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The Official MTD USA Thread

#14,521
bass12 said:
I would describe the tone as "elegant". Warm, punchy and compressed - but not overly compressed or "choked". Lots of grand piano-like overtones. Very solid low mids with a clear note fundamental that sat well "in the mix". It did have a darkness to it, but that darkness wasn't overpowering. Overall, a sonically very well-balanced bass. It was one of my favourite sounding MTDs and the only bass that I come close to regretting selling. Oh, and it looked fantastic. :)
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That sounds pretty cool actually.

Has anyone paired a wenge neck with an ash body? Is that a useful combo?
 
#14,522
Taustin Powers said:
Has anyone paired a wenge neck with an ash body? Is that a useful combo?
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My 434-24 is an Ash body/maple top with a wenge neck/board. Clean, "dry", very focused and organic. Somewhat guitar-like when I boost the mids a lot; can even get a bit brittle if I boost the treble too much. A lot of articulation across all EQ settings. Really nice for chording, slaps like a beast.
 
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#14,523
Taustin Powers said:
That sounds pretty cool actually.

Has anyone paired a wenge neck with an ash body? Is that a useful combo?
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I've had three 535s with ash bodies and wenge necks/fretboards. They all had tonal commonalities (which I guess all MTDs do) but still sounded remarkably different from each other. I think you have to take the tonewood thing with a grain of salt. To me there's no question that "wood makes a difference" but predicting how a bass will sound based on specs is guesswork. It might be informed guesswork, but it's still guesswork.
 
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#14,524
bass12 said:
I've had three 535s with ash bodies and wenge necks/fretboards. They all had tonal commonalities (which I guess all MTDs do) but still sounded remarkably different from each other. I think you have to take the tonewood thing with a grain of salt. To me there's no question that "wood makes a difference" but predicting how a bass will sound based on specs is guesswork. It might be informed guesswork, but it's still guesswork.
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It's stuff like this that makes me wanna try another Super build. Even the difference between my Kingston Super with the US pickups/pre sounded much different from the US build I ordered.
 
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#14,525
I have two 534's.

One is Makore body with Amboyna burl top, maple neck and ebony fingerboard. Hipshot A bridge.

The other is Ash body with Olive top, maple neck and birdseye maple fingerboard. Hipshot B bridge.

You can tell they both share the same inherent DNA and start from the same tonal palette. To my ear, the Ash body/maple fingerboard 534 is the brighter and more aggressive of the two. It's the better choice for slap style. It is the more open sounding of the two.

The Makore/Ebony isn't really darker sounding, but more subdued might be a way to say it. It is the rounder sounding of the two.

That said, with some tweaking of the EQ they both end up in the same ballpark.
 
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#14,526
bass12 said:
To me there's no question that "wood makes a difference" but predicting how a bass will sound based on specs is guesswork. It might be informed guesswork, but it's still guesswork.
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This might be the succinct statement regarding tone wood that I've ever read on Talkbass.

Nuage420 said:
Even the difference between my Kingston Super with the US pickups/pre sounded much different from the US build I ordered.
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I've been toying with idea of picking up a Kingston Lynn Keller 4 and having MTD upgrade the hardware and electronics. I was initially considering a USA LK 4 build, but wanted to see if I like a 32" scale before I do that. And then I wonder what if I really like the Kingston LK? Do I stop there, or forge ahead with a USA build? What if I end up liking the Kingston over the USA, or like both equally? And before you know it, I'm having an existential crisis and end up doing nothing. LOL
 
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#14,533
upload_2024-2-20_15-25-35.jpeg
 
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#14,534
scubaduba said:
View attachment 5358615
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Holy moly!! :)

The last time I told someone in this thread „If you ever plan to sell your bass, please let me know“ he actually contacted me six months later, and now it is my bass. :D

So I should be very hesitant, but still - if you ever plan to sell that bass… ;)
 
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#14,539
scubaduba said:
View attachment 5358615
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Oh wow, I bought that bass from BCC back in the day…always regretted letting that one go. A genuine ‘what was I thinking?’ moment, many times since. Best MTD maple fb bass tone I’ve ever heard! Iirc, it weighed 10+ lbs. Killer bass for sure! Looks like @Taustin Powers is ahead of me…but yea, if you ever decide to sell? :cool:
 
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