Epiphone toby deluxe IV

[Hevy T]

I stopped in Thursday to drop off a couple of basses to get set up.
I asked one of the staff if they still had any American Fenders
So I followed him to the room
It was blocked off and the curtain was closed
I ended up back there Friday after to pick up my basses I had set up
It was busy in the store and I was told in the morning they had a big line up
Congrats on your new bass, ,was it the 60's you got?

Agree the tort makes that white pop out

No just a plain black mim jazz with rosewood board. The one I really wanted was already gone. It was the same but maple board. Still a nice bass though and I may get my tech to order me a new maple board neck...we will see on that one lol

 

[Hevy T]

The white one I looked at was American I believe hut I did not like how the neck looked so I passed on it

 

[CptnKnox]

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...)

Just tiny dots, nothing special

 

[CptnKnox]

The tone control nob has a single coil hum/static feed back. Not very desirable. I've found turning the tone all the way down is the only real way to make that disappear. I love the look, and for ~200$ it is a great studio base, but would need upgrade for me to use as a main stage base.

Anyone else dealing with the feedback?

 

[C_Becker]

I had the 5-string, and while it was a great looking and playing bass, the electronics were pretty shite.
Loud hiss when you turned the treble up and that weird bass boost was just crap.
If you are willing to put the money in to change the electronics, go for it.
Mine certainly was well made

 

[BaltoNealio]

I now own one because of what might be considered a happy accident. My visit to a local, fairly large mom 'n pop music store was for the purpose of A/B'ing a couple of Fender bass amps. Hanging above a Rumble 200 I was interested in was a Toby bass in a walnut finish, and since it was there I just grabbed it and plugged into the Rumble. At first I thought it was a used bass, since the price on the tag was sub-$300, but the more I played, the more I began to shift my attention away from the amp to examine the Toby: nice fret work; splendid fit and finish on the neck; generous slab of rosewood on the fretboard; a rather robust bridge w/equally robust, metal pot control knobs and both finished in a satin black hue. I've read what others think about the electronics/wiring, and I'm not techie enough to discuss the problems or nuances, but I remain quite impressed with this bass. I arrived home about an hour ago from a band rehearsal for a group that hired me about three months ago. We play a variety of styles, pop to funk, reggae to rock, and even some rockabilly; the bass was flexible enough to accommodate all of those styles. Not one moment's trouble from the bass, with the added benefit of a very lightweight bass on my back and shoulder. I'm not sure how to wrap up this comment, but it would be appropriate to drop some love in the form of kudos to Epiphone-Tobias division.

 

[Bass V]

it would be appropriate to drop some love in the form of kudos to Epiphone-Tobias division.

I have limited experience with the Toby line outside of my Std. IV but sure enjoy hearing the truth be told about'm.

 

[Hevy T]

I picked up a used Walnut stained one in the mind of mods! I want to put maybe Fender Vmods in there and defret the neck then epoxy it. Should sound pretty sweet! Looks like the 70's Jazz spacing we all seem to love

Well I took this little beast to a jam on the weekend and was blown away by it. It was every bit as good as my MIM Jazz after I dialed it in. Also unlike my Jazz I could get a decent deep muddy sound that I can't get from my jazzes! Still going to do the mods though. Still not certain on the pickups though. I got a 60's Jazz and a SD SBJ 1 here that I might just use instead.

 

[BaltoNealio]

@Hevy T: Nice review. There's no doubt the bass has some issues considering wiring/shielding. It IS an inexpensive instrument, so a buyer might overlook those issues and try to compensate by going through adjustments in the instrument's tone and volume pots spectrum of as well as amp controls. It took me about a half hour to find several of my most preferred tones (so I noted them on a 3x5 card that I take to rehearsals).

 

[C_Becker]

Reading this thread again makes me kinda regret selling my Toby V. It was a great playing bass - neck feel, fretwork and everything. The hissy preamp was the biggest letdown, a passive version of the fiver would've been a nice option. I don't expect great pickups at that price range, and I felt that they were OK - not great but OK.
Maybe I'll have to get one again and mod it. The tobacco burst certainly looked nice and it was very light and comfortable to play.