GuitarsCanada
07-09-2007, 05:16 PM
Review Submitted By
JBassJohn
Product Name
MTD Z5 BASS
Would you recommend this product to others?
yes
Your overall review of the product
great
Did you feel there was good value for the money?
yes
see below
How would you best describe yourself?
Part Timer
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Your full review
I was shopping around for a new 5 string when I came across the Z5 at one of the music stores here in Oakville. I love MTD basses but spending $4000 -5000 was out of the question for me. I had tried a couple of the earlier Kingston models but they were just ok. The Z5 though had everything I wanted.
Construction: The body is mahogany with a berl maple top. The neck is maple with a maple fingerboard. I like bright sounding basses and this combination seems to do the trick. The hardware is solid and is black chrome and looks very nice on the bass. The pickups have a wood cover over them reminiscent of the Fbass (which I'd also love to own). The bass is very well put together. Since it's made in Korea I was a bit worried about that but there are no faults that I can see. The string spacing is 19mm (same as my jazz). It makes the 24 fret neck look wide but it's thin and very comfortable in my hands. The neck has a flat finish rather than gloss which I also prefer. The setup was the best I've ever seen coming straight out of the store. I had to do no neck adjustments, just lower the 'B' string very slightly since I have a light touch.
Electronics and sound:
This bass has the stock MTD pickups and pre-amp. This is the first active instrument I've owned. Since I've been using the same jazz bass for 16 years I was used to passive electronics and had a re-occuring nightmare of the battery dying in an active instrument in mid gig. The flexibility of the MTD's electronics helped me get over it. I've had the bass since last December and only had to change the battery once because I left it plugged in overnight. One thing I do with this bass had was a passive/active switch similar to the G & L's. Ok, maybe I'm nt completely over the nightmare... I've read a couple of reviews where people have said this bass sounds a bit thin. With the electronics set flat I'd have to agree but they put those knobs there for a reason. I set the pan a bit towards the neck pickup and give it a bit of bass boost and it's beautiful and responsive all the way up the neck. This bass is bright. If you like a Pbass with 20 year old flat wounds on it, shop elseware.
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Gear used for this review
When I tried the bass out in the store I used an Epifani UL502 and one of their neo 210 cabinets. I set the eq flat and made adjustments on the bass. At the time, I also tried the Heir and Artist models but the brightness of the Z5 was what sold me.
I use it now with my Eden WT-550 and 2 112XLT's and 1 210XLT cabinet. I sent the eq flat with the exception of the bass which is boosted a click or two and make adjustments on the bass.
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JBassJohn
Product Name
MTD Z5 BASS
Would you recommend this product to others?
yes
Your overall review of the product
great
Did you feel there was good value for the money?
yes
see below
How would you best describe yourself?
Part Timer
-----------------------------------------------------
Your full review
I was shopping around for a new 5 string when I came across the Z5 at one of the music stores here in Oakville. I love MTD basses but spending $4000 -5000 was out of the question for me. I had tried a couple of the earlier Kingston models but they were just ok. The Z5 though had everything I wanted.
Construction: The body is mahogany with a berl maple top. The neck is maple with a maple fingerboard. I like bright sounding basses and this combination seems to do the trick. The hardware is solid and is black chrome and looks very nice on the bass. The pickups have a wood cover over them reminiscent of the Fbass (which I'd also love to own). The bass is very well put together. Since it's made in Korea I was a bit worried about that but there are no faults that I can see. The string spacing is 19mm (same as my jazz). It makes the 24 fret neck look wide but it's thin and very comfortable in my hands. The neck has a flat finish rather than gloss which I also prefer. The setup was the best I've ever seen coming straight out of the store. I had to do no neck adjustments, just lower the 'B' string very slightly since I have a light touch.
Electronics and sound:
This bass has the stock MTD pickups and pre-amp. This is the first active instrument I've owned. Since I've been using the same jazz bass for 16 years I was used to passive electronics and had a re-occuring nightmare of the battery dying in an active instrument in mid gig. The flexibility of the MTD's electronics helped me get over it. I've had the bass since last December and only had to change the battery once because I left it plugged in overnight. One thing I do with this bass had was a passive/active switch similar to the G & L's. Ok, maybe I'm nt completely over the nightmare... I've read a couple of reviews where people have said this bass sounds a bit thin. With the electronics set flat I'd have to agree but they put those knobs there for a reason. I set the pan a bit towards the neck pickup and give it a bit of bass boost and it's beautiful and responsive all the way up the neck. This bass is bright. If you like a Pbass with 20 year old flat wounds on it, shop elseware.
------------------------------------------------------
Gear used for this review
When I tried the bass out in the store I used an Epifani UL502 and one of their neo 210 cabinets. I set the eq flat and made adjustments on the bass. At the time, I also tried the Heir and Artist models but the brightness of the Z5 was what sold me.
I use it now with my Eden WT-550 and 2 112XLT's and 1 210XLT cabinet. I sent the eq flat with the exception of the bass which is boosted a click or two and make adjustments on the bass.
------------------------------------------------------