Gibson is bringing back Tobias basses...

[bucephylus]

There are a couple of separate, though related topics in play in this thread.

I owned and gigged several of the pre-Gibson Signature 5’s, including the one @spade2you showed
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/gibson-is-bringing-back-tobias-basses.1666441/#post-28888748
…or it’s identical twin. Here is the last one I had:

Every one of those had some issue that did not work for me. I finally sold the one above and commissioned Mike to build this one, which almost hits every one of my prefs.

Meanwhile, I acquired this Nashville era 6 string used around 2003; and after a certain amount of corrective improvement by Pat Wilkins, it is now the finest 6 string I’ve ever been privileged to play. It will go to the grave with me.

Point being that Gibson actually has produced some fine instruments using Mike’s original designs. I understand the antipathy towards Gibson for the way the deal with Mike went down; and I’m not saying that wasn’t a problem. At the same time, it is false to say that Gibson was incapable of producing nice instruments with the designs they purchased. I’m not a proponent of Gibson any more than I’m a proponent of Fender. But, a good bass is a good bass. Perfectly fine for players to make choices based on whatever logic they choose. At the same time, it is false to generalize that Gibson didn’t produce any decent instruments. Hope that makes sense.

 

[bucephylus]

Not completely sure why we are posting pictures of Zon’s; but here is mine; another go to the grave bass of mine.

 

[RandomKaren]

Not completely sure why we are posting pictures of Zon’s;

I agree, it is very unlike this forum for a thread to turn into an excuse for pics of nice basses.

 

[red_rhino]

Looks like a ripoff of an Ibby BTB...

That was my first thought the moment I saw it. They “Ibanezed” it.

That's a pretty thick top and similar to pre Gibson Tobias that had laminate tops.

See my avatar. Both functional and aesthetically pleasing, in that it highlights the craftsmanship of the build and materials in the body lam.

 

[Jeff Scott]

That whole super cheap & cheezy "top wood not thick enough to cover the contour" is sooooooo 1990's.

View attachment 7134747

Laughable fail.

Not completely sure why we are posting pictures of Zon’s; but here is mine; another go to the grave bass of mine.

View attachment 7135181

It's in response to the "Laughable fail" comment.

 

[J Wilson]

These could fly with younger players who never knew the originals. We'll see where they go with this, but the one in the picture (gold knobs, really?) looks like a generic neck through bass, it doesn't say Tobias to me at all.

 

[JimiLL]

That whole super cheap & cheezy "top wood not thick enough to cover the contour" is sooooooo 1990's.

View attachment 7134747

Laughable fail.

I like that look

 

[MaxCellExcelWon]

I like that look

The "top doesn't quite cover the body" look always reminded me of cheap 90's cars, where the manufacturers couldn't figure out how to make the doors open without hitting the body-side cladding.

So, instead of putting money, time, and intellectual expertise into the design to keep that from happening, they just put a big dent in the cladding from the factory and hoped no one would notice or care. It always looked like excrement as well:

Laughable fail. Again.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I think they look great, and I look forward to trying one. That was a great line, and I was sorry to see it discontinued in the first place. I especially miss the Growler 5. (*)

Not for nothing, but this is a different day and a different Gibson than the organization running things in Nashville in the 90's. I get the Talkbass hivemind out-of-hand dismissal of anything Gibson related. I don't care.

 

[RandomKaren]

Laughable fail. Again.

I believe there's a 5-figure price tag and 3 year wait for this laughable fail:

 

[Geogio]

Sorta resembles a Carvin Bunny

 

[ajkula66]

Sorta resembles a Carvin Bunny

Before there was a Carvin Bunny, there was a Gibson Bunny......not many were made. Kyle Eastwood plays one, ot at least he used to

 

[godofthunder59]

And still no 60s spec Thunderbird, deaf as a post they are.

 

[Nolan Tremblay]

It's a bit much to word something outside of your personal preference as a laughable fail, particularly when looking at the market shows that a lot of high-dollar basses made by companies with a track record of delivering high-quality instruments for decades continue to sell instruments built this way.

A small example of companies that produce instruments that use laminate top woods that reveal the other body wood due to contouring of the instruments edges:

Fodera
Ritter
Alembic
Dingwall
Ernie Ball

 

[turf3]

So all this angst over the little place where the arm contour goes into the substrate beneath the top veneer?

Nothing about how it plays, how it sounds, how it feels in the hands?

I think there are some people who need to consider what it's like in the real world that something like 99% of the world inhabits, where having an electric bass that works is in itself tremendously exciting; not to mention that having ELECTRICITY to run it is in itself quite a step up.

 

[lalo_garcia-maynez]

Anybody knows if they are bringing back the Tobias Signature model? The one with a wenge neck and Purple Heart neck ?
That’s the only one I care for !

 

[Bob_Ross]

Anybody knows if they are bringing back the Tobias Signature model? The one with a wenge neck and Purple Heart neck ?

Did all the original Signature models have that wood combination for their necks? I was (perhaps mistakenly) under the impression that the original Signatures, Classics, and Basics were all customizeable with any variety of wood combinations.

 

[ctmullins]

I need to pull my old Tobias out and give it another spin.

 

[lalo_garcia-maynez]

Did all the original Signature models have that wood combination for their necks? I was (perhaps mistakenly) under the impression that the original Signatures, Classics, and Basics were all customizeable with any variety of wood combinations.

No ! Some had other wood combos ; and some even had a top and back laminates (5 piece bodies), BUT the typical signature models had the 9 piece wenge and Purple Heart necks with either zebrawood , Bubinga or lacewood 3 piece bodies with a middle wenge tone plate in the body . This is my 5 string signature :

 

[lalo_garcia-maynez]

Did all the original Signature models have that wood combination for their necks? I was (perhaps mistakenly) under the impression that the original Signatures, Classics, and Basics were all customizeable with any variety of wood combinations.

The basics had solid wings only ! Either maple , Koa , alder , walnut , zebrawood , lacewood , ash or Bubinga .

The classics were above the basics and were the most common models . Usually with a walnut or alder back and an exotic top (Goncalo Alves was a great wood they used ! ); Purple Heart was another nice option . The necks were 7 piece usually made of maple and Purple Heart or walnut; sometimes the necks were made of walnut with Purple Heart laminates.

And the signatures were already described in my previous post. The signatures are the most RARE and expensive ones . They sound great ! But usually all of them had a great tone ! The basics were great basses too !