I had also a maple/rosewood/ash 535 and it had extremely snappy tone. Much brighter than my #28 wenge/wenge/korina 535.
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The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
Not necessarily. I've had four wenge-necked MTDs and I wouldn't say they were more sizzly than the two maple/rosewood necked MTDs I've owned. But then we haven't necessarily agreed on what is meant by "sizzle"!
Wenge sizzle is very high upper treble.... like 8K+. If you cab doesn't have a tweeter, you won't even hear it. Wenge necks are not 'bright' at all (i.e., the more 'maple board' sort of upper midrange/lower treble around 1K-2K, and to a lesser extend, RW), that will provide nice grind... kind of the Ric thing in a way.
Wenge top end is quite unusual... even higher in the treble than the Ebony ping, which is also unique.
IMO and IME! (edit: also, of course, given wood is organic, there is wide variation across individual pieces, so there will be exceptions with certain instruments)
There you go. That explains it... the 'fat finger'! Again, sounds killer, and that super deep, dubby thing that is in no way 'flubby' is also a signature wenge sort of tone IMO and IME. Awesome clip!
I've found that my swamp ash/maple/wenge/wenge 535 with dead rounds gives me exactly what I want for reggae. The notes are fat but still clear and the fact that the strings are dead means that the top end snap is mostly gone.
Makes sense, and your last point is important. Some people will generalize after having only played one or two basses of a given wood combination. I've had three ash/maple/wenge/wenge 535s and, while they all had what I would consider a "wenge-ness" to them, they most definitely did not all sound the same.
To Ken's point. Wenge does have a lot of high end sizzle. But, with wenge, that top end gets squelched very quickly. So, you do get a very quick attack at the high end. Much like the classic "ebony ping". But, unlike ebony, it gets squelched back and it does not ring out "in your face". So, when you compare a wenge neck to a maple neck, the maple is definitely going to feel more "in your face" than wenge just because the notes hang more in that high end than they do on wenge. It's not good or bad, just different. And it all depends on what you are looking for.
I'll reiterate that Mike is really the best one to talk about tonal needs and what your end goal is. From my experience, he can get you dialed in to exactly the sound you want...well, at least the one you tell him that you want.
I'll reiterate that Mike is really the best one to talk about tonal needs and what your end goal is. From my experience, he can get you dialed in to exactly the sound you want...well, at least the one you tell him that you want.
At the same time, and this is not to disrespect him, Mike is not a player. And although part of what Mike has to say is, no doubt, based on what he's been told by players, it can be very valuable to talk "directly" with people who have put in hundreds to thousands of hours on their basses in various settings.To Ken's point. Wenge does have a lot of high end sizzle. But, with wenge, that top end gets squelched very quickly. So, you do get a very quick attack at the high end. Much like the classic "ebony ping". But, unlike ebony, it gets squelched back and it does not ring out "in your face". So, when you compare a wenge neck to a maple neck, the maple is definitely going to feel more "in your face" than wenge just because the notes hang more in that high end than they do on wenge. It's not good or bad, just different. And it all depends on what you are looking for.
I'll reiterate that Mike is really the best one to talk about tonal needs and what your end goal is. From my experience, he can get you dialed in to exactly the sound you want...well, at least the one you tell him that you want.
This is one of my favs too!
Check this out, tim rawbiz williams sure likes this combo:
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http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_QINXH1rJpw
I like the same but with a walnut top too like justin raines old bass
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WYv_WnSYWAQ
I actually have decided to prefer that over the ash maple neck for my liking. Really nice warm dark tones!
But i still havent found one on the used market yet... Oh well...
Thinking of a future build with Black Limba body/Myrtle Burl top...maple neck and Madagascar Rosewood fingerboard
Any opinions on this combo?
Any opinions on this combo?
I love the look of black limba and my black limba/wenge/wenge 535 was one of my favourites sonically-speaking. Do it!
I love the look of black limba and my black limba/wenge/wenge 535 was one of my favourites sonically-speaking. Do it!
