MTD K 5

The big news is the Kingstons are now coming from the Korean factory with the Buzz Feiten Tuning System (BFTS). Look for a sticker on the back of the headstock. Mine was one of the first, so it didn't have a sticker, but Mike Tobias looked it over and set it up while he was at Bass Central (basscentral.com) and told me it was Feitenized. In a nutshell, all fretted basses are out of tune (the 12th fret is in tune, and as you go lower, the notes get sharper and sharper). BFTS compensates for this. It's really something to play a bass that's in tune. You can use a regular tuner to tune up for playing, but to intonate the bass, you will need the new Korg DT-7 with BFTS (lowest price found, $75 at zzounds.com). It's a tight fit, but it goes into an SKB 44 case (lowest price found, $85 at zzounds.com). Paint is really nice; I got the red pearl option (matching headstock) with white pearl pickguard and black hardware including a wide Hipshot bent tin bridge (best bent tin bridge I've seen). Good, solid tuners. Has a zero fret, which I like for many reasons. The neck struck me as wide and chunky but feels great. I got used to both the neck size and the 35" scale very quickly and now I can really fly on it). If you are looking for a 4-string, the Kingston 4 neck is very different, amazingly slim and fast, and I'd have bought it if I hadn't needed the 5th string. Great balance with no neck dive. But the killer feature has got to be BFTS; you won't find another bass anywhere close to this price with it. If you work with keyboards or horns and your band has tuning problems, see if you can borrow one of these for a rehearsal. Chances are the band won't let you take it back to the store.

This one has a maple fingerboard. Great growly fingerstyle sound with high chest-hit factor (super punch). It has a big humbucker which sort of limits the highs (don't put it too close to the strings or the pull of the magnets will induce warbling in the strings). I'd like it quieter, but then I'm used to EMGs. Wish the MTD pickup was earless like the Music Man 5. Neither the Seymour Duncan nor the Bartolini will fit, however it looks like the Carvin might (I don't know if that would be an improvement). The sound and "in-tune-ness" are very inspiring and make me want to play. The B string is nice and solid and its sound fits with the other strings perfectly, both the MTD strings (taper-core B) and DR Low Riders. It doesn't have a wide range of sounds, but it is a great sound, and I find it appropriate for a wide range of situations. I would have rated this area higher but I'm a born tinkerer, and I'd like to be able to bolt in standard aftermarket pickups.

This is a very well designed and assembled factory axe. It had one tiny dust spot in the paint. I re-stacked the pickup foam for more firmness, not that it required it. It came to me with more neck relief than I like, but the weather's different (it came to Virginia from Florida). I put new strings on it so I had to set it up anyway.

The body's made of basswood. It's soft and dents easily (as I learned). And the headstock's angled back. I don't want to drop this bass, although I've dropped lots of old Fenders and wasn't worried. I'd say it's durable but not abusable if you catch the difference.

What a great experience, first time I bought from a bass player (there are a few bass shops that are also on the Web that are owned by bass players). Everyone spoke "bass" from Mike Tobias (of course) to his distributor to the dealer. I believe if I have any problems any of those three would solve them right away.

I've been playing fretted basses for 35 years. This is the first in-tune one I ever played. To me, it's revolutionary. Mike didn't have to do it. He could have sold plenty of these basses without BFTS, they're an amazing value even without BFTS. And as great as BFTS is, there isn't much market awareness. But he did it anyway and I admire him for it. Beyond that, this is a tight, growly, punchy, good-looking bass. And fun! I'm really enjoying it, it's a total blast to play.

For a $450 Korean-made 35" scale 5-string bass, this is awesome. The construction is very solid. Basswood body, maple neck with rosewood board. Perfect white finish with perloid-style pickguard. The pickup is a humbucker-style made by MTD for this bass. The tuners and top-load bridge are also well-plated and functional. Controls are simple; one volume, one tone. The body is similar to other MTD models. For the price, it's a pretty rugged machine. The string spacing is very fender-like, allowing for easy fingerstyle and slap. The neck design offers a very cool pseudo-fretless sound when playing legato or doing long slides on the D and G string. Very punchy B string also.

The low end is pretty fat off the B string. I needed to add a little treble to get the high end where i like it. I run the pickup full volume through an SWR BASS 350 and SWR GLOIATH JR. 2x10 and an AMPEG 4x10. The B string is LOUD. A lot of punch. Considering the electronics are passive, it limits the tones available, but the tone it does have is very good. I cranked it, and had no noise or hum. the knobs and pots both operate smoothly and quietly. I haven't tracked with it yet, but it cuts through a medium-loud ska/punk band very well. Because of the fretless-like sound i get when i slide, i've been using it for improv jazz sessions as well.

I really didn't find anything that i wanted to adjust. It was pretty much perfect right out of the box. A small truss rod adjustment and i was on my way. Semi-low action with good releif on the neck. All the hardware was solidly installed, and considering this bass survived the Seattle Quake, i think it can withstand almost anything.

The bass works extremely well in live situations. It is not too heavy, and it balances fine while standing. The hardware is well built. The strap buttons were installed tightly, no movement at all. This bass was almost gig-ready right out of the box. I have no fear in the reliabilty of this bass.

