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Official Tobias Club

#1,582
Greetings Tobias fans:

Last week I went out to buy my first bass - I had my eye on a Yamaha TRBX174, but they had a Toby Deluxe V Bass that had been used a demo model for 50% off the original price, so I took the plunge. However, It buzzes quite a bit when plugged in, and there's quite a bit of fret buzz, there are certain cords that I'm struggling to play without any fret buzz. Any suggestions as to what can be done to improve things?
 

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#1,583
Congrats on the find! I was able to get my hands on one of those a few years ago, and was surprised by how much I liked it. This coming form a guy with a pricey Classic.

That said - not sure about the plug-in buzz, but the fretboard buzz is most likely the truss rod needs to be adjusted and / or the string height properly set. You can do a visual of the former – just sight down the neck. If it appears to have a bow, or an arch, the neck is out of adjustment. The neck needs to be adjusted anytime you change the strings to a different brand and / or model from what was removed.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Pedulla Club #45
 
#1,584
After spending way too much time on this I figured sharing this information could save someone the frustration in getting such a small part...
If your Tobias bass has plastic knobs with the white line on top and you are missing a cap or two I finally figured out what part is needed. Earlier models of the Killer B, Basic, Signature, Classic and Growler had these knobs. The knobs are Selco knobs as mentioned in other posts on Talkbass. These are 15mm knobs though no dimension on the knob is 15mm which confused me to no end. I read they are actually made by a company called Sifam in the UK and sold in the US by Selco but I'm not really sure. Either brand, Sifam or Selco, have the same part number so depending where you live you can look for either with varying results. The cap is part number "C151Black" or "C151-BLK" which is a black cap with a white line for a 15mm knob. 15mm is NOT the diameter of the cap but the size of knob it fits which confused me to no end because as I mentioned already, no dimension on the knob is 15mm. In the US it was Allied Electronics (now RS) who had some and I bought a bunch.

Though not confirmed, I believe the knob is a 15mm knob with a 6mm splined shaft, part number "TPN150 006"
 

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#1,585
Bloody_L said:
Greetings Tobias fans:

Last week I went out to buy my first bass - I had my eye on a Yamaha TRBX174, but they had a Toby Deluxe V Bass that had been used a demo model for 50% off the original price, so I took the plunge. However, It buzzes quite a bit when plugged in, and there's quite a bit of fret buzz, there are certain cords that I'm struggling to play without any fret buzz. Any suggestions as to what can be done to improve things?
Click to expand...

Sertifikat.pdf (musikkhandel.no)

Page 4 of this copy of the Tobias bass manual has a setup guide for adjustment of the Truss-rod, I'd give that a go. If there is still too much fret buzz after that, you might need the frets to be levelled by a luthier.

As for the electronic buzz, the Toby Pro electronics are pretty cheap/basic and probably not very well shielded or earthed. A good luthier would be able to shield the control cavity better and even the pickups, but that might cost as much as just getting a better replacement pre-amp that doesn't need much shielding, like a Bartolini, Nordstrand, Noll, Seymour Duncan, etc.

Cheers,

EG
 
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#1,586
ronnieb said:
After spending way too much time on this I figured sharing this information could save someone the frustration in getting such a small part...
If your Tobias bass has plastic knobs with the white line on top and you are missing a cap or two I finally figured out what part is needed. Earlier models of the Killer B, Basic, Signature, Classic and Growler had these knobs. The knobs are Selco knobs as mentioned in other posts on Talkbass. These are 15mm knobs though no dimension on the knob is 15mm which confused me to no end. I read they are actually made by a company called Sifam in the UK and sold in the US by Selco but I'm not really sure. Either brand, Sifam or Selco, have the same part number so depending where you live you can look for either with varying results. The cap is part number "C151Black" or "C151-BLK" which is a black cap with a white line for a 15mm knob. 15mm is NOT the diameter of the cap but the size of knob it fits which confused me to no end because as I mentioned already, no dimension on the knob is 15mm. In the US it was Allied Electronics (now RS) who had some and I bought a bunch.

Though not confirmed, I believe the knob is a 15mm knob with a 6mm splined shaft, part number "TPN150 006"
Click to expand...

Great info, I'm sure a lot here will appreciate it!

Might be a good time to once again plug the knob upgrade I did a few years ago - still lovin' it.

Official Tobias Club

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Official Tobias Club
 
#1,592
Well, Zebrawood with Wenge board. NTMB preamp. Pretty awesome condition with barely a mark on it. A good find. I haven't seen another Killer B with a Schaller bridge like so many of the pre-Gibson Tobias basses had. No signs of it being a replacement so maybe something found left behind from Mike's stash at Gibson. It's cool how the arc of the Schaller bridge matches the arc of the Bartolini pickups.
 
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#1,593
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#1,594
scubaduba said:
Well, Zebrawood with Wenge board. NTMB preamp. Pretty awesome condition with barely a mark on it. A good find. I haven't seen another Killer B with a Schaller bridge like so many of the pre-Gibson Tobias basses had. No signs of it being a replacement so maybe something found left behind from Mike's stash at Gibson. It's cool how the arc of the Schaller bridge matches the arc of the Bartolini pickups.
Click to expand...

Far out! Great find! How would you describe the tone compared to an ash or mahogany KB5?

EG
 
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#1,595
The only other Killer B I have had was several years ago and it was Lacewood with gloss finish. This one: SOLD - Tobias Killer B 5 string
I remember that bass being full and punchy and so is my Zebrawood Killer B. It's been too long ago since I had the Lacewood to directly compare to this one. I find the Killer B's to be tight, growly and punchy yet warm and pretty defined. Definitely more on the modern side with both pickups engaged.

One thing is for sure, prices sure have increased since 2015.
 
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#1,597
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#1,599

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