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Pre-Gibson Tobias Owners - It's Showtime!

#161
I'd have to go with the zebra too, that's the pre-Gib equivalent of the '95 Classic 5 I sold a while back!

Basic 6 #616 has officially arrived and it is phenomenal! A big up goes to Evan at Bass NW, outstanding work and a great bass! I can't believe how good condition it is for a 20+ year-old bass, just some light finish wear on the rear, around pickups/knobs and one extra rear strap-button hole.

Gotta rush and get this baby home for a test-drive, see how these old vol/tone+vol/tone circuits work!

Cheers,

EG
 
#162
Man, if the "Basic" models sound this good, no wonder people rave about the Classics and Signatures! :) I'll definitely be confirming my order for pre-Gib # 2 over the weekend, I gotta have a fiver as well!

Apologies for lack of pics so far, I'll take some over the weekend. I've just given #616 a good run and it's definitely a keeper - so easy to play, so much voice and depth in the notes, you can nail any fretless sound you can think of with minimal adjustment...outstanding! I've heard a few people say they prefer the Basic fretlesses over higher models and I'm not surprised at all! :)

The 3-band TCT is kinda weird to get used to, vol/vol/tone, plus 3-band EQ, but the mid-freq is cut only and there's no centre detents on the bass/trebles. Weird, but very rewarding, sound-wise.

The only downside is I've already managed to crack the plastic truss-rod cover in half, I guess it hasn't held up over the years and couldn't survive a decent tightening. I'm not too fussed though, I'll talk to my luthier about some tasty black wenge covers to replace the plastic...luscious. :)

Cheers,

EG
 
#167
Fealach said:
Nice. It was my brother's Zebrawood Basic that got me lusting after these basses almost 25 years ago. Try to get a bass with solid Zebra body wings today! Too bad his is wrong handed.
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This is the one that did it to me 25+ years ago:

mrbassman_de said:
This is my Signature 6, serial no. 13xx, with Walnut neck and body core and superb Zebrano top and back.

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I met a superb bassist with the North Texas State 1 o'clock Lab Band in 2004 who had a 6 string like this; I wish I could remember his name - one of the truly GREAT string bass players; did one of the most profound bass solos I have ever heard...

But yeah, Mr. T. I own 2 MTD's now, but this bass just does it to me...

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#169
kesslari said:
Evilgus - we need PICS!
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Ok, here's a few taken today, I'll get some action shots during the week and post them somewhere better.. :)

Cheers,

EG
 

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#170
Nice quilted maple.
My first Tobias (70X) was a red quilted maple.
I 'll wager that one's pretty high on the "awesome sounding" index.
Should give you a killing slap tone as well as great fingerstyle.
 
#171
What would be the general consensus on re-doing some of the lacquer finish on a pre-Gib that has light scratching on the back, but the rest of it is generally good? Would that still be considered the "wrong" thing to do, or reduce the collectable value? Of course I'm talking about a pro job that would look just as good as original, I wouldn't consider anything less.

The reason I'm asking is that I've just sent payment for my 2nd-pre-Gib and I know it could look pretty close to as good as the first bass in this thread, with a little refinishing, so it's extremely tempting to consider getting the work done! But on the other hand, if it's going to be my main working bass, why spend money on refinishing when it's likely to take a few knocks...

EG
 
#172
Anything that you do to change a vintage bass from its originals specs - including a refin -will reduce its resale value. That said, a good cleaning and finish buffing is always cool and will enhance your instrument's value. Many of the scratches on the back of your bass may well be removable with a good buffing by a qualified tech.
 
#174
My 2nd Pre-Gibson is arriving tomorrow or the next day, I canna wait! :)

Any guesses as to which one it is? :) The only hint I'll give is it's from a shop, private sales usually get snapped up by U.S/local buyers, so us poor Aussies don't have as much choice.

EG
 
#175
Oh man, I am in bass heaven!!! I've just given #1162 a quick play through the Thunderfacme rig and it is absolutely luscious! Super PHAT!!! Birds-eye maple/purpleheart neck, walnut body, wenge top. Yes, the one recently FS at The Low End. :)

After getting the Basic 6 a short while ago, I had fairly high expectations, but I'm still blown away! :) It reminds me of an Alembic in build quality and quality of sound, but more practical and funkier, IMO. I can't believe how quiet the electronics are and how good the bridge pickup sounds on it's own - very crisp, but also very strong. There's not a huge range of sounds in the pan control, but all of them are highly usable and strong sounding. You almost don't need active mode either, passive is damn good enough already! :)

A huge thanks to Brian Barrett at The Low End, for a super bass, I couldn't be happier with it! It certainly has it's fair share of gig-wear, but I'm planning on playing the **** daylights out of it, so it wasn't an issue for me. :)

Pics in a few days, sorry!

Time to do a setup, will be even better!

Cheers,

EG
 
#177
Thanks Groove, I owe you a beer! Yep, definitely a keeper, although I have to admit that the older Bart pickups are definitely touchier than the later ones, so getting an ideal setup can be a bit of work. But soooo much worth the effort. :)

Might just start a pre-gibson setup thread, not to be snobby, but because they are significantly different to later Tobias basses.

Time to cuddle my Tobias, I just can't resist her quiet calling... :p

EG
 
#179
I'm finding the old pickups more sensitive to string heights and setup than what I'm used to, maybe they have stronger magnets or quite different wire windings, etc. I'm pretty sure it sounded better before I started messing with the setup, hahaha.

Cheers,

EG
 
#180
Hey guys,

I finally got to take my new babies to a full band rehearsal and give them a workout, what fun I had! :) The Basic 6 FL was the quick standout and super-fun to play, but possibly because it has a touch more punch & mids, so cuts through a bit better. I would say I think I prefer the older pre-amp with 3 stacked pots, it's a little bit more focused than the NTMB in the Classic 5. I tried various EQ settings on the Classic and got some incredibly PHAT tones out of it, but I'm more used to my ash/ash MTD 535, so it didn't always have enough mids or "push" for the material. Horses for courses, eh. After listening back to the recording today, though, the basic sound of both basses is *very* similar, due to pickups, I guess that's the "smoky" tone we love them for! :)

And after listening to a few of my fave fretless albums, I'd say the Basic 6 sounds very similar to Randy Coven's tone off the Ark "Burn the Sun" album, nothing to complain about whatsoever! :)

Cheers,

EG
 

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