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The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
Do it! I'd love to check that bass out.
Mark @Bass Club Chicago is a great dude. We worked out a deal. That MTD is coming to TN!
In case anyone here is looking to unload a good condition 635-24, PM me! I have a Ken Smith BSR5GN for trade and if that doesn't interest you, PM me anyway and we can work something out. Thanks!
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/ft-ken-smith-bsr5gn-white-tiger-mtd-635-24-a-967993/
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/ft-ken-smith-bsr5gn-white-tiger-mtd-635-24-a-967993/
I'm gassing for a 21 fret MTD535.
I would consider trading for the right wood combo.
I have a 1985 Wal MK1 Fretless Wenge facings.
- Jun 5, 2008
- 541
- 104
- 44
- Disclosures
- MTD Bass (USA & Kingston) & Strings, R.Cocco Strings, Gruvgear, Noll Preamp, Nordstrands
It has arrived a few days ago
I'll post some pics of it with it's little brother, my customer's 'Norm Stockton'-24, this one is number 2327, his is 2328.
This Bass is stunning in all aspects, the look, the sound, playability. I'm sure it's been said a lot, but this is one of the best MTD out there, I've owned 4 before this one, and played dozens with various specs, although there's no 'holy grail', this one is pretty close
OK, review... I haven't played it, this weekend I will, but from my 2 days of playing it, I haven't manage to make it sound bad. It's very 'modern' sounding, which is my goal when building this bass, with every frequency 'present' but not overwhelming, the lows are nice and tight but not boomy, mids are clear but not honky, treble is the typical MTD 'sizzle', but not harsh at all (more on that later).
I would have to say that the notes 'bounce' out of this bass, rather than 'jumps' out, it has that unique string vibration where the note took a milisecond to ring out after the string is hit, and it reaches it's peak volume, then slows down evenly from that point. The last time I heard a sound like this it was on my friend's Alembic Orion, I suspect this comes from the wenge neck, and by the help from the BEM board, the very top end still sounds very bright and not compressed like the typical wenge-wenge neck. This 'bouncing' effect is not because of the amplifier, I tried it on my headphones, and sounds exactly the same.
The passive tone control works exactly like I had in mind, it rolls of a lot more 'sizzle' then a Treble pot does, when it's completely rolled off, it sounds dull, so I leave my passive tone rolled off 50 percent to reduce fret squeakes. And I leave the rest of the EQ flat, and use only the EQ on my TecAmp Puma.
Somehow, EQ ing on the Puma allows me to add more lows and highs without clipping the amp or making the treble sound harsh, I boost the treble and bass on my Puma halfway, and put the 'Taste' knob at 3 o'clock as well, boosting the low mid while cutting the hi mid at this position gives avery 'hi-fi' slap sound (Andrew Gouche's 'MTD 4 Lyfe' sound is what I described it as).
For a first time doing a Makore-Walnut-Wenge-BEM combo, Mike nailed it, I highly reccomend this option, the Passive Tone addition is also very useful for those who doesn't need the 3-Band mid Switch like me, I also had Mike 'vintage tint' my BEM board, and it came out great, it's beautiful, the birds eye popped out, and combined with the Evo frets, it's a sight to see...
I had Mike put Dean Markley SR 2000's on my Bass, it sounds the best with MTDs IMO, I sell R Cocco Strings, and they're great, but for MTDs nothing beats the SR's to my ears.
I was wondering what that extra control was! Great idea, and beautiful bass!!
I have a 535 on order (waiting for my funds to clear). I was wondering what the sound characteristic will be and figured you are the guys to ask.
It is a 21 fret 535
Tulipwood body
Myrtle top
Wenge neck and fretboard
I also saw mention of a gain control in the control cavity. Any suggestions of where (%) I should set this.
Appretiate yuor expertise/experience.
Thx guys!
It is a 21 fret 535
Tulipwood body
Myrtle top
Wenge neck and fretboard
I also saw mention of a gain control in the control cavity. Any suggestions of where (%) I should set this.
Appretiate yuor expertise/experience.
Thx guys!
That sounds exactly like Norm Stockton's 535. The best examples would be to check him out either on youtube or iTunes with some good speakers or headphones.
As far as the gain control, I have mine set almost at the lowest setting. I found when set higher, it made the 3 band eq overly sensitive and much more extreme, resulting in many more unusable sounds. By keeping the gain lower, it results in all the eq settings being musical.
As far as the gain control, I have mine set almost at the lowest setting. I found when set higher, it made the 3 band eq overly sensitive and much more extreme, resulting in many more unusable sounds. By keeping the gain lower, it results in all the eq settings being musical.
Most generally, it'll come stock as turned all the way down. I suggest setting it to 40-50%. That might possibly make your MTD a little hotter than some other instruments, but I think it kinda' makes the sound "come alive" more, too... not just louder.
As you can already see, you will get a lot of answers to the question about the gain control. It's really a lot about personal preference. I am somewhere in the middle. Mine is probably about 1/3 of the way up from 0. For me, it was the best combination for me. But, I went through some trial and error before I decided on that. Just try it out and see what works best for you. As Vic already noted, increasing the gain will definitely add some life to the high end of the bass. So, see if that works for you and go from there.
BTW: That wood combination is going to rock! Mike's wenge necks are awesome.
- Jun 5, 2008
- 541
- 104
- 44
- Disclosures
- MTD Bass (USA & Kingston) & Strings, R.Cocco Strings, Gruvgear, Noll Preamp, Nordstrands
I was wondering what that extra control was! Great idea, and beautiful bass!!
