Quickies

Hi all - some quick updates:

• SL Band show tonight at Triumph Brewery in Princeton, NJ. Hope to see you there!
• Picked up the new (to me!) MTD-535. I've e-mailed Mike to find out more about the original specs of the bass, but what I know so far is that it is indeed the same bass pictured on the Bass Central website (can I ever get away form these guys? :-), and that it sound **AWESOMELY FUNKY**! It has an interesting look, greenish-blue burst like the ocean... I think you either love it or hate it. My wife thinks it's pretty anyway! More to come after it gets its first show...
• I will be a guest lecturer at Cosimo in Malvern, PA, on Monday, March 26, joining wine director Jason Whiteside at the first of Cosimo's "Wine Nights" (and the first Cosimo tasting for the 2WineDudes!). We will taste and discuss the various components that make up the classic Bordeaux red wine blends. Full details are available here (and at www.2winedudes.com).

Cheers!

Uh-Ohhhhhhhhh

I could not pass up the opportunity to pick up a practically brand new (approx. 8 months old, and never-once-gigged) fretted MTD-535 at a steal of a price...

Flamed myrtle over tulipwood (poplar), with wenge neck & fingerboard. More on this madness to come later after I have the bass in hand. Bottom line is that I've played it, and it sounds amazing. The bass fund is now officially totally depleted, so no more bass buying for a looooooooooooooong time...

Far Cry (from my old basses)

Some quick updates before I head off to Jolly Ole':

This is really cool - http://www.fmqbproductions.com/epks/2007/rush/. Check out the clip from Rush's new single, "Far Cry." Sounds pretty excellent to me, but I'm about the most biased opinion you could possibly find. As my friend Chip says, anything from Rush at this point is icing on the tasty prog-rock cake of their amazing career (but an added bonus that it sounds this good and seems to have so much integrity).

I'm happy to report that the new MTD 535 proved its worth and then some at its inaugural SL Band gig. The bass sounds phenomenal and I'm still trying to figure out how Mike did it - this blows away any other bass I've ever even played, let alone owned, including my other MTDs. More on the bass itself: 5-string, 24 fret positions, maple neck, Rose of the Mountain fingerboard, African mahogany body, high-grade flamed Redwood top with matching truss rod cover and headstock. The bridge is solid brass (Mike's idea, he believes these bring out the best in the fretless basses). The controls aren't nearly as complicated as they look.

The only modification I'm likely to make is to replace the MTD strings with a set of coated Elixir bass strings - not that the MTD strings don't sound great (they do - I'm using them on my fretted MTDs), but I want to protect the exotic wood fingerboard from the wear that would otherwise result from using the non-coated roundwounds. Otherwise, it's pure stock MTD magic! Time to start saving up for a fretted 535...

Hope to see you at the next SL Band show. March 24 at Triumph in Princeton, NJ!

Cheers!

BASS in YO FACE!

Hi all - just back from my trip to Woodstock/Kingston to pick up the new MTD-535 from Mike Tobias (and very shortly after hitting the 'Publish' button for this post, off to the next SL Band gig at the Flying Pig)...

First, a huge thank you to Mike and his team for being so totally cool throughout the entire process of the creation of this instrument. Mike is a genuinely nice human and an absolute pleasure to talk to.

He also makes one hell of a bass. I'm not sure how to describe it... I wonder if this is what Stradivarius owners feel... Imagine that you're a pretty good stock car driver. Or maybe demolition derby. Once in a while, you get to drive something nice, like a Beemer. Then one day, someone says to you "hey kid, nice drivin' - I got a formula one out in the back, take 'er for a spin!" and throws you the keys. You can drive it... but you may end up hurting yourself or someone else if you're not careful. This bass is so responsive, it's sort of like that formula one car. I've played it maybe two hours total and I'd swear my fretless technique is already improving.

Thanks also the the fine folks at Village Green B&B, for showing me the amazing marble/machine work of Larry Lawrence - these items have to be seen in motion to be believed!

And finally, special thanks also to my wife for encouraging me to get this bass, take the time off, and to enjoy the trip! You RAWK, babe!