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Official Tobias Club

#1,661
Got my Killer B today.. sounds great.. it didn't work initially and had to separate the ground log from the battery log at the output jack.. mine came with the Bartolini NTMB +FL preamp.. the body work is great as well... I'll work on the shielding as it's not fully shielded.. Workmanship is great as well.. no sharp edges and plays well.. I'm surprised about the neck profile... despite being 19mm it's slimmer than my Yamaha TRB1005J that's 18mm. It's a smart neck.. slightly smaller body and not too heavy...
 

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#1,668
red_rhino said:
Yeah, it all matters. In retrospect, I think 18mm would have been a slightly better choice, but I didn't really know much about all that at the time I spec'd the order. 20mm is nice for slapping if you have larger/thicker hands or fingers. I do not, and there are a few chords higher up that are easier on my 18mm Stambaugh.
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I don't either. I don't know how to slap (yet) :help: but I felt that experimenting on this bass is a little easier than my 17mm spaced 5 string.
 
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#1,669
Hi anyone, I'm not looking for a new bass, but found this on my local market for about $130. Does anyone know about this? Can't find any info about it. Found some similar image, but with 4 knobs instead of 3. Thanks in advance.
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#1,670
tyohars said:
Hi anyone, I'm not looking for a new bass, but found this on my local market for about $130. Does anyone know about this? Can't find any info about it. Found some similar image, but with 4 knobs instead of 3. Thanks in advance.View attachment 7278775
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Not a screaming deal, not bad either if it plays okay and electronics work. I'd much rather have that than a lot of the same basses at that price point. On the other hand, if you ain't really wanting another bass...

*I think it's an import Toby. Maybe not the Pro.
 
#1,671
EdwardofHuncote said:
Not a screaming deal, not bad either if it plays okay and electronics work. I'd much rather have that than a lot of the same basses at that price point. On the other hand, if you ain't really wanting another bass...

*I think it's an import Toby. Maybe not the Pro.
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Yeah I think it's an import too, but which one? I know for someone in US it's not a screaming deal, but in my country, this is a screaming deal. Tbh, yes I'm not really wanting another bass, but I'd love to have a good bass for the price, especially if it's a slapper (is it good for slap?)
 
#1,672
tyohars said:
Yeah I think it's an import too, but which one? I know for someone in US it's not a screaming deal, but in my country, this is a screaming deal. Tbh, yes I'm not really wanting another bass, but I'd love to have a good bass for the price, especially if it's a slapper (is it good for slap?)
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The Epiphone Toby basses were made in China, Korea or Indonesia, depending on what year they were made. Not sure what model that is, but maybe an earlier one before the Standard model had the 4 knobs. It might be "Ok" quality and good for slapping... providing the neck is OK and you can get the action down low enough...

EG
 
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#1,673
tyohars said:
Yeah I think it's an import too, but which one? I know for someone in US it's not a screaming deal, but in my country, this is a screaming deal. Tbh, yes I'm not really wanting another bass, but I'd love to have a good bass for the price, especially if it's a slapper (is it good for slap?)
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The only one of those Epiphone Toby basses I ever worked on was a 5-string, and I'm 90% sure it was Indonesia-made. It belongs to a good friend of mine (who mainly plays banjo, one of mine actually) I only set it up and changed the strings to tapewounds... remember that I thought it played and sounded pretty good for the money. As for how slap-able... afraid I can't help you there. Sounds like EvilGus gives them a good grade for that.
 
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#1,675
tyohars said:
Thanks for the reply @EdwardofHuncote @evilgus but I think I'm going to skip on this. I really intrigued with it at that price, but can't find legit info so I suspect it's a counterfeit
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If in doubt, keep your money! But I'm not sure why someone would bother to counterfeit a budget-level, imported Toby bass, that you already know is made where most counterfeit basses are made.....hahahaha.
 
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#1,676
tyohars said:
Thanks for the reply @EdwardofHuncote @evilgus but I think I'm going to skip on this. I really intrigued with it at that price, but can't find legit info so I suspect it's a counterfeit
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Agree, if your gut tells you to pass on it. I really doubt it's counterfeit, like EG says, why bother for import line Tobias? It could be a stolen bass, if the price (in your location) is too good to be on the level. This is a very typical secondhand asking price where I am. (rural/suburban area of Eastern United States)
 
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#1,677
evilgus said:
If in doubt, keep your money! But I'm not sure why someone would bother to counterfeit a budget-level, imported Toby bass, that you already know is made where most counterfeit basses are made.....hahahaha.
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EdwardofHuncote said:
Agree, if your gut tells you to pass on it. I really doubt it's counterfeit, like EG says, why bother for import line Tobias? It could be a stolen bass, if the price (in your location) is too good to be on the level. This is a very typical secondhand asking price where I am. (rural/suburban area of Eastern United States)
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You guys don't have any idea about how much counterfeit instruments in Asia 🥲. I even found counterfeit Squiers and Epiphones here. I really doubt it because I can't find any info about it
 
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#1,679
59jazz said:
I'm considering a Tobias Growler IV reissue. Aside from the weight, what are the differences in feel and tone between the reissue and the original?
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@scubaduba has had both new and first-run Growlers... they might know.

I'm itching to play a new 5-string so I'll know too. I really liked the one I had from the early-90's.
 
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#1,680
Hey Tobias aficionados, I have a newb question about Killer Bs.

I have been looking at older Bs for awhile and have noticed that a lot of the USA-made Bs have the bridges waaayyy back on the body. In many of the examples I see, the bass side back corner of the bridge is pretty much hanging off the edge of the lower bout...

Example:

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What is the deal with this? Not all of them are built this way- I see plenty where there is a decent bit of real estate between the bridge and the edge of the body.

I know there's lots of shade thrown at Gibson made Tobias basses for QC/manufacturing issues- but is there a "decoder ring" for what the deal is with these? I'm a bit OCD about this stuff and I think it would bug the heck out of me.
 

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