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Hi, there! I just got a brand new MTD Kingston Heir 5 (passive with Rosewood fingerboard). I bought it for back up my MTD 535. It has the same dimensions than it's more expensive brother. Even the playability is there but I found that the tone is completely different. I decided to modify the Heir as much as I can to get that hi fi tone out of it. Of course, I can buy another 535 but for me modifying the existing Heir is a creative challenge. I believe the sound is there, I just have to dig it out! :)
Here's my plan:
1. I will strip the fat polyester finish off the body and peghead.
2. I put the body to the dryer for extra dryness.
3. I will finish the body in Solid Sonic Blue (thin nitro coat).
4. I change the pickups to Nordstrand MM+ humcancelling J.
5. I'll add John East pre (5-knob version with passive tone).
6. I'll change the frets to Jumbo size and get an accurate fret job done.
7. I'll change the tuners to Hipshot Lights.
 
Any other suggestions??
 
PS! The only thing I haven't decided is the finish of the headstock - matching color (Sonic Blue) or Exotic wood top (Rosewood, Wenge, Macc. Ebony etc.). What's your opinion?
 
I'm waiting for your comments, ideas etc.
Thanks!
Margus

Matching colour, of course!
 
But blue? Really blue? You have some sort of fixation with that, guy!
 
Glad that you're enjoying the MTD's, both the 535 and the Heir.

2. I put the body to the dryer for extra dryness.
 
What is this extra dryness?

What is this extra dryness?
 
Strange consept, cant really get the wood dryer than the air that it is kept normally. It will eventually balance in humidity with what is in the surrounding air. So that will be very short term change.
 
This is actually the reason we have adjustable necks in most of our basses. The neck responses in the climat chanses.
 
Putting a bass body in a dryer will not help the sound in any way, in my opinion. It might on the other hand damage it considerably, for sudden big chanses in the humidity of the wood can crack it easily.
 
Hopefully someone understands what I am trying to say.

I guess you're right, Arva! But we tryed out this trick with a few custom handmade guitars and it actually works. The dryer gives you the sound of those 60-s basses. We made two guitars from the very same material and the sound became quite different when we finished both of them. It is about the structure of the wood. There are a special methods which can change the cell structure in the wood.
I don't wait a miracle here but it might help a bit when used wisely.
PS! I am not a specialist in wood theory but I work with a few master builders and it seems that those ideas help us to create better instruments. Of course, any relevant objection is accepted! :)

PS! You may also write in Finnish. I can understand every word but it's easier for me to write in English. :)
 
And WASARA, yes, I am commited to Sonic or Daphne Blue color! I believe they're the funkiest colors in the world!!! And bass playing is nothing but being funky, don't you think?! :)

I guess you're right, Arva! But we tryed out this trick with a few custom handmade guitars and it actually works. The dryer gives you the sound of those 60-s basses. We made two guitars from the very same material and the sound became quite different when we finished both of them. It is about the structure of the wood. There are a special methods which can change the cell structure in the wood.
I don't wait a miracle here but it might help a bit when used wisely.
PS! I am not a specialist in wood theory but I work with a few master builders and it seems that those ideas help us to create better instruments. Of course, any relevant objection is accepted! :)
 
I'm more cabinet maker perhaps than master craftsman, but I just might get a point there.
 
Maby what you do with the dryer is not actually drying the wood, but instead you thermo treat it? It really gots nothing to do with the humidity, instead it kind of burns, or heats the wood and that doas change the cell structure of the wood. I myself have built one bass with thermo treated wood, and I know and have talket with a builder that makes church organs with tm. wood. I really love the sound of my fretless 6 and the organs of Porthan are respected wery much indeed.
 
Finnish quitar maker Ruokangas allso uses the thermowood, and his guitars are sead to sound wery close to 60' guitar. So can this be it? If so, there is a danger in that allso. A friend of mine that works in the Porthan factory told me that a couple of times they have had an some sort of mishap with the treatment and the wood literary exploded, just went to sawdust. But if it goes right it really can make the instrument sing.
 
Ps. Ja nyt sanot että olisin voinut kirjoittaa suomeksi. :)
 
No, pikku triviana totean, että thermo treatment, eli lämpökäsittely on suomalainen keksintö ja sitä on kehitetty yhteistyössä VTT kanssa.

There are a special methods which can change the cell structure in the wood.
 
This sounds to me something like 'lämpökäsitelty puu' or 'thermo tonewood'.
 
http://www.stellac.fi/lampokasittely.htm
http://www.landola.fi/thermo_tonewood.html

Exactly! I was talking about thermo treating. That's the method! And yes, there are some threats as well. But the people who can do this for me are truely experts. So I'm not affraid. And if something happens, I can build the new body from a better wood. :)
But I am waiting for other solutions, ideas etc. What would you do with the guitar which is not as good as you thought it should be? And not so expensive that you wouldn't think of modifying it?

And yes, the method is originally from Finland! Thank you, my Finnish friends!!!

Exactly! I was talking about thermo treating. That's the method! And yes, there are some threats as well. But the people who can do this for me are truely experts. So I'm not affraid. And if something happens, I can build the new body from a better wood. :)
But I am waiting for other solutions, ideas etc. What would you do with the guitar which is not as good as you thought it should be? And not so expensive that you wouldn't think of modifying it?
 
Vaikuttaa todella mielenkiintoiselta projektilta, toivottavasti kerrot tänne edistymisestä aikanaa, ja pidetään peukkuja että kaikki sujuu hyvin.

I will certainly do that! :) And add the pics. But it takes some time, of course.

Exactly! I was talking about thermo treating. That's the method!
 
Ok! This makes good sense. Drying the wood more than normal humidy does not help, but "bakeing" the wood changes the cell construktion, which have an effect on sound. Thats wery interesting phenomenon. Good luck on your project!

Ok! This makes good sense. Drying the wood more than normal humidy does not help, but "bakeing" the wood changes the cell construktion, which have an effect on sound. Thats wery interesting phenomenon. Good luck on your project!
 
Edit: PS! You may also write in Finnish. I can understand every word but it's easier for me to write in English. :)
 
Oho! I didint notice this... Tai siis mä en huomannutkaan tätä. No jatketaan suomella.

The dryer gives you the sound of those 60-s basses.
 
Just keep in mind that MTD's are made of basswood. I bet basswood won't sound like a 60's bass no matter how you treat it.
 
I wouldn't change the frets or tuners...

Frets may stay for now, I'll decide it later. But tuners are bad. One of them is falling apart - despite the fact that it's a brand new instrument. And they work too hard. This was my biggest disappointment with this bass so far.

But tuners are bad. One of them is falling apart - despite the fact that it's a brand new instrument. And they work too hard. This was my biggest disappointment with this bass so far.
 
Strange, mine are perfect. I've used the same ones on my own projects without any problems.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/ … rs/2/Gotoh_Compact_Bass_Tuners.html

Strange, mine are perfect. I've used the same ones on my own projects without any problems.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/ … rs/2/Gotoh_Compact_Bass_Tuners.html
 
I am not sure if they use Gotoh tuners. They could be some cheap Korean version of G7 tuners. I had the original Gotohs on one of my basses and they felt quite different.

Delano offers an interesting pickup combination: the Hybrid and JC5AL/H. They're currently offering a package deal for the Hybrid, JC5AL/H and either two-band or three-band electronics. The prices are 348 e (2-band) and 362 e (3-band).
 
Delano website and price list:
http://www.delano.de/english/index-eng.html
http://www.delano.de/english/delano_customer_eur.pdf
 
Thanks! Do you know the exact dimensions? Do they fit the Heir's original pickup holes?