The Official MTD USA Thread

[metallutca]

Or should I go wenge?

Both will work IMHO. Wenge will definitely have more sizzle. The maple/rosewood will be more "traditional" sounding, but still sounds like a modern MTD.

 

[Virgil]

I play Gospel music. I ordered a Myrtle Burl top, ash body, maple neck, and Madagascar rosewood FB. Does anyone think that's a good combo?

I have heard that combination. A gospel bassist was playing it and it sounded great. It will cut that heavy mix of Hammond organ, piano, drums and 50 member choir.

 

[CTC564]

Or should I go wenge?

I've never played a wenge neck before and I feel DEEPLY in love with it

 

[rodneyat]

My wenge necked MTD with go to the grave with me

 

[metallutca]

Saw a pistachio wood fingerboard on the MTD Facebook page and was pretty jazzed at how stunning it was...anyone have any experience playing one and how'd it sound compared to rosewood and maple???

I'm curious about pistachio too. Anyone asked Mike already?

 

[Vic]

Ash body and neck, BEM board, walnut top

Same here. And really light for an ash 535... 8.6 pounds.

After the custom knobs made with the same walnut...

 

[KJung]

Vic, just LOVE the look of that one, and the ones I have played (that is quite a popular wood combination) sound great... more midrange complexity and 'punch' than many of the other MTD wood combinations I've played. I love the wenge/ash combination also, but for completely different reasons.

 

[pauliebass]

My 635 is alder with a spalted flamed maple top and maple neck with rosewood board. The traditional woods sound pretty spectacular to me.

 

[iwearpumas]

Now I'm considering going wenge over maple.

 

[CTC564]

My 635 is alder with a spalted flamed maple top and maple neck with rosewood board. The traditional woods sound pretty spectacular to me.

Very cool combo...any pics?

 

[pauliebass]

My new favorite neck combo is ziricote on maple. I have that on a Skjold. I sat around with Pete listening to tap tones on various fingerboard woods and fell in love with the upper bell like response of the ziricote. It sounded strong and complex while being warm with an edge. The fact that its beautiful is just icing. The final build was exactly as I thought. I know I'm not talking about an MTD, but as a MTD owner I can tell what one would sound like. I would be all over this combo if I were to order another one.

 

[KJung]

Now I'm considering going wenge over maple.

All I can say is that it is a very different thing. A wenge/wenge neck has a unique tone to it. Big down low, relaxed in the upper midrange, and super treble extension. A maple neck and board (and even more, an ash neck and board) IME will give you much more midrange presence, and more going on in the upper midrange grind area.

Your maple/RW combination is a 'safer bet' in that it kind of sits at the center of the MTD range of voicing to me. An MTD will still sound like an MTD... modern, active, clean., but that particular wood combination takes a bit of the edge off the top end (IME), and focuses a bit more on the mid mids.... less aggressive.

If you were primarily a 'clicky/boomy' gospel slapper (not that a wenge MTD can't do much more than that... I used one for almost a decade for more pop/funk playing and dug it at the time), there is not much better for that uber modern deep + upper treble sizzle with that nice dip in the upper mids to get that sound (fat and sweet up top at the same time). Pretty extreme though IMO.

As long as you want the very active, modern tone of the MTD, hard to go wrong. Most wood combinations I've played are relatively similar in the overall scheme of things. The wenge neck (again, IMO and IME) does take the 'MTD tone' to the extreme for me.. super deep, super trebly, which might be a bit much for some (or maybe even most).

 

[pauliebass]

Very cool combo...any pics?

Yes, but not on my phone right now.

 

[CTC564]

Yes, but not on my phone right now.

No hurries...thanks

 

[pauliebass]

All I can say is that it is a very different thing. A wenge/wenge neck has a unique tone to it. Big down low, relaxed in the upper midrange, and super treble extension. A maple neck and board (and even more, an ash neck and board) IME will give you much more midrange presence, and more going on in the upper midrange grind area.

Your maple/RW combination is a 'safer bet' in that it kind of sits at the center of the MTD range of voicing to me. An MTD will still sound like an MTD... modern, active, clean., but that particular wood combination takes a bit of the edge off the top end (IME), and focuses a bit more on the mid mids.... less aggressive.

If you were primarily a 'clicky/boomy' gospel slapper (not that a wenge MTD can't do much more than that... I used one for almost a decade for more pop/funk playing and dug it at the time), there is not much better for that uber modern deep + upper treble sizzle with that nice dip in the upper mids to get that sound (fat and sweet up top at the same time). Pretty extreme though IMO.

As long as you want the very active, modern tone of the MTD, hard to go wrong. Most wood combinations I've played are relatively similar in the overall scheme of things. The wenge neck (again, IMO and IME) does take the 'MTD tone' to the extreme for me.. super deep, super trebly, which might be a bit much for some (or maybe even most).

I was able to try a lot of different combos at bass central when I bought mine years ago and I thought wenge was fun but just WAY too much treble for me.

 

[iwearpumas]

I was able to try a lot of different combos at bass central when I bought mine years ago and I thought wenge was fun but just WAY too much treble for me.

I also don't want an extremely high treble tone. I don't a big mid punch. I want some aggression but not overly aggressive. Maybe I should change it to poplar or korina.

 

[iwearpumas]

I also don't want an extremely high treble tone. I don't a big mid punch. I want some aggression but not overly aggressive. Maybe I should change it to poplar or korina.

Maybe even alder.

 

[KJung]

I was able to try a lot of different combos at bass central when I bought mine years ago and I thought wenge was fun but just WAY too much treble for me.

+1 Hence my 'careful what you wish for' posts above. Wonderful for those who want the super sizzle, and it does that with no harshness. For those slappers who dial everything out of their sound around 1K to separate the tweeter from the top of the driver (that modern 'boom and sizzle' slap sound), the wenge neck will totally get you there. Not a one trick pony, but mostly a one trick pony IMO. If you dial back the treble to tame the top end, there isn't much in the upper midrange to define the initial attack.

To the OP, since you are not sure, I would stick with the more traditional wood combo you initially spec'd out. As long as you've listened to a few clips of MTD's and like what you heard (i.e., the very 'active' modern tone) you should be fine with some sort of ash/maple/rosewood type combination. Safe way to 'dip your toe in the MTD water' IMO.

 

[iwearpumas]

+1 Hence my 'careful what you wish for' posts above. Wonderful for those who want the super sizzle, and it does that with no harshness. For those slappers who dial everything out of their sound around 1K to separate the tweeter from the top of the driver (that modern 'boom and sizzle' slap sound), the wenge neck will totally get you there. Not a one trick pony, but mostly a one trick pony IMO. If you dial back the treble to tame the top end, there isn't much in the upper midrange to define the initial attack.

To the OP, since you are not sure, I would stick with the more traditional wood combo you initially spec'd out. As long as you've listened to a few clips of MTD's and like what you heard (i.e., the very 'active' modern tone) you should be fine with some sort of ash/maple/rosewood type combination. Safe way to 'dip your toe in the MTD water' IMO.

Thanks

 

[pauliebass]

I'm tellin you guys check out ziricote!