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If you're considering a new bass, I strongly recommend looking at a hand-made
bass from MTD (Michael Tobias Design).
You simply won't find a higher guality bass with as much thought and reflection
put into the process. The combination of woods for my particular bass is a medium-weight ash body,
maple burl top, maple neck, and honduras rosewood fingerboard. Just fooling
around with Logic Studio, the powerful and clear tones of this bass make you want to keep on playing.
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Aside from the outstanding sound and beautiful craftmanship, there are several
not-so-visible improvements Mike has made in his basses:
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- The 35" scale is much more responsive than the 34" scales most other basses use. The strings are tighter, and the bass responds much more direct. You also don't have to hit the strings very hard at all to make it speak the way you want.
- Buzz Feitin tuning system for perfect intonation anywhere on the fretboard.
You basically tune all the strings at the E note, and the 0-fret makes a minor
mathematical correction according to the patent.
- The pickups are actually humbuckers, and not your typical soapbar pickups. They accomodate a very wide sonic range, much more than typical basses.
- The choice of woods and way he's assembled them is much more refined than his Tobias line. You can hear the difference in clarity and really appreciate the combination of sounds you can make with the bass.
- He now uses a very thin satin epoxy finish which is close to an oil stain finish, but is much more durable. This allows the bass to sound more like a wooden instrument and (his words) "lets the wood breathe". It's easy to tell the difference in sound between this bass and a bass with a high-gloss finish.
This isn't the kind of bass you play through a Peavy. I recommend high-end
equipment such as Ashdown, which delivers the superior range this bass is
capable of generating. Poor quality amps will create poor quality sound with
this bass. She is a high maintenance chick!
(Shown Left) MTD 535 with tortoise shell finish, Ashdown EVOII-500 with 1x15 + 4x10 cabinets.
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