Very nice!! Glad you pulled that old 535 out and dusted off those TI strings.
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The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
I'm surprised I don't see more being made seeing as how the ash/maple combo is too much for some when it comes to an MTD...but then I stumbled across this on BCC...and now it mocks me from halfway across the country....
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I'm surprised I don't see more being made seeing as how the ash/maple combo is too much for some when it comes to an MTD...but then I stumbled across this on BCC...and now it mocks me from halfway across the country....
Yeh, they can be pretty aggressive sounding, but it's all in the fingers. If you need it, it's there...
EG
What is your current MTD's wood combination?
The ash/ebony combo is my preference in the 535's. There is an inherent brightness and aggressiveness to the sound, but not overly so...you can definitely dial is the warmth, if need be. The lows are clear and strong, and the mids are very balanced. It makes for a very responsive, clear and articulate bass...so, good technique will go far in getting the best sounds. As @evilgus said, "it's all in the fingers".
Overall, I feel the ash/ebony combo gives you the best of rosewood and maple... plus more.
I have a mahogany/wenge setup...I love it's warmth and dark singing voice, I just wish it was more aggressive sometimes...
Well then, I would definitely talk to Mike about the ash/ebony wood combo. I believe it would compliment what you have very well. You will still be able to get that "darkness" and warmth with the ebony also (depending how you EQ), but a little more open, and "airy" with more growl and less compression than what wenge offers. But if you want aggressive tone, you most certainly will be able to get it. But yeah, Mike's the man with all the answers. He might be a little busy with the Winter NAMM show coming up, but I'd suggest trying to get in touch with him.
I also have a Ash bodied and Ebony Fretboard MTD.
My bass is a 534-24 with a Northern Ash body, Quilted Maple top, Flamed Maple neck (w/ titanium), and a Macassar Ebony fretboard.
Macassar Ebony is a lot warmer than Gaboon Ebony (pure black) but still very nicely percussive, has a huge thick tone (less harmonic content and more fundametal), bright if you dig in, very articulate (less bloom to the note than let's say rosewood), and surprisingly very warm and supple if you want it to be with minimal tampering. I will admit that when I first received my bass, it wasn't quite the sound I had in mind, but in just a few short months it BLOOMED and opened up so nicely. It's the best bass I've ever played for my preferences.
- Apr 3, 2003
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
While I love ash bodies, and I love ebony boards, I find that for my personal preferences, I tend not to love them together. I have two MTDs with ebony boards. One of them is a 435 with a mahogany body, maple top, maple neck and ebony board. This bass is very balanced, tonally, from top to bottom. Probably the most neutral sounding of all my MTDs. The other is one of the first three Marilyns that Mike made, and it has a chambered alder body, redwood top, maple neck and ebony board. The alder definitely mellows things out, and with the chamber and redwood top, this bass tends towards more of an earthy, organic, "big" tone, and the ebony board does a great job of keeping it all nice and articulate.
I had a 24F 5 Sadowsky with a mahogany body, maple neck and ebony board, and Ken Jung had a similar 24F 5 Sadowsky with an ash body, maple neck and ebony board (he later sold this bass to Vic Serbe), and when we compared these two basses head to head, they sounded almost identical in the upper mids up through highs, but the mahogany bass had a more full tone (though not overly so) from the middle mids on down.
That being said, this is all in the context of my personal preferences and style (fingerstyle, over the neck pickup, most of the time). YMMV.
I had a 24F 5 Sadowsky with a mahogany body, maple neck and ebony board, and Ken Jung had a similar 24F 5 Sadowsky with an ash body, maple neck and ebony board (he later sold this bass to Vic Serbe), and when we compared these two basses head to head, they sounded almost identical in the upper mids up through highs, but the mahogany bass had a more full tone (though not overly so) from the middle mids on down.
That being said, this is all in the context of my personal preferences and style (fingerstyle, over the neck pickup, most of the time). YMMV.
Yeah...I feel like my bass is pretty balanced as well...I once owned a ash/walnut ash/maple 535 that was too bright forme...I go back and forth between considering another 535, but this one really does it for me...maybe one day I'll find something else that's a bit more bright, but the dark, punchy, growls flavor of this one is awesome...
I've seen several pics on Daniel's Instagram... The 7-string is outrageous!
Anybody want an amazing 534 neckthru? It's up in the classifieds. Reluctantly needing to sell.
Yeah it really is splendid. I'm just sort of facing an addiction with pre-Gib Tobias basses right now... and recently purchased two of them. Ouch. So now I need to sell this one to recoup some funds. Funny thing is this one is like a pre-gib in so many ways. If you are interested in learning more, drop me a note or see the classifieds.
I have not seen any of the entire booth in one shot. Here are a couple from Daniels Instagram. And also a couple I took. Also the Big Blade loaded Saratoga was killer. The bass sounded BIG
