I have a 535 with a tone knob. It’s a great addition to an already great preamp!
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The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
I have a 535 with a tone knob. It’s a great addition to an already great preamp!
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,943
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
- Oct 23, 2005
- 1,439
- 1,378
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- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, Bartolini, Genzler Amplification, GHS, Tsunami Cables, Sonic Nuance
Look, do you want great bass playing, or good looking? You can't have both!Exposure of legs to sun also optional.
He’s from Seattle, they don’t have that there…Exposure of legs to sun also optional.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,943
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Look, do you want great bass playing, or good looking? You can't have both!
Guess I'm cursed with good-looking, then...
TimothyGroovy
Commercial User
- Aug 3, 2000
- 2,374
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- Owner: Uni•Sound Endorsing Artist: Sadowsky Guitars, Olinto Bass, LaBella Strings
Hi guys, decided to back in the club for a recent recording project. Anyone got 533-24 / 534-24 which wanna part with?
Wenge neck/board preferred. DM for details! Cheers.
Wenge neck/board preferred. DM for details! Cheers.
Due to some home improvements necessary, i have decided to sell my MTD collection, will keep one. Will list them shortly but here they are, i had a few others already sold.
Super 535 Translucent red Ash/maple/ebony
630 Satin grey Poplar/maple/Rosewood
534 Precision with Piezo pickups Burl/maple/rosewood
634 Natural Walnut/Wenge/Wenge**
**I may keep the last one, if interested send me a PM and will send you some pictures shortly.
Super 535 Translucent red Ash/maple/ebony
630 Satin grey Poplar/maple/Rosewood
534 Precision with Piezo pickups Burl/maple/rosewood
634 Natural Walnut/Wenge/Wenge**
**I may keep the last one, if interested send me a PM and will send you some pictures shortly.
@Combinator - thx for making this video & posting it again, def appreciated!
Question, does (did) each pickup go directly into a tone pot (stacked) which then goes into the existing MTD preamp pickup inputs? I like how the treble boost is still there (from a pull switch) - what value resistor did you use?
I'm trying to think of other configurations one could do:
- keep treble pot but add a stacked passive tone pot with individual tone controls per pickup. Not sure it would fit.
- have a triple stacked pot so dual tone + active treble would still work. not even sure if this exists, but would work...
- double stack both bass and treble with a tone pot for each pickup. it isn't a super logical layout but might be the most doable if we want to keep treble and bass boost.
(I have the East/ACG EQ-01 filter preamp I installed in my Pedulla Fretless and love it - having a filter to shape each pickup's tone is really powerful. )
looking there is a decent amount of space in my MTD 535-24 cavity:
anyone know the value of the preamp pots? 250k?
thx all! (thx again @Combinator)
- Oct 23, 2005
- 1,439
- 1,378
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, Bartolini, Genzler Amplification, GHS, Tsunami Cables, Sonic Nuance
My pleasure! Walking the dog in the rain right now and can't dig up all that info at the moment, but it is all in this thread if you want to search for it. Yes, I used a stacked tone pot, two tone pot bodies turned by the same shaft, with 250k values that see the pickups connected directly. The outputs then went into the buffer of the stock MTD preamp or whatever preamp I was using at the time, possibly the John East uni pre. I probably say in the video. And yes triple ganged pots do exist! In fact the East preamp uses them. Not super easy to come by though. And the pots in the stock bartolini circuit are all active value, 25k instead of 250 and 50k for the EQ controls I believe.
Selling a few basses from my MTD collection, my pain your gain!
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/mtd-usa-collection-for-sale.1636010/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/mtd-usa-collection-for-sale.1636010/
Been lurking here for years and considering finally taking the plunge. Couple questions- Do 534s with 17mm spacing have a narrower nut as well? Also do you think a 534 neck with 17mm would tolerate a 17.5mm bridge?
Thinking of starting the hunt for a used one. I don't think I can justify ordering a custom one but I have seen 534 with the narrower spacing come up for sale now and then.
Thinking of starting the hunt for a used one. I don't think I can justify ordering a custom one but I have seen 534 with the narrower spacing come up for sale now and then.
How desirable are the early MTDs? Someone offered me a 535-21 that’s #85 which appears to be built in 1995 with wenge neck, board and headstock. It’s a honey burst color with gloss finish. It feels very light, but I didn’t weigh it. What’s the approximate value of that bass in great condition? Any known issues or concerns with the early ones?
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,943
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
IME, the MTDs were great right out of the gate. Not sure of value (as the prices seem to vary a bit, and not necessarily in predictable ways), but an early wenge/wenge 535-21 should be a great bass.
I had 535 #56, wenge/korina, and it was an amazing instrument that started my appreciation for MTDs! The early instruments are fantastic, but they have older pre-Hipshot hardware that's not quite as nice (imho) as what's currently in use. I've seen one or two that showed a little glue seepage between the neck and fretboard--nothing to be concerned about structurally, just something you could feel.
They also tend to not have fancy tops, etc. I don't think that most folks would consider them more desirable (or valuable) than the newer instruments, but a lot of us appreciate older high-end instruments with a bit of mojo!
I'd guess it would be somewhere in the $3k-3.5 range?
They also tend to not have fancy tops, etc. I don't think that most folks would consider them more desirable (or valuable) than the newer instruments, but a lot of us appreciate older high-end instruments with a bit of mojo!
I'd guess it would be somewhere in the $3k-3.5 range?
Hello MTD family,
What other string brands are you using that has the 130x (45-130x) and who do you get them from?
I’m trying to see what mother options are out there since I need a new set. Normally I would get Dunlops but I have not seen them with the exposed core, just the tapered B.
What other string brands are you using that has the 130x (45-130x) and who do you get them from?
I’m trying to see what mother options are out there since I need a new set. Normally I would get Dunlops but I have not seen them with the exposed core, just the tapered B.
I have a late ‘90s 535. It’s a great instrument. The neck might move a little more easily than my later 535s but we’re only talking normal seasonal changes (the wenge neck was very thin - which I believe wasn’t unusual at the time - so maybe that has something to do with it). But the truss rod is easy to adjust so it’s not an issue. The ‘90s electronics are a bit different (some people like them better). I’ve owned several 535s from the 2000s and that earlier 535 is still one of my favourites.
