Ever since the Musicyo.com website started selling these Tobias Toby basses, I always had my eye on them. For some reason, I just like the way they looked. Well last week I spotted on on eBay and nabbed it! Figured for $400 and change it would be a good bass to mess around with and take to those gigs where I would leave the Sadowsky's at home.
For those who don't know, the "Toby" series were Korean made Tobias basses (actually made by Cort). They were sold pretty much exclusively on Musicyo.com, which was a more or less a online distributor for Gibson's lower end products.
Well got it yesterday and I gotta say, I really like this bass!! I just love how it looks. The construction is outstanding. Great fret work, nice grain on the fingerboard. It is just built extremely well. I've heard of some being heavy, but not this one. If I would guess I would say 8.5 lbs or so.
The seller said the bass was basically sitting in a closet for 12 years. So I am not sure how old it is. But it is in great shape. Just one or two tiny dings. But the bass has been played. The satin finish on the back of the neck is now glossy from use as well as a spot by one of the pickups where your thumb would sit. Also the "Tobias" has worn off of one of the pickups.
When I got it, the strings were obviously old. So took them off and cleaned it up and threw on a fresh set of SIT strings. Just had to make a small tweak of the neck and it was good to go.
The only negative thing about the bass which I was expecting from other users comments, is the preamp.
Tone wise it sounds pretty good. Very usable tones (used it last night at a blues jam). But the output is really low, even with a new battery. Not a big deal, my amp is 1900 watts, so just means I have to turn it up more. But other than that, very happy with it. If I feel motivated, I might put in a Bart preamp. Maybe next year! So ok, I will shut up and get on with the photos!
