Wow. I also asked him about doing a 33"/17mm last month! According to his explanation the tooling for 33" scale will probably be ready after March next year... before they're ready for testing.
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The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
Wow. I also asked him about doing a 33"/17mm last month! According to his explanation the tooling for 33" scale will probably be ready after March next year... before they're ready for testing.
how much would it cost to have a Saratoga 5 built with an exotic top and all the matching pegs on it? I understand that wood cost varies so just a general ballpark would be fine. I'm thinking of selling my 635 to fund a Saratoga 5 build with an Ash body, ash or maple neck, an ebony finger board, and a walnut or ebony top or even possibly a stained maple top
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Price list is here. But, pretty much in the mid $6K range with the case. Street is in the high $4k to low $5k. Pretty much, similar pricing to a 535
Isn't that retail price though? Wouldn't Michael's quote be significantly cheaper than that or is that how much it would literally come out to?
The price list on his site is full retail. Street price 25% off. So, the high $4K to $5K range is street price. To get exact prices for the different wood upgrades and such. You will need to call Mike.
So, using your example it would go about like this:
Saratoga 5: $4600
Exotic Top: $600
Matching Peghead: $100
Matching trussrod cover: $100
Ebony board: $200
Case: $400
total: $6000 list price.
street price at 25% off: $4500
I used the lowest cost option for the top. It may be more. Depending on what you get. Mine was $800 for Cottonwood burl. And I went with the Grade A birdseye board which is $500. Ouch!
To get your street price it's probably best to contact your local dealer. For you, Bass Southwest or Bass Exchange. They can work up the options for you and get you a price. Mine is going through the Atlanta Bass Gallery.
Would you mind if you shared the exact specs of your bass and how much it costed? Feel free to PM if you don't want this to be public.
I already have a 635 and the two basses have very different sonic footprints. The 535 has a VERY wide sonic range, which is great for fusion, jazz, gospel, and things like that, but when you have 2-4 guitarists, 2 keys/synth, drummer, multiple vocals, loops, etc, you need an instrument that sits in a specific spot in the mix. I'm not saying it can't be done with a 535 (with a considerable amount of EQ), but the Saratoga was bred for that kind of sonic environment and can do it effortlessly while keeping the flexibility of it's EQ. Hope this makes sense
Saratoga's electronics are more "traditional" with less dynamic range (whatever that means). They also have the active/passive bypass with a passive tone control.
It means that it won't sound as big and open on either ends of the sonic spectrum. It's a more focused instrument (think Fender Jazz), but it sits well in the mix whereas you can get lost have a bass with too wide of a dynamic range. Again, not knocking the 535 and 635. I have a 635 and it's the best instrument I've ever played, but with different styles, some basses just do it a bit better, or naturally.
Just got a reply from Mike:
"18 mm is not an option. 17 or 19. We are working on 32 and 33 scale lengths but they won't be ready till after at least January"
And she's done! Can't wait 'til Friday.