Yup, I'm glad that one works... Thanks
It will be a killer bass, the exact spec of the Bass I got along with my Bass, that belong to my friend/customer, it will be a 'woody' sounding Bass with compression on the mid and highs, but still can cut through, and this combo (I've played 3 of them) allows the EQ on the amp to be set Flat, and the sound is already very balance.
It's funny that how Mike seems to be 'careless' about the Gain pot on the cavity. Like I mentioned, my Bass and my friend's bass ship and arrived at exactly the same time, and we open both boxes together, and plug in both Basses, and.... the gain is different. His is set about halfway (50%) boosted, mine is about 25 percent boosted, and I've ordered 3 other MTDs besides the two in this 1 year period, and their gain pot is about 25-50 percent boosted (more than 50 will drain your battery faster according to Mike).
So I don't know if there is any Standard in the way Mike set this up, but yes, the gain pot on the cavity is very subjective to the player's touch and taste, I myself liked it boosted 20-30 percent, it allows me to EQ (Boost) the lows and mids without clipping the amp and or mixer.
Andrew Gouche turns his gain pot all the way down while boosting ALL 3 band on board EQ all the way up, and it works.
So it's all up to you (the player)
. This bass produces a great warm sound and is very expressive.
Just to be clear, the gain here is the trim pot inside the back cavity. Not the volume knob on the face of the bass.
Is that the bass from Bass Club Chicago? Glad your liking it. I was curious how a topless Makore MTD would sound.
Yep, Bass Club Chicago. I've not played many MTDs to know the different tonal qualities in and out. So, I don't have a good reference to compare. All I can say is the bass' sound exceeds what I imagined it would so it has exceeded my expectations for sure. It plays so good as well. This is my first six string and this bass plays easier than some 4 strings I've owned. Of course, all of this reeks of subjectivity.
Thanks for the clarification! I had no idea there is a gain knob in the cavity of the bass. More to explore for sure. Is there any good post/site discussing the specifics of the electronics beyond what Mike includes in his letter?
Thanks for the clarification! I had no idea there is a gain knob in the cavity of the bass. More to explore for sure. Is there any good post/site discussing the specifics of the electronics beyond what Mike includes in his letter?
It has arrived a few days ago
I'll post some pics of it with it's little brother, my customer's 'Norm Stockton'-24, this one is number 2327, his is 2328.
This Bass is stunning in all aspects, the look, the sound, playability. I'm sure it's been said a lot, but this is one of the best MTD out there, I've owned 4 before this one, and played dozens with various specs, although there's no 'holy grail', this one is pretty close
OK, review... I haven't played it, this weekend I will, but from my 2 days of playing it, I haven't manage to make it sound bad. It's very 'modern' sounding, which is my goal when building this bass, with every frequency 'present' but not overwhelming, the lows are nice and tight but not boomy, mids are clear but not honky, treble is the typical MTD 'sizzle', but not harsh at all (more on that later).
I would have to say that the notes 'bounce' out of this bass, rather than 'jumps' out, it has that unique string vibration where the note took a milisecond to ring out after the string is hit, and it reaches it's peak volume, then slows down evenly from that point. The last time I heard a sound like this it was on my friend's Alembic Orion, I suspect this comes from the wenge neck, and by the help from the BEM board, the very top end still sounds very bright and not compressed like the typical wenge-wenge neck. This 'bouncing' effect is not because of the amplifier, I tried it on my headphones, and sounds exactly the same.
The passive tone control works exactly like I had in mind, it rolls of a lot more 'sizzle' then a Treble pot does, when it's completely rolled off, it sounds dull, so I leave my passive tone rolled off 50 percent to reduce fret squeakes. And I leave the rest of the EQ flat, and use only the EQ on my TecAmp Puma.
Somehow, EQ ing on the Puma allows me to add more lows and highs without clipping the amp or making the treble sound harsh, I boost the treble and bass on my Puma halfway, and put the 'Taste' knob at 3 o'clock as well, boosting the low mid while cutting the hi mid at this position gives avery 'hi-fi' slap sound (Andrew Gouche's 'MTD 4 Lyfe' sound is what I described it as).
For a first time doing a Makore-Walnut-Wenge-BEM combo, Mike nailed it, I highly reccomend this option, the Passive Tone addition is also very useful for those who doesn't need the 3-Band mid Switch like me, I also had Mike 'vintage tint' my BEM board, and it came out great, it's beautiful, the birds eye popped out, and combined with the Evo frets, it's a sight to see...
I had Mike put Dean Markley SR 2000's on my Bass, it sounds the best with MTDs IMO, I sell R Cocco Strings, and they're great, but for MTDs nothing beats the SR's to my ears.
Beautiful bass bro! You're gonna love it.
I've just been checking out the New Basses page on the MTD site. Man, some of those basses are unreal - some absolutely stunning wood and a prototype for a new MTD design.
I never understand the theory behind putting both pups together like that. I can't see that proto having the same tonal flexibility as the standard pup placement does.
Also, looks a little Warwicky to me.
Also, looks a little Warwicky to me.
I don't think anyone would disagree with you about the tonal flexibility. It basically a "single pickup" type design. Which is never going to have the tonal flexibility of a true dual humbucker design. But, the tone that it does have is going to be a lot different. I kinda imagine it as a an even fatter Musicman tone. I'm curious to hear how it sounds personally. Something like that would never be a replacement for my 535 by any means. But something different tonally to have in the arsenal.
