowskys (for example). I'm not sure why I have this impression but I do. I know there are a couple of guys here who have experience with chambered MTDs so perhaps they'll chime in.
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Very definitely... at least IMHO/IME. But this is also by design. Each of these two craftsmen came from opposite directions on chambering.

Roger specifically worked to create a chamber design that would have as little effect on tone as possible, being primarily targeted at weight reduction. He made the chambers small and many.

Mike, on the other hand, IS about tonal impact. Mike's never been one to really focus on weight reduction, so while that is a "side benefit" of his chambering, that wasn't the primary goal. He made the chambers as large as he could without risking structural integrity and even made the body thicker to increase their size. I even know of one customer who had a transducer built into the larger chamber.

While 10 lbs is a bit heavy for my liking (and over 10 is a deal breaker) I find 9.5 to be manageable. 8 lbs is alright but anything less than that and I start to feel like, I don't know... I like my basses to have a bit of heft. It's got nothing to do with tone (I'm not one who believes that light-weight basses can't sound just as ballsy as heavier basses) - I simply like the substantial feel of a mid-weight bass.
Click to expand...
I completely agree.
 
#7,240
I have an 8.4 lb custom shop jazz relic. My mtd is 9lbs 5 oz. With a good strap the slightly heavier mtd feels better balanced. After many light and heavy basses I have found I like basses in the 8.5 to 9.5 lb range. To light and the tone seems to be to open and can get into neck dive issues. To heavy the bass is to focused and just not comfortable to gig. The tone of my mtd is very grindy and punchy with a forceful clear lowend. Im assuming due to the ash neck The dynamics are sensitive more so than the jazz for sure. I'm surprised that the 35 scale I have adjusted to really easy.
 

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