CameronJ Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 So today I did a terrible thing: Paid a visit to BassDirect and came home with 2 gorgeous MTD Kingstons - A Super 5 and a Saratoga Deluxe 4. I’d been after the Super 5 for a while and I wasn’t disappointed. Great tone, very useable EQ, coil switching for both of the MM pickups, very comfortable thanks to the lovely asymmetric neck. Also, just [i]look[/i] at that finish - what more could a man wish for?! Then, out of curiosity, I asked to have a go on a couple of the other MTDs they had hanging up. Picked up the Saratoga and MY GOD. I haven’t played a 4 stringer in about 2 years but wow. As soon as I got this thing in my hands it was just effortless. This is probably due to having one less string than I’m now accustomed to and therefore being able to really fly around the fingerboard. It’s just seriously [i]fun[/i] to play. This threw me somewhat as I came in looking specifically at 5’s and I definitely didn’t expect to fall in love with a 4! I had the opportunity to try out a few lovely Maruszczyks which were superb, particularly a handsome short scale passive Elwood (Jazz) 4 which I liked the feel of, but the single coil hum drove me nuts when soloing either pickup. What sold me on the Saratoga is that its pickups are hum-cancelling, along with the active/passive electronics with dedicated tone knob for passive mode. So I can go from a zingy and articulate active tone to rolled-off fat passive tone instantly at the flick of a switch! I absolutely love this feature. I Bought a couple of the MTD cases too - a single and a double - put both my new babies in the double case and slung it over my shoulders for the journey home by train. Carried the empty single case by hand. I guess these cases are comparable in protection to a Mono Sleeve or similar kind of slim case/bag hybrid. Leather handles which feel great. Lightweight design with enough padding for day to day lugging but probably not enough for the back of a truck or van amongst other heavy gear. They’re really well designed though in that the shoulder strap positioning means you can sling them really low without the case feeling odd on the shoulders. I’m 6’7” and was able to get it so the top of the case was just below my head height whilst remaining very comfortable the whole time. I only had to duck for the tube (which I do anyway) but, provided they were high enough for me anyway, normal doorways required no ducking or change of posture at all! This is a bit of a revelation for me. Can you tell I’m excited? The double case loaded with two basses is actually lighter than my trusty Protection Racket Deluxe with just one bass and a few cables in the pocket. Crazily it’s not much deeper either but, again, we’re not talking about the same level of paddding here. I’d happily sling my bass in the Protection Racket case on the back of a tour truck. I wouldn’t do that with the MTD cases. Some photos below for comparison. Single MTD vs Protection Racket Deluxe: Protection Racket Deluxe vs Double MTD: So, all in all a fantastic day and a happy Cameron! My bank balance is quite a lot lighter now - definitely worth it though. If you’d like to help fund my GAS, please feel free to purchase some of my gear in the for sale section . Luckily (or unluckily) I don’t have another half pressuring me to get rid of any basses to make room for the new ones but my own conscience is telling me I should! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz39 Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 The Super 5s look awesome; esp the satin? finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted October 21, 2017 Author Share Posted October 21, 2017 [quote name='Daz39' timestamp='1508620252' post='3393425'] The Super 5s look awesome; esp the satin? finish. [/quote] Satin indeed. The finish is called “Dr. Brown’s Burst”. I Compared the Super 5 against the AG5 Andrew Gouché Signature which cost about £500 more. The result? I preferred everything about the Super. To be fair, they felt identical in the hands but sound-wise the Super just crushed the AG IMO. Just a powerhouse. I actually think the Super in this finish looks prettier than the AG too. Nicer contrast of colours vs the all round mellow purple of the AG. And I say this as a man for whom purple is a favourite colour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I have a really old MTD Kingston. It is a joy to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted October 23, 2017 Author Share Posted October 23, 2017 Update: It became rather quickly apparent that I feel most at home on 5 stringers now as a result of playing 5s exclusively for about the past 2 years. The upshot is the Saratoga Deluxe went back today and has been replaced by a Phil Jones Double 4 and an Emma Discombobulator V2. Definitely the right move methinks, and now I can sell all my other basses leaving just the Super 5 and my trusty Ibanez BTB33! I should probably edit the thread title now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 23, 2017 Share Posted October 23, 2017 Good move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted October 23, 2017 Share Posted October 23, 2017 Congratulations buddy! So you planning on moving on your beloved Yammy BB1025x then?! I didn't think I'd see the day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted October 23, 2017 Author Share Posted October 23, 2017 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1508774604' post='3394323'] Good move. [/quote] I think so! [quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1508776433' post='3394342'] Congratulations buddy! So you planning on moving on your beloved Yammy BB1025x