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The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,943
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
carlis said:
I dunno. For some reason, I'm just not feeling that one in the looks department. Maybe I'd like it better with a darker fretboard or something.
It might sing with the voice of a hundred gods, though. I'm not familiar with those woods.
hey guys,
its noob time!
sooooooooooooooooo, think i'm getting back on the MTD bus, and looking for a nice 535.
been a sadowsky guy for so long that other basses never really appealed to me... until about now. i've always loved the necks and especially their overall playability. and frankly, regretted selling my 635 all those years ago. BAHHHH
at any rate, which wood combo would make for a rather lightweight yet punchy bass? i'm usually an ash guy, but not sure if my herniated disc could have stood up against my old 635 on a 3hr+ afrobeat gig.
i've read the website on the usual suspects of woods. how does tulipwood and makore differ? looking for wood combo that has naturally has deep lows and clarity, while still being nice to my back.
OH, and how does chambering affect the overall sound? lessen's punch?
thank you smartest dudes in the mtd room!
its noob time!
sooooooooooooooooo, think i'm getting back on the MTD bus, and looking for a nice 535.
been a sadowsky guy for so long that other basses never really appealed to me... until about now. i've always loved the necks and especially their overall playability. and frankly, regretted selling my 635 all those years ago. BAHHHH
at any rate, which wood combo would make for a rather lightweight yet punchy bass? i'm usually an ash guy, but not sure if my herniated disc could have stood up against my old 635 on a 3hr+ afrobeat gig.
i've read the website on the usual suspects of woods. how does tulipwood and makore differ? looking for wood combo that has naturally has deep lows and clarity, while still being nice to my back.
OH, and how does chambering affect the overall sound? lessen's punch?
thank you smartest dudes in the mtd room!
I think a good place to start is to see if you can find, or have Mike build, a particularly lightweight ash body based model. The lighter weight reduces the compression and adds punch. If you don't go super light (which he'd push back on anyway), it's a great balance of punch and power.
At least that's what I think of mine, anyway.
For punchy and light, I would go with Tulipwood. Mike has some light pieces and they can be very punchy while remaining big on the bottom.
I also like lighter pieces of Northern Ash but it's very hit or miss. Almost every time I've spec'd a lighter Ash body on an MTD, it's ended up being heavier than I had hoped.
That just seems like a lack of communications or maybe patience, though since I'm not privy to details I can't say which if not both. I only say this because Mike hit the target dead-on for me, BUT, I will grant you, it took him a while to find the right piece. Given your access to his shop, I'm actually surprised to hear you say this.
BTW, I agree with your comments on tulip as another good choice.
funny,
but my last 635 was thru joel!! and i do remember asking for a somewhat lighter ash body, and was surprised at how nicely balanced it was. still smartin' for letting that one go... gahhh
and now i think about it, i do remember trying a tulipwood 535, and yea, that thing was PUNCHCITY. think it had a dark board, might have been rosewood of some sort. again, great punch, but didnt quite have the natural lower lows i wanted. could be the board/neck? kinda hoping was that particular bass.
but my last 635 was thru joel!! and i do remember asking for a somewhat lighter ash body, and was surprised at how nicely balanced it was. still smartin' for letting that one go... gahhh
and now i think about it, i do remember trying a tulipwood 535, and yea, that thing was PUNCHCITY. think it had a dark board, might have been rosewood of some sort. again, great punch, but didnt quite have the natural lower lows i wanted. could be the board/neck? kinda hoping was that particular bass.
jokerjkny said:
If there is a certain tone and weight you are looking for, Mike is the man. He knows wood better than anyone!
+1
In any case, my 535 has an alder body. I thought this was a strange body wood but I love the tone as well as the light weight.
I'd had Mike build me an ash/wenge/wenge bass a couple of years ago and, while it was a great instrument, it was simply too heavy for me. I sold it and told Mike I'd like another with the same tonal goals in mind but lighter. He recommended swamp ash and that's what I went with. The bass is considerably lighter than what I'd had but it's still a 535 (meaning that it's not nearly as light as a Sadowsky NYC!). It sounds fantastic, however. Punchy and clear (though I'd probably attribute that more to the wenge than the ash). I also have an alder/maple/rosewood 535 that I think might be a hair lighter than the swamp ash/wenge and at this point it's probably my favourite of the MTDs I've owned. Also very punchy and clear. Great low end and snappy highs. Not as dark or compressed sounding as the ash/wenge but I think it's a more versatile bass. The best thing to do, I think, would be to call Mike and tell him what you'd like. Did you have anything in mind for neck and fretboard woods?
bass12 said:
Sometimes sticking to the "old stand by" alder/maple/rosewood is the best choice. That's what my 635 is. Killer bass.
It seems like it would be, but it's actually not either. Mike just doesn't use a lot of light weight Northern Ash. He does occasionally use swamp Ash but I've never loved that on an MTD.
I've spec'd "lighter" and gotten it but, more often than not, they're closer to 10 lbs than they are to 9 lbs. I honestly don't mind all that much though. I love MTD's and can deal with a slightly heavier bass than I normally prefer.
Ok, that makes sense... I knew there had to be more to the story. I did wait a few months on my body blank. It took him that long to find a piece that "wasn't too punky". My bass weighs in at I think 8.6 pounds. Just right.
so true,
but figured i get some tb opinions as well. never hurts.
anyone wanna chime in on the "chambered" aspect? would i shave off that much more weight, yet still retain punch and booty?
and anyone wanna talk makore? never tried it.
