MTD 535

Poplar body, myrtle burl top, wenge neck and fingerboard. Matching headstock, which I find to be a huge visual improvement over the plain wenge headstock. Stock MTD US Bartolini electronics. Mike Tobias has stayed true to the electronics he chose in the beginning. I see lots of builders offering a huge variety of elex, but Mike knows what works for his basses and stays there. I'm aware that Bill Bartolini removed the preamp from the pickup some time ago, and there are some that say it changed the tone. The preamps is still there, just in the cavity now. I'm sure there's probably some merit to that, but how much I don't know that anyone knows for sure. Anyway, all standard hardware, etc. I know there are other features available (active/passive, etc.), but none that I think this bass needs.

Very punchy, warm, clear, and focused. Definitely a wooden instrument! The unpluggled acoustic tone of this bass is great. The type of finish used really lets the wood breath and speak the way it should. I don't like thick poly clear coats on instruments. That takes away some of the wood tone in my opinion. Electronics are dead quiet. I saw a video of Mike Tobias where he said he prefers to have transparent electronics and let the wood speak, and I can say he has nailed that. Three MTD's in different wood combinations will speak in 3 very different ways. Even 3 of the same wood combo will sound slightly different as each piece of wood is unique. I prefer this build method rather than letting the electronics do the talking like some builders. Bass is versatile. Maybe not the best heavy rock bass on the planet, but it could work there. Playing the with the preamp and pickup pan can get you a good mix of tones for different situations.

This bass takes a crazy low setup if you like that, and I do. I have it set around 2/32" at the 12th fret with no buzz, unless I really nail it, and I typically play with a light touch. There are no flaws on this bass. None. There are some builders out there (Roscoe) that need to take notes.. One more thing I want to mention is the weight and balance. This particular bass is very light, around 8 pounds, and balance perfectly. You'd think all boutique basses would given their price point, but not so..

This bass will definitely last, as it's well built. The finish if played enough will eventually start to wear. The non-poly finish is great for the tone, but not as durable. I'll take tone of looking new forever.

Mike Tobias is one of the nicest builders out there, and I find most bass builders are pretty good guys. He's absolutely top notch though. Great guy. Makes me want to own several of his basses. Email him, and he will reply.

I've been playing about 7-8 years, and I've owned almost 40 basses. Many boutique basses have come and gone, and none compare to this. Just an amazing bass. I really can't find any fault with it. It won't nail a jazz bass tone, but that wasn't the intent when it was built. It absolutely does what it set out to do, and does it in spades. I'm not sure I've ever rated anything 10's across the board, but again this is just an exceptional instrument. Perfect in every way.

This bass was hand made in America, in 2000. Swamp Ash body, maple neck with walnut laminates, rosewood fretboard. Bueatiful finish, some sort of special finish that lets the wood breath. Zero fret, bartolini soap bar pickups with bartolini 18v preamp, attenuator, mid selector switch. Hipshot bridge, wood covered electronics compartments, and buzz feiten tuning. The neck is slightly wide, but feels like butter. The best neck I have ever played. However, due to the fact that there is no active passive pickup switch, I would have to rate a 9/10. Seriously though, check this bass out, you can't go wrong.

Lots of different tones are possible from this bass. Generally, it as a deep, biting, barking, woody tone. can turn attenuator down, adjust mids, select mid frequency, adjust other eq's, and actually get much more of a "calmer" fender sound.

This is a bass for a good bass player. It is sensitive to the subtle nuances in your playing. Change the pressure or how much you are pulling on the strings, or how you are fretting, and you will here a difference. Simply gorgeous tone.

Bueatiful action, fit, and finish. No problems. Mike hand signs everything in this bass - the neck, the electronics cover, everything! The electronics compartment is a work of art in and of itself.

No problems. Very solid and has lasted, and probably will last for many more years.

I didn't get a warranty, I purchased it used 7 years ago. I have e-mailed Mike about whether or not I should loosen that strings when it is stored, and got a reply in 24 hours or less. Was curteaous and professional.

