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Mine is mahogany/myrtle and weighs the same. You can generalize somewhat about weight, but I think it's really dependent on the specific pieces of wood used because there's so much variation.
About what, the price? The look? Nice looking for sure. I didn’t have great luck with that wood combo (ash body, ash neck, maple fretboard) but some people have. I’d have to know how much it weighed. Price-wise I would be inlined to give an offer, though the asking price is not out of line with what I’ve seen here (though some of the asking prices for MTDs on TB can get a little silly in my opinion). Also, is there a case included? If so what kind?
Yeah, it can be hit or miss. I had a 635 and a 535 at the same time with those woods. The 635 was super sweet, and the 535 was really snarly and aggressive. It was surprising to me how different they were.
Sometimes I miss having a six.
Thanks. Michael and I have been discussing lighter-weight options with the various woods. I was just looking for a benchmark range based on user experience. I appreciate it.
Yeah, the tone is anyone’s guess but my ash/ash/maple 535 definitely had more “grind” to the sound than my other MTDs. I also found that, unlike any of my other MTDs, the note fundamental would tend to get buried in the mix. But, again, that was my experience with one bass in that wood combo. You never really know until you try the bass itself.
What kind of instability? Ebony is a very stiff wood and doesn’t tend to move as much as other woods typically used with basses. What can be an issue is cracking.
My 534 has a macassar ebony fretboard and it's been rock-solid without any issues of instability, intonation, shrinking, or cracking. I do maintain my basses well and oil the ebony regularly when I change strings.
The ebony board on my 534 is rock solid. I would spec that again in a heartbeat.
I think I know what you're talking about. Some years ago I was talking to Mike about some lots of ebony that were being sold and misrepresented as cured when they were really too green to work with. I don't think Mike ended up with any of it, or at least using it before it was fully cured, but it's possible some builders did. I believe this was about the time when the pure black ebony was starting to get really scarce. If you haven't seen the video by Bob Taylor about ebony, it's an excellent view.
I just love that top!
I know what I want my next 4-string to be. Remind me; what preamp and EQ?
