Epiphone toby deluxe IV

sodacan · #1 01-08-2012, 11:21 AM

Im wondering if this bass is as good as it looks! Also id like to know how it is to play

pudgychef · #2 01-08-2012, 12:02 PM

I believe its pretty new. May not be available yet....

darkstorm · #3 01-08-2012, 12:42 PM

No, they are an insult to tobias. Very low price on them should make that clear. At best their a slight improvemnt on the lower end music yo tobys sold back when musicyo was in bussiness imo. If epiphone wants to make a nice toby repro its gonna cost at least twice what these low budget level basses are being sold for. The epiphone tbird pro and eb3 would be better choices imo if yoiur wanting epiphone bass imo. Gibson absoluterly failed with their versions of tobias basses. So hows epiphone their budget line gonna make a decent toby bass? M Tobias is still in business via MTD basses. If you want a tobias get one of those for a nice bass. Or look for used top of the line music yo neck thru etc toby bass if budget is super tight. Top of the line epiphones have been nice, But their low budget stuff has been poor, these toby basses are very much in the lower end epiphone catagory as price indicates.

wolfmancharlie · #4 01-08-2012, 01:38 PM

Honestly I personaly don't think that Gibson failed at producing "a production model of a Tobias bass guitar". I happen to own a Gibson made Tobias Growler and it is built extremely well, plays extremely well, is beautiful to look at, and has a great variety of useful tones and I do use it to gig with. That being said, The Epiphone version looks like a 300.00 bass. The bridge looks rather cheap and it is made of basswood but then again maybe you should go try it out. It does have that special neck and active electronics, so if you are looking to get into that kind of a bass at a value point like this, why not at least try it out? I have had good Epi Basses and rather Bad Epi basses.Just sayin you won't know unless you judge for yourself.

sodacan · #5 01-08-2012, 02:34 PM

Even If the bass isn't exactly top of the line I am just looking for something that's looks nice,is affordable, and sounds nice. it doesn't matter to me that compared to Tobias they suck, I just need to know if they're complete crap or if I should have a crack at one

pudgychef · #6 01-08-2012, 03:06 PM

I really don't think these are out in many brick and mortar shops for people to try...

there is a somewhat similarly styled MTD Saratoga in the classifieds for that price....I am willing to bet its a really nice, comfortable to play bass - and it looks great.

Strat Hater · #7 05-27-2012, 09:56 PM

I pulled the trigger on one but then cancelled it. Since then I played one at Long and McQuade in Calgary. I am going to re order. This is what I can tell you about them. They have decent fret work, they sound similar to a Jazz, the neck is comfy and man does it feel light. If my Jazz is 9 lbs, this thing cant be any more than 5 or 6. I think it is a decent bass for the money, and if you need an inexpensive bass that you may have to play for a long time, or have a bad shoulder this if the one for you

Li'l D · #8 05-28-2012, 08:21 PM

I played the black standard model here in Calgary @ Long & McQuade
It is a great bass indeed. The neck was very comfortable and I agree with
Strat Hater, the body weight is a nice change

The black one in the store is a passive model and it had a nice balance of tone
& clarity. I am very much looking model to the active Deluxe model I ordered
To arrive. Thanks Frank I know you that you will read this at some point.

I think Epiphone has done a great job so far on this.
We will have to wait & see when others chime their thoughts

Sharko · #9 05-28-2012, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkstorm

No, they are an insult to tobias. Very low price on them should make that clear. At best their a slight improvemnt on the lower end music yo tobys sold back when musicyo was in bussiness imo. If epiphone wants to make a nice toby repro its gonna cost at least twice what these low budget level basses are being sold for. The epiphone tbird pro and eb3 would be better choices imo if yoiur wanting epiphone bass imo. Gibson absoluterly failed with their versions of tobias basses. So hows epiphone their budget line gonna make a decent toby bass? M Tobias is still in business via MTD basses. If you want a tobias get one of those for a nice bass. Or look for used top of the line music yo neck thru etc toby bass if budget is super tight. Top of the line epiphones have been nice, But their low budget stuff has been poor, these toby basses are very much in the lower end epiphone catagory as price indicates.

...so I take it you've never played one and this opinion is based on... nothing?

Epiphone's made some budget basses in their day and they've made some great instruments as well, let's let the instruments prove themselves before we judge them.