Everyone says that they have played a bunch of basses, but this is true in my case. I have played a '65 fender P, some Fender American V basses, Rickenbacker 4003, Pedulla Thunderbass, a Fedora (did I spell that right?), a Musicman, Ibanez's, Warwicks (even the top shelf "Thumb" - $2500), Peavey Cirrus, and other Peaveys, and tons of less expensive basses. I ab'd the Warwick thumb with this instrument when I bought it. The MTD blew it out of the water! The MTD and the Fodera are simply the best bass I have ever heard and played, it ties in the sound and feel department with the Fodera. The Fodera had less bite and some sweetness. The Fodera was a little prettier, but the MTD's are known not to have reliability problems. Simply put, I want to trade all my other basses and get another!

I have 2 fretted 535-24s #1 is a Mahogany body with a Chechen top, Maple neck/Rosewood board. #2 is a solid Zebrawood body with a Wenge neck/Wenge board. Both have the standard Bartolini pickups and electronics-which are FANTASTIC! The neck shape is typical Tobias-asymetrical design(treble side is thinner than bass side)and a breeze to play!

Michael Tobias is a chef when it comes to woods. My mahogany/chechen bass is bright, sizzly, and present, perfect for slapping. It could use a little bottom end but that can be fixed at the eq section of the amp/preamp. The Zebrawood bass is just the opposite, it has tons of bottom end, but it seems to lack a little detail in the upper mids and the treble. Again, can be fixed at the amp. The MTD sound is absolutely brilliant!! I really do love it!

The action is flawless, although I do think part of it was done by Tony at PlanetBass.

No problems at all! I feel very comfortable with my MTDs!

Michael Tobias is PHEMONENAL when it comes to customer support! It's almost unbelievable to me that a man who has built some of the finest basses on the planet for some of the best bassist on the planet, has responded, quite quickly, to every one of MY emails! Amazing!

I have been playing what seems like forever, and I've had some really good basses(Warwicks, Spectors, Moduluses, MusicMans, Pedullas), but these MTDs are on a whole different level!I feel like I play better and sound better, which makes me a happy bassist! I am thinking about trying out Roscoe Basses, but they will be in addition to, not instead of, my MTDs! I'm an MTDer 4Lyfe!

My 535 features a lightweight two piece mahogany body with maple burl top and a really nice translucent cobalt blue finish, wenge neck (35") and fretboard. it has 24 frets and the two special built Barts as all of Mikes US built basses feature with the 3band 18V preamp. The only flaw feature-wise is the lack of a passive switch. So never forget two 9V batteries... I??m from Germany and here they are really damn hard-to-find items! I imported it from the US where I purchased it preowned at Austin Bass Traders for $2875.

Very versatile while being cutting and aggressive. This baby has it all. The whole construction resonants nicely when plucking a string. Extremly strong sustain and it is a bolt-on neck! The preamp works perfect and is dead quiet. The pan pot is an important tool cos the two pick ups sound very different. You can get nearly all sounds by mixing the two pick ups gradually. Really great sounding bass suitable for all playing styles but it clearly has its stronger moments in modern kinds of music. Tight low B.

Never experienced a bass where suddenly licks and lines came out of my hands that I??ve never played before. Incredible playability and an ultra-low action that is only possible because of the perfect fretwork of Mike T. Extremly easy to play. Very low fatigue. There are no flaws to mention.

Rock-solid. Tuners and bridge are of high quality. Remember: the bass shipped from Austin/TX to mid-winter Germany within a week and I got it nearly in tune! I would definately use it without a backup. I trust in this bass while having spare batteries and a screw driver ready to use...

I met Mike at the Frankfurt Music Fair here in Germany a few years ago. He??s a really nice guy ready to answer your questions about his instruments. I emailed with him several times and got an answer every time within two days.

What I really appreciate is the fact that my 535 has been built by his hands with passion and knowledge. I believe you feel and hear that. It??s not cheap but in my eyes it??s worth every penny.
Perfect tone for me. This is MY bass. Before and since I own it, I??ve never played such a great sounding bass. I??ve tryed/owned Human Bases, Sandbergs (german bass guitars/luthiers), Modulus Quantums, Warwicks, Spectors and even Foderas but this is it. I??m trying to get a second one with another wood combination. Give it a try.

