Michael Tobias

Michael Tobias Design, Kingston, NY

I first met Michael Tobias at an After Namm Show Party, which I attended with Ellis Hahn. Michael sat on the bed of a hotel room surrounded by many people and told impressively about the world of bass building. Michael started building basses in the early seventies and over the years he has built up a knowledge of instrument making that has no gaps. No question remains unanswered. Today Michael’s MTD basses impressively show the further development of his earlier instruments. Mike has an incredible knowledge of woods and their possible combinations. He passes this knowledge on to his son Daniel, who is an integral part of the 4-man company.

I am Legend

For the first two MTD basses to be built for Fendt’s Finest, I asked Michael to choose two particularly beautiful covers. He sent me pictures of different tops and the choice fell on the following woods.
The first is an amazingly beautiful 5A+ redwood burl top with an incredible grain. The wood comes from the redwood deposits in the west of the USA, which is also shown in the film on the start page. In combination with the Macassar a clear, airy sound is produced, which is not sluggish, but exactly there when you need it. Many bass builders see in Macassar Ebony, also called Stripped Ebony, the most direct relative in sound of the highly esteemed but strongly regulated Brazilian Rosewood. Regardless of the wood, Bartolini electronics and pickups are the perfect choice for all MTD basses, one immediately notices the decades of cooperation between the two companies. As a special feature, the cover of the truss rod, the headstock and the buttons are made of the same wood as the top. An instrument from the hand of a legend.

MTD 535 - Redwood Burl Top

Body: Makore/Maple
Top Wood: 5A Redwood Burl
Finish: Natural Satin

Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Striped Ebony (Macassar)
Inlays: World MTD Logo

Frets / Material: 24 / Evo Gold 2.03×1.09″
Scale Length: 35“/889 mm
Nut Width: 1,875″/ 47-48 mm
String Spacing: 19 mm
Neck Radius: Compound 10-14” / 25,4-35,5 mm

Pickups: Custom MTD Pickups by Bartolini
Electronic: 3-Band Custom by Bartolini

Hardware Custom made for MTD by Hipshot

- Matching Headstock
- Matching Truss Rod Cover
- Matching Wood Knobs
- Buzz Feiten Tuning System
- MTD Custom Fitted Case

In Stock € 8390,00

Voriger

The second top wood we have chosen is a rare quilted/splitted maple mix. Here a split mushroom has pulled through a Quilted Maple and makes this blanket absolutely unique. For the opening of the shop and for the presentation at the Guitar Summit 2019 in Mannheim just the right thing. The bass gets a Roasted Maple neck and a Highly Figured 5A Maple fingerboard. The „toasting“ of the neck extracts additional moisture from the wood, resulting in increased resistance to temperature and climatic conditions. Again, the neck bolt cover, headstock and knobs are made of the same wood as the top.
Both basses are equipped with the Buzz Feiten Tuning System, a tuning system that guarantees perfect intonation in any position and completes both instruments..

MTD 535 - Quilted Spalted Maple

Body: Alder/Maple
Top Wood: Quilted Spalted Maple
Finish: Natural Satin

Neck: Maple
Fretboard: 5A Birds Eye Maple
Inlays: World MTD Logo