Recommended series: MTD Super series, MTD Saratoga series, MTD Kingston Z series
Michael Tobias is a well-known American luthier with more than 40 years of rich experience, founded MTD (Michael Tobias Design) in the 90s of the 20th century, mainly engaged in high-end handmade bass custom business, its unique personality and fantastic tone, by Jerry Watts, Byron Miller, Pete Bremy and other well-known musicians. Previously, Michael Tobias's own brand Tobias Guitar was selected by Gibson, a giant in the musical instrument industry at that time, and obtained sufficient funds to develop basses, accumulating a lot of popularity in the industry.
MTD's handmade custom instruments are available now in Saratoga, MTD435, MTD535, MTD635, Super, AG and other signature collections in the $4,600 to $8,000 range. Musicians are free to mix and match wood, finishes, electronic components and other components according to their actual needs, and each combination charges at least $100. Due to the long production cycle of handmade custom pianos made in the United States, orders from the official website can only be delivered to the United States, so they need to be purchased overseas or find a musical instrument agent to buy.
In addition to the expensive custom pianos, MTD has also launched the Kingston production line with high cost performance, and the existing CRB, Saratoga, Z, AG and other series. Although this production line continues the representative series of MTD handmade pianos, there is still a big gap between wood selection, pickups, and circuit configuration compared with handmade pianos. However, for those who don't have the budget and want to experience the unique sound of MTD, Kingston's products are worth considering.
The Kingston CRB is a relatively affordable series that costs between $649 and $859. Dominated by retro tones, the 34-inch effective string length, and the basswood body shape design is reminiscent of the traditional P bass. Paired with an MTD-designed "P" pickup, a 2-band tuner that controls volume and tone separately, as well as an asymmetrical single-piece maple neck and an exclusive quick-release bridge, its tone is suitable for playing old-school rock style music.
Kingston Saratoga was originally a passive Jazz Bass series, which has been replaced by the Deluxe version. The Deluxe version retains the asymmetrical neck design, instead uses active electronics and a flame maple body, and the J-type pickup is coupled to the circuit output, combined with the passive tone controller, plus volume, tone controller and 3-band preamp, the tone has a large adjustability, suitable for funk, reggae, rock, heavy metal, jazz and other music styles.
The Kingston Z, on the other hand, is the popular series, available in 4, 5 and 6 strings, as well as a left-handed version, and is officially priced at $1,539. It is made of high-quality mahogany with a curved surface for the body, mahogany for the fingerboard, and the veneer and headstock are all speckled maple, with a heavy overtone, and the overall appearance brings out the beauty. MTD's proprietary passive soap dish pickups are covered in pure wood and paired with a 3-band EQ preamp for a textured sound.