The 535 has the basic features that all basses have. It exceeds other basses in playability. It's fairly light and the neck plays like butter. From a playability point of view this is my favorite bass.
This bass is has mirrored/matched myrtle top, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. There are more highly configured MTD beauties out there. Mine is about middle of the road. I didn't buy this bass for looks. Playability and sound was the key factor. However later on I started to dislike the sound a bit.
This bass lacks a passive switch. If they batteries die, and there is no real warning, you are out of luck. I am reluctant to take it to a gig without backup batteries. You will need two. (suck).
Has Buzz Feiten system. I do chording and double stops. I have yet to figure out how that is any better then non Buzz Feiten systems. Please give me a break. Over rated.

I play funk, jazz, gospel trough either an Eden or SWR rig. The bass sounds best with new strings, I use DR. After that, the sound seems to degrade very slowly to almost a Pbass or Rock type sound. When I tried the bass in the store, I fell in love with the sound. But after playing it for a while and seeing how much it depends on new strings, this became the basses weakness. The electronics are not bad, but I must say that my preamp started to go bad after about three years. From a sound perspective, I prefer my Lakland. It's cheaper and funkier. I prefer maple fingerboards anyway. The 535 has rosewood which sounds a bit damper. The 535 is great for Jazz though. Sound is probably the one area that Mike has room for improvement. But again, that's a matter of taste as well.
For a bass with this price tag, I have to say that the sound is not all that.

All I can say that it was pretty much perfect.

My preamp started to go bad. Crackling sound when the bass is cold. No kidding! Replace that with an Aguilar or Sadowsky. You get a better sound anyway.
The rubber controls wear out in a gig bag. Replace that with solid brass knobs. Or get a Lakland instead.
I also don't like the 18V configuration. There is no warning that they go bad and there is no passive switch. If you play a gig and they go bad, you might find another 9v battery, but two? It's a pain.

Mike is the man. Whenever you have a problem send an email or call. He always will respond. Always.

Been playing for 10 plus years. I own other basses and my favorite is a Lakland 5 string. It's funky, has lots of punch and sounds good even when the strings are old. The 535 just sits there waiting for the ever so brief moment when I need to take a brake from my hot lover the Lakland.
Overall the 535 is a well made bass. Some have astonishing wood configurations. Mine is rather middle of the road. Sounds best with new strings. Bass is good, but for the price, I would probably buy another Lakland. I am also experimenting with 6 and 7 strings these days (TRB6 and Conklin).

This is a MTD 535-24 USA made bass made in 2004. The bass has an Ash body with an highly figured grade Koa top, an Ash neck with a Maple fret board. Has Bartolini soapbar pick ups with an 18volt pre amp. Has Volume, Blend, Bass, Mid & Treble control knobs with Midrange 3 way switch selector.

The sound that this bass produce is pretty versatile. It can have a very fat, warm & punchy sound that is very much to my liking. With the turn of a few knobs it can be growly. With this bass you dont have to be worried about not being heard. Very quiet electronics. Knobs have a very nice feel to them and are easy to adjust.

The bass was set up with a very nice low action but not too low. The bass had no flaws and was in mint condition considering that it was a year old when I purchased it. The ash neck give the bass a very fast feel and playability, awesome

No problems so far and I dont expect any. Mr. Tobias is always available to answer any questions. I know he probably gets tired of all of my email questions about his basses. Great guy though.

Haven't had to use it other than asking questions

Excellent instrument and I am very pleased with it. I give it two thumbs up.

The body is ash maple burl top. The neck is maple with a Madagascar rosewood fingerboard. This bass is delivered with the revolutionary Buzz Feiten Tuning system. This system will show a great improvement in tuning when playing chords and when working with a keyboard and horns. This bass is 35" scale with 21 frets

The new, active pick-ups and electronics are custom made by Bill Bartolini. The controls are: master volume and a pan pot, treble, mid, bass cut and boost, with center click (from neck to bridge). The three position switch selects the mid range cut and boost point. Down is lower mids (250); center is middle (500) and up is upper mids (1000). When the mid pot is at center click, the switch has minimal effect. This eq has 2 batteries and is a +/- 9-volt system. Be especially careful not to change the batteries when the bass is plugged in. There is a trim pot inside the control cavity to adjust the gain.

Yada.. Yada.. Yada..

