Spalted top, nice touch...

[Joe S]

New toy in the house. MTD535, sounds a little on the dark side. With the wenge neck this one seems to have that signature MTD sound however the articulation, bottom end, and clarity of notes give this bass character and fullness. It seems to want tend toward the jazz/smoth jazz/pop tones. Good fit for my hands, good balance. Upping the treble too much creates a buzzing sound, like the 635 I had but that may be just the way they are. It came with Ken Smith strings which I find a little dead sounding even on my Ken Smith. May want to put on a lighter slightly brighter guage, we'll see.

[Joe Roberts]

Well, it looks KILLER!

[Joe S]

Thank you, I do like the look and feel of this one. Starting with replacing the Smith strings with DR hibeams this evening those brightened up the tone much better. Spending time with the EQ's it seems the mid knob and switch is the pivot point for managing the overall tone. Perhaps leaving the Barts in there and trying different brands of lighter guage strings can yield the results I'm looking to hear. Stockton seems to get that bright funky tone going and his neck is wenge to. Wonder what he uses.

[Jason Hebert]

I'm surprised to hear you say it's dark. I would expect that bass to be bright and crisp. I have one of Norm's old basses, and it's got a tulipwood body instead of ash. He also used MTD strings. I don't care for the feel of them, but I know a lot of MTD users play them.

[daegan bolster]

Hey Joe, Daegan here. I have a similar 535 combo to yours (ash body, spalted maple top but with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard). I've tried those Ken smith strings and they are definitly a bad match with that bass. They are stiff, thuddy and just don't resonate in harmony with Mike's recepies. MTD Basses are extremely sensitive to everything. (Setup, touch, techniques and most of all...strings). Trust me I've tried every notable string maker and model and the differences were sometimes staggering! The metal formulas these makers use are mostly all different and they will all react differently with the magnetic properties of the pickups. Sometimes trying out the bass with a new set of strings and just playing it acoustically will have a completely alternative response when you plug it in. Such as uneveness in string to string amplitude, exagerated dead spots and yes, all of a sudden sounding dead when it sounded bright and articulate acoustically!) My advise is to get the MTD steels (or nickels if you dig a more "in the pocket" sound), and just stick with them. Mike Tobias isn't just full of marketing crap when he says he designed these strings specifically for his basses. There's a lot more to strings then just sounding new and "piano-y". Stockton does use MTD steels and obviously, a very low action. Check your neck, should be almost straight with just a slight bit of relief. Have a very good setup person do a once over on it to make sure the geometries are correct. And yes, the EQ is paramount to the tone of this bass, especially the Mid selector and Mid gain. Can literally make or destroy your sound. It's that sensitive. But your labors will be greatly rewarded. For now, definitly leave the Barts alone until you establish exactly what they are or not doing for you. And 86 the thought of EMG's. In order of importance: 1) Bass construction 2) Body wood (ash in your case-a little compressed in the lower mids) 3) Neck wood 4) Setup 5) STRINGS 6) Bridge material (aluminum with brass saddles in this case-leave that alone as well) 7) Pickups/Preamp. Jason is correct, your wood combo is definitly on the bright/crisp/articulate side of the tone camp. I can never play mine with the EQ set flat. I would be arrested and sentenced to life for mass auditory murder of my audience, sound crew and engineering personel due to the brightness clearly dominating the bass and midrange! Great looking bass by the way! Beau-e-ful plumidge!!!

Cheers,
Daegan

[Adrian Taylor]

Hi I am new to the group and just got a spalted Maple top 535. My issue is I find the B sting to be very floppy. I also get a buz - I am sure some of it is my paying style. My main bass before this one was a Pedulla 5 sting thunder. I see I am not going to just be able to sound good with this bass right out of the box. Thanks for all of the suggestions...

Skip

[Joe S]

What other woods are on your bass? Chris is correct about the choice of strings. Like shoes, you have to try a few on to get a fit. The DRs I'm using seem to do well. Ken Smith is definitely not a good match here. Pedulla and MTD are different animals to so dont expect to hear similar tones. Each has its place in the sound garden. I lucked out with mine and the combination of woods seem a good match. At times this 535 sounds like my Fendowsky (humbucker pups) and others can sound gospel like depending on the EQ. Also your amp and speaker choice adds to the mix.
On another note my condolences to the family of Wayman Tisdale. The music world lost a fine player and wonderful person to the big C. I will miss his playing.

[Joe S]

You're right about leaving the electronics alone, I did spend a considerable amount of time with the EQ on the bass as well as the amp. In small increments, listening and blending all the pots every which way I can hear where the strengths and weakness are in the sound. So I'm fine as to what my sound is now and what song calls for a particular tone. Obviously the 'one size fits all' does not apply here. Also I'm impressed with the wenge/ash combo, my band mate commented this is the best sounding out of all the basses I've shown up with, and that comming from a guitar player...hmmmm....The DR fat beams seem to work well here. D'Addarios were so-so, the MTD steels were ok, Ken Smith a no-no.