I emailed the company about an Active preamp, and about a heavier bridge to add a little mass to the body. Mike Tobias himself emailed me back within hours of the message i sent him. Extremely friendly, and willing to help. The K5 came with a one-year warranty. No complaints at all about customer service.

I bought an American Fender Jazz V in early '98 and have been looking for a solid, good sounding, cheap backup. This bass is all of that and more. Most low-end 5 strings i've tried have narrow string spacing, and cheap components. This has 3/4" spacing and it's a little over 3" at the base of the neck. I ran this through a flanger and a Bassballs, and got killer sounds from both pedals. The K5 is one of the best basses i've played in this price range. In fact it rivals my $1000 Fender. I tried Ibanez, Dean, Guild, and Mexican Fenders for a backup, and the MTD K5 blows each of those away.

This bass is part of the relatively new line of MTD products,the other models of which are the Grendel and the Beast.MTD stands for Micheal Tobias Designs,a name that needs no introduction.I believe this bass to be made in 2000,and I know it to be of Korean facture.24 frets,5 strings,solid top.One volume and one tone control,one Music Man style pickup which is MTD's own and is passive as are the electronics.The body is of Poplar,the neck is Maple with a Rosewood fretboard.The body is an attractive snow white gloss finish with a hint of metalflake,and the neck has a satin finish.The body shape is identical to the other 2 MTD models,which is to say very similar to other Tobias designs such as the Killer B.The bridge is a simple but effective plate with individual adjustable saddles and the strings mount at the back of the bridge plate where it is perpendicular to the body.The tuners are modeled after the black Schaller type,brand unknown,although I would guess that they are the same or similar to those fitted on many other Korean made instruments of late.All the hardware on this bass is black,which offsets the white finish well and gives this bass a classy appearance.The neck has a 3/4" spacing,which is wider than a lot of 5 strings,and the scale is 35".Medium Jumbo frets and the radius is Quite flat,I would guess 14".The headstock is painted to match the body.No accesories except Allen wrenches for neck/bridge adjustment.

I have mostly played fingerstyle bass and I've been wanting to get more into slap style,so the wider string spacing is perfect for this.I've been using this basswith an SWR SM-400S amp and an Acme Low B II cabinet,with a BBE 862 in the FX loop of the amp.No noise I can hear so far except some scratching upon brusque movement of the volume control.I have contacted the importer,Matthews and Ryan,and asked for a new one.The sound of this bass is very rich and full,and the B string KILLS! I would attribute this to the girth and power of the pickup and the 35" scale.I own 2 other 5 strings and they are both 34" scale,and although thet do a good job on the B,the extra length on this MTD really makes an apparent difference.Of course,being passive,the glass shattering highs of a good active aren't there,but judiciously applied EQ on the amp gives a good,balanced sound.Because of the single pickup there isn't the same level of variety in the sounds that one could find on a 2 pickup bass,but the basic sound of the instrument is very good.I have yet to play out with it,but it records very well.The shape of the neck and the overall geometry of the instrument and it's light weight make it very comfortable and playable.I really like the bass's looks except for the 4+1 tuner placement,I rather prefer the 3+2 style(more symmetrical),but this is a niggle and has no effect on my playing experience with this instrument.There is a zero fret which probably helps the balance between open and fretted notes.The overall sound is in the ballpark of Fender and Musicman but with a stronger low end due to that big bad B string,which has a tapered core btw.

The action at purchase was about 90% there already,a few minor tweaks and now I 'm happy.The pickup was rather low,so I took it out and installed a large piece of foam and the springs from 3 ball point pens on the screws and now it sits at the same height one would see on a Sting Ray 5,and this also made the bass louder.The general level of materials and workmanship on this bass is quite high W/O taking the price and origin into account.I've seen and played on several other Korean made instruments in the past,and this one is far better than any of those were on all counts.The frets are well dressed and even,and the finish is IMO one of the best I've seen on a sub $1000 bass.I di tighten the bolts on the neck,not that they were especially loose,but I am a little fanatical about tight neck/body coupling.I only got about an additional 1/3 of a turn on the bolts,so no big deal.The only minor complaint was the noisy volume pot,but that's easily replaced.

The overall impression after playing and examining this bass is one of solidity and good balance.The simple design means there's less to go wrong.The finish is well done and I feel will hold up well.Good solid large strap pins.I tweaked the neck ever so slightly,not because it was necessary but just to suit my taste.I never gig w/o back up,but since this bass is passive,all that could go wrong really would be to break a string,and even then you'd still have 4 left!

Warranty is one year.I've yet to hear back from them about the volume pot,but it's only been a week.

I've been playing bass and guitar for 34 years,and I own 3 other basses and several electric and one acoustic guitars as well as a few amps.FX.mics,etc.I spent many hours playing on this bass over a period of about a month before I bought it,so I knew what to expect.I would definately seek to replace it if lost.I really like the way it sounds and plays.No strong dislikes.My favorite feature soundwise is that devastating B string and appearance wise is the sexy body shape and nice white finish.I giess it would be cool if it were active,but I don't miss it all that much and as stated above,I can tweak the sound at the amp.I wish it had a Talent Knob which I would obviously leave cranked :-)! I would like to point out that my numerical ratings were NOT based on "Good for the Price" or "Good for a Korean Bass" but as I perceive this instrument to measure up to the others in the MTD line as well as the other basses in the shop I bought it at.