Li'l D · #10 05-28-2012, 09:01 PM

I have played this bass ! I ordered up one
It rocks & I play & own high end stuff as well
No doubt this bass will be able to hold up on stage.
There will also be lovers & haters of all models
The lower price wasn't the attraction
The features sold me
If you are lucky enough to try one out. Do it

Strat Hater · #11 05-30-2012, 02:45 AM

I have to admit I have seen a whole lot worse for the same price point. These will blow the Affinity Series and the VM Jags out of the water. I would place them equal to or a bit above the VM Jazz or P bass. About the same as a Ibanez SR 300 quality wise. So defiantly not a $2000 Tobias, but you get what you pay for, and I don't think your money is wasted on one of these, especially if you want a light weight bass. It is not a toy and I would gig it.

Li'l D · #12 06-06-2012, 10:12 PM

Picked up my Epiphone Toby today. Plays and sounds great
It will need a set up, tweak here and there.
I am sure with the dryness here in Calgary,the frets
Will need to be addressed at some point.
Still over all out of box it played and felt fine .
Happy with purchase indeed.

Looking forward to hear from others out there on their take.

jimmydean · #13 07-04-2012, 12:38 PM

Pretty good bass really,but I'll wait until they make a 5 string.

MrLenny1 · #14 07-04-2012, 12:54 PM

I bought a Tobias Basic 5 because I
thought it was the best looking bass I
Now I own 2.
Kudos to good looking bass. had seen.

Strat Hater · #15 08-03-2012, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmydean

Pretty good bass really,but I'll wait until they make a 5 string.

your wait is over

http://www.epiphone.com/News/Feature...-Deluxe-V.aspx

jetsrush · #16 09-06-2012, 10:37 AM

I have had my Toby deluxe iv for about 2 weeks now and have played one gig with it. Here are my thoughts:

Feel - The bass is light as hell. Maybe the lightest bass I have ever played.
Sound - The pickups are very powerful but the treble is just too much. Bring down the the tone control to fix that. It has a dark sound kind of like most of Epi's humbuckers but I believe these are supposed to be Tobias designed single coils. The toneexpressor is basically a bass boost that sounds just like the bass boost you get on Squires vintage mod series.

Build - The build quality is great. The Indonesian instruments have really become very nice and compare to Korean made instruments in my opinion.

Neck - The neck is super fast and easy to play. You can go a billion miles per hour on this one and no dead spots on mine.

Overall - This bass is as good as most of my other basses that cost hundreds of dollars more and can def be used as your main bass no matter what level you are at. I am not sure why the bass sounds so dark but alot of people like that. It sounds great through my Peavey megabass live and cuts through with no problem. Very pro sounding not toyish. I may want to put a set of Bartolini single coils in it to see how it effects the sound - otherwise it is good as is. Its a well designed bass and very nice looking. I think Epiphone has done a great job with this - maybe better than what their big Brother did with it all for $249 bucks.

ScottG · #17 09-22-2012, 02:16 PM

Has anybody made one of these a project bass? Thinking about getting one & stripping it. Put in a set of Barts, Hipshot bridge & tuners & extender. Maybe even redoing the finish. Just wondering if some of you guys who've bought on had done any mods. I'm sure the bass is nice as is. I'm just interested in building my on basses & want the experience of doing all the work myself.

Krucial · #18 10-10-2012, 03:59 AM

Unlike the other reviews so far, I'm not impressed with my Toby deluxe. I'm not into the 'destroying the brand name' ******** either, but to my opion this bass is a beginners bass only. The pups certainly aren't the weakest link, so I think there's no point in modding this.
The unevenness of the fretboard make a nice low setup impossible, the asymetrical neck is hardly asymetrical and has sharp edges! Also the body curvings are just too square.
Overall it looks fantastic, it sounds O.K., but plays mediocre.
It is damn cheap though, so there's no point in complaining.
But if you want a cheap bass, I think the Ibanez SR300 would be a better choice.

mormoyboy · #19 11-11-2012, 08:18 AM

no fret markers on these - only side dots, right?
what do those look like?
(thinking about a 5er of this bunch for a neck mod...)

Strat Hater · #20 11-11-2012, 08:33 AM

I love my basic 4 string. However I did replace the pickups with a set of Duncan Jazz and did two volume two tone a 3 way pup selector and a varitone switch. It has a huge range difference now between super bright to super deep. I put flats on it and it sounds really nice. I am still thinking about dual humbuckers in it, but I think I will just get the Walnut one for that mod