then?! I didn't think I'd see the day... [/quote] Yeah the BB1025x is now on the chopping block. I never thought I’d see the day either to be honest...played it last night and am still in love with the tone but the Super 5 is just a monster. Expect to see both my Yammys for sale very soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted October 23, 2017 Author Share Posted October 23, 2017 (edited) Disaster! After getting home and excitedly unboxing the Double Four it’s pretty badly damaged...one of the corners is bashed in and at the other end of the cab there’s a big crack. It seemed factory sealed - packed in a plastic wrap and sitting snugly between two massive (and undamaged) blocks of polystyrene foam in the box so it looks to me that someone at the factory got drunk on their lunch break, dropped the amp on the floor and decided to package it up anyway! Looks like tomorrow will be my fourth trip to Bass Direct in the space of a week Edited October 24, 2017 by CameronJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted October 24, 2017 Author Share Posted October 24, 2017 Just coming back from BD again after a great example of customer service from Mark. He replied to my email first thing this morning offering to exchange the Double Four with a new one in store. I arrived, he gave me a new undamaged one and then offered me a lift to the station which I gratefully accepted! We had a little chat in the car on the way, he's a great guy. Will definitely be aiming my money in his direction in future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneFurrow Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 Great customer service, as you say, Cameron. I'm very interested to hear how you get on with the new, undamaged Double Four, and the Super 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted October 24, 2017 Author Share Posted October 24, 2017 The more I play the Super 5 the more I enjoy it. Still getting to grips with the coil switching on the humbuckers but to be honest there really isn’t a bad tone out of this bass, at any setting. I’m really enjoying the preamp especially. Subtle but very effective. It’s never overkill even at extreme cut/boost settings, unlike the Aguilar OBP3 in my Ibanez if not careful! As for the Double Four, I was able to play with it at length in store so knew it sounded great before buying. Handles the low B string with a nicer, fuller tone than some 10 inch combos I’ve played through. Although it does so at lower volume. At max volume it’s loud enough to jam with comfortably at home with an acoustic guitar or two but it’s [i]definitely[/i] not a gigging amp. That’s just not what it’s designed for. But what it does, it does really well. I’ve found that when playing music through the Aux input you can really crank the volume to a level much higher than the max level that the bass input channel allows. This will double as a really nice party speaker. Not that I have parties of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 Big plus 1 for Bass Direct. Double 4s are ace too. It'll handle that low B comfortably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quatschmacher Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 Always good to hear good customer service stories. Glad you got it all sorted in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneFurrow Posted October 24, 2017 Share Posted October 24, 2017 [quote name='CameronJ' timestamp='1508866357' post='3394996'] As for the Double Four, I was able to play with it at length in store so knew it sounded great before buying. Handles the low B string with a nicer, fuller tone than some 10 inch combos I've played through. Although it does so at lower volume. At max volume it's loud enough to jam with comfortably at home with an acoustic guitar or two but it's [i]definitely[/i] not a gigging amp. That's just not what it's designed for. But what it does, it does really well. I've found that when playing music through the Aux input you can really crank the volume to a level much higher than the max level that the bass input channel allows. This will double as a really nice party speaker. Not that I have parties of course [/quote] Sounds great, thanks. Not sure about parties though. Horribly over-rated, imho. Maybe I'm just getting old. [quote name='M@23' timestamp='1508866458' post='3394998'] Big plus 1 for Bass Direct. Double 4s are ace too. It'll handle that low B comfortably. [/quote] Sorry, I seem to have hijacked the thread a little. Thanks for the comments about the Double Four, I've been pondering one for a little while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 [quote name='CameronJ' timestamp='1508866357' post='3394996'] The more I play the Super 5 the more I enjoy it. Still getting to grips with the coil switching on the humbuckers but to be honest there really isn't a bad tone out of this bass, at any setting. I'm really enjoying the preamp especially. Subtle but very effective. It's never overkill even at extreme cut/boost settings, unlike the Aguilar OBP3 in my Ibanez if not careful! [/quote] What an excellent bass! Great purchase. Loved the growl of the twin humbuckers when I heard the thing 'in the flesh' today. Very much reminded me or that Warwick 'growl' which I also get from twin humbuckers on my Warwick $$ Corvette. Starting to appreciate more and more just how important great PUPs are to a great bass! And what a well slung gig bag too - no more having to duck even lower to accommodate the bass on your back and if you happen to be 6'6" which I can confirm I'm not, that's gotta be a bonus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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