I'm a church player, and this bass does well for that. Mike has a ton of gospel guys playing his basses. It's almost his niche, but they are suited well for just about any style of music.

This bass has a wide range of tones, from Geddy Lee growl to old fat P-Bass. You can coax many different tones out of this thing.. It just takes some time to figure them all out. The one thing about this bass is it's very strong. The fundamental of the notes really hit you in the chest hard when EQ'd right. This bass is made of ash, which has a little of the scooped mid thing going, but a flip of the switch and a turn of the knob.. No worries.. Mids for days.

Not noisy, but there is a slight amount of hiss if the treble is turned all the way up. I never play at that setting, because it's too bright. This bass has an unbelieveable amount of clarity. Lots of people like to talk about how unforgiving this bass can be, but the same things that make it unforgiving are the same things that make it so clear.

Hands down the best slap tone I've ever heard. Bar None!!

One thing to note, is that wood selection is key with these basses. I've played 6 or 7 of these, and some of them sound NOTHING alike. That's not a bad thing, but you need to know what sound you're going for before you commit to one

I bought used, so I can't speak for the factory setup. I lowered the action to my liking. Plays like butter. Takes very little effort, which can spoil you very quickly! I did notice a gap in the upper neck joint. Probably not a big deal, but for a 3K bass.. I sure didn't expect that.

For the money it should last a long time, but it's electronic. Things happen. Hopefully I never run into any, but we'll see. The finish is very thin, and has started to wear a little.. I haven't been waxing, so that's probably my fault. All the hardware is top notch. Comes with Dunlop straplocks.

Great.. Send an email, and Mike T. will reply!

I've been playing solid for the last 2 1/2 years.. Off an on several before that.. This is my only bass right now mainly because of how much this thing cost.

This bass is a signifigant investment, so you really should try one before buying. I tried several other high end brands including Roscoe and Modulus and the MTD blew them away. However, I'm an average player at best, and really didn't NEED a bass this nice.. but I've got it now.. Will I keep it forever? Only time will tell, but with my buying/selling habits.. Probably not. I'd like to try some Lakland, Sadowsky, and Zon basses eventually.

If I had it to do all over again.. I'd get the tulipwood/wenge wood combo. I like that one just a little more. All that said.. These are great basses, Mike is a great guy, and I doubt anyone would be dissappointed with one of these.

I'm giving a 9 overall.. I'm saving my 10 for the bass that I know that I can't be without. Don't know if this one is it, so I guess it's not.

I have an MTD American 535, tulipwood body with maple burl top + maple neck with wenge fingerboard, serial number 486. I think it was made in 1999. 21 frets, 35" scale, Bartolini pickups.

I got it with case on eBay for $2125 which I consider a steal since they're selling for $3500ish at local music stores and list even higher (though the new ones have the Buzz Feiten tuning system; mine doesn't).

The EQ and pickup blend pots are easy to use, good frequency choices, etc. No complaints there.

In general it's great feature-wise; piezo pickups, funky tuners, and the Feiten tuning system might be improvements but when I play it it sounds great tone and tuning wise. I give it a 9 for features but bear in mind that if you wanted these things you could almost certainly get Mr. Tobias to add them as custom features.

Also, it's gorgeous. I could sit and gaze longingly at this thing. The wood, the color, the shape, damn. The pictures on the MTD web site don't do it justice; those are some small pictures of strange color choices. Try and find a local dealer or an eBay auction or even my photo gallery (http://www.white-mountain.org/pictures/gallery/MTD_Fretted) for an idea of what these things look like.

The sound is nothing short of spectacular. Them Bartolini's sound *goooood*, and the mix of woods has a warm but not indistinct sound. It's got a really rich, woody tone that can sparkle or growl or be pillowy-fat depending on pickup and EQ settings. Dig in with your plucking hand and it barks nicely. I couldn't be happier with the tone. The gain is appropriate for a bass with active electronics - hot signal, but not so hot that I have to turn it down all the time to avoid clipping in the preamp of whatever it's plugged into.

Oh yeah, and the low B sounds tight and clear and growly. Rumble. Exactly what a B is supposed to do. *Oof* say the people in the front row as the amp kicks them in the chest.

I've done a bit of recording with this bass and *whoa* it sounds good recorded DI. The strings were even starting to go a little dead and it still sounded fantastic.

