- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
With all this talk of new MTDs, I had to play my latest 535 a bit tonight. Man, I love Mike's basses! I was talking with Mike and Daniel about my latest 535 during the NAMM Show. I have mentioned this bass before, but at the risk of repeating myself, I'll give a little background on this bass. I spent more time working with Mike on the particular woods, etc. for this bass than any other custom build I have been involved in, and we changed the mix up several times over the course of literally 2-3 years before he finally built it. The results are just amazing, IME/IMHO.
We ended up with a makore body and an ebony top. The ebony top was a major decision, based in large part on the tone that an ebony top brings (the top wood does matter, at least on MTDs). It adds some depth and fullness, as well as balance to the midrange, while enhancing clarity. We actually started with the neck woods, because I had seen a bass Mike had made with a flamed ash neck, and I asked if he had any more of that wood. He said that he had enough for one more neck, so I asked him to hold it for me. After further discussion, we decided to add some stringers to the neck, and we used some "white wenge" that was left over from some wood that Pete Skjold had sent to Mike for a bass that Pete asked him to build. We rounded things off with a birdseye maple board. I wanted a clear bass, with a decent amount of harmonics, but I also wanted something that would sit well in a mix and have some heft and authority to it.
When I first received the bass, I was very happy, and felt like it delivered on all fronts. Fullness, balance, clarity, attack, harmonics, solidty... It was all there.
But guess what? It got better! I know that aging strings can change the tone of an instrument, but I've experienced that many times before, and I know what that sounds like. But something else was going on. This bass kept getting more and more organic and rich. It smoothed out a bit, but didn't lose any clarity. It filled out the low mids a bit more, but still sounded balanced. I mentioned this to Mike, and pondered if these changes were really happening, or if perhaps these changes were due to other factors. But Mike confirmed that some basses definitely do improve as they age, and makore is one of the woods that seems to do this (at least some of the time).
I relate all of this so that I can say: if you guys like your new MTD's fresh out of the box, then think about how cool it is that it can get even better with age!
Here's an obligatory pic of my ebony top 535:
We ended up with a makore body and an ebony top. The ebony top was a major decision, based in large part on the tone that an ebony top brings (the top wood does matter, at least on MTDs). It adds some depth and fullness, as well as balance to the midrange, while enhancing clarity. We actually started with the neck woods, because I had seen a bass Mike had made with a flamed ash neck, and I asked if he had any more of that wood. He said that he had enough for one more neck, so I asked him to hold it for me. After further discussion, we decided to add some stringers to the neck, and we used some "white wenge" that was left over from some wood that Pete Skjold had sent to Mike for a bass that Pete asked him to build. We rounded things off with a birdseye maple board. I wanted a clear bass, with a decent amount of harmonics, but I also wanted something that would sit well in a mix and have some heft and authority to it.
When I first received the bass, I was very happy, and felt like it delivered on all fronts. Fullness, balance, clarity, attack, harmonics, solidty... It was all there.
But guess what? It got better! I know that aging strings can change the tone of an instrument, but I've experienced that many times before, and I know what that sounds like. But something else was going on. This bass kept getting more and more organic and rich. It smoothed out a bit, but didn't lose any clarity. It filled out the low mids a bit more, but still sounded balanced. I mentioned this to Mike, and pondered if these changes were really happening, or if perhaps these changes were due to other factors. But Mike confirmed that some basses definitely do improve as they age, and makore is one of the woods that seems to do this (at least some of the time).
I relate all of this so that I can say: if you guys like your new MTD's fresh out of the box, then think about how cool it is that it can get even better with age!
Here's an obligatory pic of my ebony top 535:
I'm in discussion with Mike for a 6 and I'm considering doing a composite neck like yours. It's just too sexy. Can't wait for mine! I hope I like it.
I initially ordered a 634 Maple Burl/Alder/Maple/Bubinga trying to own only one MTD...a less expensive AG6. But in the mean time, I bought the NAMM 534-24 Olive top/Ash/Maple/BEM titanium from BCC. I had it a week, and really liked it. Then I was talking to BCC, and I happen to mentioned that I've always wanted an AG (but required a 34" scale)...kind of my "dream" bass. (There is a Qsic vid that really sold me on the AG5 tone...although I do like AG's playing too) Well, Jody @BCC asked Mike if he'd do a 34" AG5 and he said yes...so I RAN that Olive top bass back to FedEx, and had BCC change a stock bass que slot to my AG5 order, and got it in about 3 months!
If I order a MTD one day I do know it will be 34 scale and 21 frets. The Birdseye board is going to look killer with the Red Narra top.