Oh it's at LEAST a year away til I place the order...might go with a Pistachio wood fretboard...
Definitely don't want to go Wenge again...got that currently and love it but want variety 😎
Ah if you like a pistachio fb 535, there is a used 535 24 with solid walnut body for sale at planet bass 3850,- I believe. this bass is as good as new and mr tobias raved about this bass at namm last year, save some money, time and have a 535 that Mike is crazy about...
Mmm - that sure looks nice!
They do not (at least on the participation side). If you have a question, just call the shop. However, do your homework first. Given that you don't quite know which direction to go with the spec, and seem a bit new to the custom bass deal, I would recommend (if possible), to purchase a used MTD (they come up in the classifieds quite often for pretty good prices). Get one close to the wood spec you want (again, IMO the full wenge neck is a very unique wood combination... most of the other wood combinations I've played with MTD's are much more subtle differences and would not be a massive 'deal killer' for most players).
Just an idea
Edit: One of the best MTD dealers in the US is Glenn Kawamoto of Austin Bass Traders. He would also be a very good source for talking about the impact of wood combinations (quite frankly, better than Mike himself, who is not a player).
They do not (at least on the participation side). If you have a question, just call the shop. However, do your homework first. Given that you don't quite know which direction to go with the spec, and seem a bit new to the custom bass deal, I would recommend (if possible), to purchase a used MTD (they come up in the classifieds quite often for pretty good prices). Get one close to the wood spec you want (again, IMO the full wenge neck is a very unique wood combination... most of the other wood combinations I've played with MTD's are much more subtle differences and would not be a massive 'deal killer' for most players).
Just an idea
Edit: One of the best MTD dealers in the US is Glenn Kawamoto of Austin Bass Traders. He would also be a very good source for talking about the impact of wood combinations (quite frankly, better than Mike himself, who is not a player).
I'm not really new to the custom bass thing. I actually have 3 Ken Smith basses, a Fodera Emperor 2 Elite on order, and the MTD on order. My issue is that I want all my basses to sound different, yet give me the tone I'm looking for. And for the most part, Smith, Fodera, and MTD all use a different variery of woods. I just feel weird calling Mike so frequently with questions. Bad enough I emailed Jason at least 4 times a week for 2 months when it came to putting the specs on my Fodera on order.
The good news is, the electronics and pickup placement will by definition make all those instruments sound way different. So, that goal is easily achieved. IMO, if you want the maximum upper treble sweet sizzle (which neither the Fodera or Smith will really do), and a huge, low end and midrange relaxed tone (the exact opposite of the Ken Smith low mid burp voicing), then I'd go wenge with a lightweight body wood (I prefer swamp ash). If, on the other had, you want the more modern MTD tone (big and bright and active) without going all the way to the wenge tone profile, just pick the wood combination that LOOKS good to you (ash, rosewood, alder, whatever.... top wood that looks good to you) and you will be just fine IMO!
For maximum 'difference' with the MTD that is not as 'modern extreme' as the wenge neck option, I'd go ash neck (very different 'feel'... you can feel the grain of the wood), maple board, and a top of your choice based on what looks good to you (I like walnut, like Vic's). That combination would by much more aggressive in the upper mids and bigger down low than your other basses IMO, and would give you a very nice counterpoint to the more warm, relaxed Fodera vibe, and the supper 'burpy/pingy' Ken Smith thing, and the bass would 'feel' quite different also (assuming you didn't go with the ash neck option with your Fodera). IMO... again, just something to think about.
Yeah. I sorta want the modern MTD hifi sound. Right now I'm going ash body, maple neck, and rosewood board. I'm really considering going alder body (since my Fodera is ash body with alder tone block), but I'm still indecisive. I really don't know what difference it would make. I love my Smiths, I just want a different tone sometimes. A rounder, fuller, fatter, more hifi tone.
Mike is more than happy to talk and email. Don't worry about feeling like you are bugging him.
