MTD Saratoga 4

this is a brand new saratoga i got from musicians friend. 4 string, 34 fret.basswood with a flamed maple top. very comfortable body. the neck is a carved 1 piece maple with rosewood, very solid and right on. has the buzz feitin tuning system and the intonation is
perfect right out of the box. active bartolini pickups and tone controls with a 3 way mid selector. the set up on this bass is impeccable. it was made it korea under michael tobias
regulations. this is a very solid, professional bass guitar....unbelievable sale price of $599.
you cannot do better for that price anywhere.

this bass can get any sound you want. i am a 30 year vet player, always been a fender guy,
still love my fenders, but this bass has everything of a jazz bass and then some. i play mostly blues and americana and the saratoga does everything i want. i personally like a
nice deep, punchy sound with a bit of a growl. this bass has the best clarity, articulation, and punch of any bass i have played. i have a 68 p bass, 2 new jazz basses, a schecter c4,
and a couple ibanez that don't even count. the bass i was comparing this with when i decided upon it was a warwick corvette. i like the saratoga better. i play through an eden 4x10 with a hartke 3500a head. my eq on the amp is at noon and i turn the tube stage up on the pre amp. i get all the tone control i need from the guitar.

out of the box this bass was perfect. it has a beautiful finish and the action on the neck is
perfect. mine is a beautiful instrument. the only thing i did was adjust the output pod, which was very easy under michael tobias's direct supervision, and put in a new battery as i always do when i get a new active guitar...never know how long that battery had been sitting in there.

i have had this bass about a month and so far so good. i am hoping it becomes my main gig guitar. i have used it on numerous occasions already and have no problems nor do i feel the need to take a back up. as i have said...this bass just feels like quality.

i was a little concerned because the output signal was weaker than i was accustomed with my fenders. i e mailed tobias bass and michael himself e mailed my back. i then called on the phone and he personally guided my to the pod that i could adjust. got the volume right where i wanted it. pretty amazing he picks up the phone and talks to you. i am very impressed.

as i have said i am a long time player...still love my fenders but am truly impressed by the quality, playability, sound, and value of the saratoga. my suggestion is to pick up, literally, a jazz bass, then pick up and play a saratoga. both great intruments but you can feel something different in the saratoga...maybe more of a boutique feel and sound. michael told me they have discontinued this model so i would suggest you get one while you can.
i feel mine is worth twice what i paid for it.

Mine is a beautiful amber flamed maple over basswood ( I think), one piece maple neck/ beautiful maple fretboard, no dots on fretboard, has the TEENIEST TINYIEST little sidemarkers you ever seen. They totaly get lost on stage in dim lighting. HEY MIKE, HOW ABOUT SOME LARGER SIDEMARKERS HUH ?? Buzz Feinten tuning system, zero fret, Hipshot ultralite tuners, (love em), Bartolini 2band preamp with special Bart pickups, (which totally SUCKED, I'll explain in the sound category) I'm gonna rate this a 7 due to the almost nonexistent sidemarker thing & the P.O.S. Bartolini crap

I got this bass off ebay, & when I first got it I would have rated the sound about a 1. THIS WAS THE WORST SOUNDING BASS I EVER HEARD/PLAYED/OWNED. the high dollar BARTOLINI system (P.O.S.) was virtually un-useable. plugged in to ANY kind of amp (ss or tube), into a pre/poweramp, directly into a basspod/headphones, you would get one tone, HUMMMMMMMMMMMMM, not just 60cycle HUMMMMMMMMMM, but just HUMMMMMMMM. I loved the bass, it's looks, its (unplugged) playability, & how it felt in my hands. So I ripped out the high dollar "special" BARTOLINI system & tossed it in the trash where it belonged, ( didn't even ebay it, I wouldn't sell that P.O.S. high dollar system to anyone). & then I started cruising ebay & reading reviews on Harmony Central, & I found the perfect setup for this bass. I bought a VILLEX passive JB setup off of ebay, bought some pots & orange drop caps & went to work. THIS VILLEX SETUP SOUNDS INCREDIBLE!! This thing is so versatile now, I get killer jazz tones, I can get p-tones, & humbucker tones as well. How the hell does this VILLEX guy do it ? VILLEX pickups are offered as an upgrade on the modulus vj bass for like $250. I think. As I said at the beginning, with the stock BARTOLINI ( P.O.S.) system, I would rate this a 1,,, with the new VILLEX JB setup, it's a 10+++

I have the action set low, fit & finish in this bass is superb, supertite neck joint, flawless amber flamed maple body/headstock, flawless fretboard/frets

I've gigged this bass a few times & I'm sure it will see alot of gigs in the future. It's a good solid bass, totally stays in tune

customer support ? dunno, got no reason to call

KILLER BASS with the new passive VILLEX setup. This will be my main J-bass for recording/gigs, (have many other basses). HEY MIKE, you should stop puting P.O.S. BARTOLINI systems & put on good quality electronics/components, AND LARGER SIDEMARKERS FOR US GUYS THAT TAKE YOUR BASSES ON STAGE !! With my mods I'de rate this bass overall a 10, but stock I'de give it a 6, sorry Mike,,