Very well put together. I got it used but the action was great, the truss rod was set up correctly, and the assembly of the bass overall looks really good. In no way does this instrument look cheap or shoddy.

It seems very solid and well put together but I'd be careful about dings with this bass because of the finish (oiled wood).

I got it used and one of the pots (the bass EQ) is loose. I dunno whose fault that is but I'll assume it's the mfr. since most players don't open up their basses and loosen the pots.

In general though I don't think this thing would fall apart or anything like that; it feels tight and solid.

I did email MTD and got a reply from Michael Tobias. He was very nice and answered my question thoroughly. He took a while to get back to me because of some kind of surgery (I don't remember the details). I sympathize but somebody should have been able to answer a simple question while he was out.

I played a bunch of other kinds of basses at dealers all over the SF Bay Area before buying this bass, and I think the MTDs are the best thing you can get under $4k new. I went to the Alembic factory and played a $30,000 custom bass made for Stanley Clarke and that was better, but not by much (mostly frills like fret LEDs and crazy inlays).

To me this is what an all-wood bass (i.e. not carbon fiber neck) should sound like.

Beautifully Spalted Maple Over Ash Body, "ASH" Neck w/ 24 Position Maple Fingerboard, Matching Headstock (Body) & Truss rod Cover (Body), Bartolini Humbuckers & 3-Band EQ w/ 3 position mid center, Black Hipshot Hardware, built in strap locks.

It also comes with this outstanding soft/hard case. This is a fabulous case and fits the bass like a glove.

The hardware has a nise thick finish.

First off, the MTD electronics are spectacular as well as the craftsmanship. The big decision is picking the wood that suits your sound. I have a fretless with mahogany/redwood/maple/ebiny in it and if you heard them with your eyes shut you would have no clue they were the same maker and modle.

After emailing Mr. Tobias a few times, about wood sound, he finally asked me what exactly are you lookinf for. I said what would be the most growly bass you could make. He replied ash body and neck with maple top and fretboard.

His website talks about wood sounds and says a maple neck gives slight compression like wenge. But, it doesn't sound at all like the tone deadening wenge...not at all.


Bass: Very deep throaghty with very little boom. Sounds like thunder. My B and E strings pick up a lot of harmonics when played with fingers like a deep piano string. It rings and is amazing with fast bass response.
Mids: More upper mids than lower mids. If you want more mix them in with the powerfull eq.
Treb: Strong and bright, but not harsh in any way. In some cases I cut it back with the eq.

The bass has a very precise and quick attach. By altering your attack and pressure it picks up every subtle nuance of your style.

There are a lot of usefull/very good tones achievable with pickup blends and and tone controls.

Great for fingering and slapping.

In summary the bass sounds lic a cross between a huge piano and thunder.

Remember, if you have different woods your bass will sound completely different than this. I would email Michael Tobias if you are serious about buying one.

The Assymetric neck is marvelous. The neck is actually on the fatter side because of the wider string spacing. However, if you close your eyes and play you would never know. The neck is slim and assymetrically cut so your/my smaller hands have pleanty of reach.
The frets are thin and well finished. The long scale keeps the strings nice and tight/even. Playing this bass with either hand is EFFORTLESS. This is the best neck I have ever played.


Simply put it is a work of art.
Beautifull wood, the best craftsmanship I have ever seen and I HAVE played them all. The action is great.
The pickups were properly adjusted.


Just fantastic, but that's what people come to expect from Micheal Tobias.

Mr. Tobias is very responsive and a pleasure to deal with.

Great sounding.
Versital.
Flawless.

The 9 rating is because 535s are expensive, but worth every penny.

Poplar/Myrtle Burl/Wenge, black hardware. Ordered ~Nov 2000

The first time I played this out with a big band, all the guys in the band turned around to look...all with big smiles on their faces. This bass has plenty of different sound colors...all useful. This has become my main bass (displacing my Sadowsky).

Everything is perfect.

I've had this bass 1.5 years... Finally lost a "D" string, broke at the bridge. It stayed in tune, and I was able to finish the song.

Very nice. Have received several e-mails from Michael himself.

I've been playing bass (upright and electric) for 25 yrs now. This bass is by far the best electric I've had.