*** SOLD *** MTD KZ6 with Nordstrand, Delano and Hipshot upgrades £550

[GrammeFriday]

[size=4]For Sale, this very cool and extensively upgraded MTD Kingston Z6:[/size]

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[b]Construction: [/b]
Mahogany body with burled maple top, maple neck, matching headstock and rosewood fingerboard. 24 frets, 35” scale and zero fret. Very low action with no fret buzz. Outstanding playability all over the fretboard, and the lower horn cutaway gives full and completely unfettered access to the high notes. Like all MTDs, this bass has an asymmetric neck profile, which really is a joy to play - it does wonders for your left hand technique by keeping your thumb naturally on the back without you even noticing. Asymmetric necks should be standard on all basses, IMO!

[b]Electronics:[/b]
MTD Kingstons are regarded (especially on TalkBass) as ideal ‘upgrade project’ basses, because they have excellent build quality but fairly cheap electronics which can easily be swapped out. Accordingly, the stock electronics on this bass have been replaced with Nordstrand Dual Blade Neo pickups and a Delano Sonar preamp. Controls are volume, pickup pan and 3-band eq (treble, mid and bass, all boost/cut). Needless to say, it sounds a whole lot better than a stock model. The black control knobs in the pictures are not original; I had to replace the original ones (which were chrome) because they didn’t fit onto the control spindles of the Delano preamp when it was upgraded, and the black ones were the only spares knocking around at the time. If you don’t like the black knobs you can buy a new set of chrome ones for a few quid. (I always meant to do this but never got round to it.) In any case I will include the stock preamp, pickups and control knobs in the sale, in the unlikely event that you would want to restore it to stock specifications.

[b]Weight and balance: [/b]
Very lightweight for a 6-string at 4.2kg. In fact, it was [i][b]too[/b][/i] lightweight when I first bought it - the neck was heavier than the body, and it suffered from serious neck dive as a result. (I gather that this is a common problem with KZ6s - which is somewhat surprising, given that Mr Tobias has a reputation for putting a lot of care and thought into design ergonomics.) The good news is that this problem has been addressed by two further upgrades - the stock tuners have been replaced with Hipshot Ultralites, and an additional strap button has been placed at the higher position on the body, same as you find on USA MTDs, so it now hangs much better on the strap.

[b]Sound: [/b]
Obviously this bass can do all the usual 2-soapbar tricks - Jazz on steroids at the bridge, old skool woodiness at the neck, and scoopy, deep and modern tones with both pickups engaged. But whatever the pickup blend, the sound is always very clear and articulate. Chords really ring out nicely on this one.

[b]History and condition: [/b]
I’m not sure exactly how old this bass is, but it was made in Korea, before production switched to China in 2011-12. I bought it second hand a few years ago and have done all the modding. The bass has been played a fair bit but has been well looked after and is still in excellent condition. There is no discernible fret wear, and the gloss finish has no dings in it as far as I can see apart from the inevitable couple of tiny bumps on the headstock. The only other cosmetic imperfection worth reporting is a couple of small shiny patches on the fingerboard - looks like it might be lacquer or glue, but I really don’t know what it is as it was already there when I bought it. Anyway, it has never bothered me as it is hardly noticeable at all and has absolutely no effect on playability.

[b]Strings: [/b]
Currently strung with a not-so-new set of D’Addario Pro Steels 32-130.

[b]Case/bag: [/b]
This bass will come with a posh MTD gigbag if you collect in person. If posted, it will be delivered to you in a generic (non-MTD) hard case swathed in plenty of bubble wrap.

[b]Reason for selling: [/b]
Good old cash flow problems! I would love to keep this bass but it’s surplus to requirements these days, and I need to raise money for other upcoming expenses.

[b]Price and delivery options:[/b]
£550 collected; £600 couriered in the UK. I’m also happy to ship overseas at additional cost. You are welcome to come to South Birmingham to try before you buy.
Bass Direct currently has one of these for sale at £750 ([url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/MTD_KZ6_TBRW.html"]http://www.bassdirec...D_KZ6_TBRW.html[/url]), so at £550 this is a bargain, especially considering all of the upgrades described above.

[b]“Any trades?”[/b]
Cash is definitely king, hence the low asking price, but I would be interested in trade or part-exchange deals involving the following:
- Lehle Little Dual
- Strymon Mobius
- Strymon Timeline
- TC Electronic RH750
- TC Electronic RS210

[b]More pictures:[/b]
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Thanks for looking!

Edited February 1, 2016 by GrammeFriday

[Dazed]

The electrics and hardware are worth that new!
Bargainous. What would the bridge spacing be on this?

[GrammeFriday]

Thanks!

It's a very comfy 18mm at the bridge.

[GrammeFriday]

This would be an ideal starter bass for someone wanting to give the 6 string world a try. So why not give it a try?

[ambient]

This is a great looking bass. I was really tempted by this when you offered it to me a few weeks ago.

[GrammeFriday]

Thanks, Ambient. Plays great, too.

[GrammeFriday]

Sold!