I had a Tobias killer B 5 string, and the reason I sold it was it didn't sound like the Tobias Mike had made. I thought it would sound the same but didnt to my ears.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
The Official MTD USA Thread
- Thread starter johnpaulbass
- Start date
I had a Tobias killer B 5 string, and the reason I sold it was it didn't sound like the Tobias Mike had made. I thought it would sound the same but didnt to my ears.
Just my two cents, but there are ways to get that sound without the size and weight. With all the Class D amps and neodymium cabinets, there’s just no way I would ever get a head that weighs 50lbs and an 8x10 that’s commonly referred to as “the refrigerator.” Now if you’re not moving it and it’s going to stay in one location that’s a different story. Nothing sounds bad through an SVT rig! But if it were me, I’d be looking for a way to approximate that sound in a more manageable way.
They were nowhere near the same once Mike was no longer in charge. Even during his non-compete/consultation years Gibson made changes he no longer had any control over. He was really only there to help with the woodworking side of the manufacturing process.
I can’t speak of pre Gibson Tobias but....
The Tobias Growler is a cool instrument.
The early ones with the stacked knobs and 2 switches were great, I had one myself at one point. Those were purely a Gibson design though, Mike had nothing to do with those.
The Killer B did sound good but I was after that Tobias sound but the Killer B sound it just wasnt what I was looking for.
Now with the MTD Super 5, I'm getting what I was after and more! If the Killer B sounded like the Super 5, I would have kept it because it played really nice and the neck was one of the best I had played. Anyways, I'm happy now with my MTD Super 5.
Last edited:
Speaking of Supers, yowza!!!
https://reverb.com/item/49129345-mt...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=49129345
https://reverb.com/item/49129345-mt...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=49129345
That is one beautiful axe! I'm going to order the USA Super Barts Pickups and preamp upgrade.
My MTD Super 5 plays like butter and sound great! I have no need to upgrade to the USA super 5. I just wish I had a choice in what colors and tops I could order. I do love what I have with the Flamed Maple Top and Ash body.
Last edited:
If you are talking about the MTD Kingston Super, the pickup upgrade is to USA Barts but not the proprietary ones used in the USA MTD models. I think the preamp is the same though.
Yes, the MTD Kingston Super 5 is what I have.
From what I understand, its the same pickups and preamp the USA Super 5 use. Mike sells the upgrade. The way it sounds now, I could be easily happy with the stock pickups and preamp.
Last edited:
He sells the upgrade but the pickups are not the same as the USA MTD is my understanding. Ask them yourself and please report back if I am incorrect. But that's the info I got from someone who did the upgrade awhile back. I think they put USA Bart quadcoils in the upgrade. The USA Super pickup has a different shape
There's a Kingston club too if you like
The "Official" MTD (non-US made) Club Part 3
One of the TB members did already, and he said Mike said it was the exact same. Even Lowendlobster mentions this.
Here's mine.
Last edited:
Thanks for the info, happy to be corrected. Maybe it changed over time.
I guess they just use a different pickup housing
No problem. Glad to be able to help and share the info we have all gained.
I will give Mike a call just to see if anything has changed. I haven't spoken to Mike in a while.
Last edited:
Wow - you really don't see many koa MTDs in the wild. What a beautiful instrument!
Alot of improvements/changes were made once the distribution moved back to Mike and Daniel. It was honestly the best thing to happen to the Kingston line.
I have gigged at least a half dozen “pre-Gibson” (a mis-nomer) basses and auditioned at least twice that many over the years. The one thing I can say about them is that none of them ever sounded or played the same. The last one, which I should have kept, was a Signature 5; but, it had some kind of one off modification in the Bartolini circuit. When I tried to sort that out with Mike, he explained that he had very little to do with the preamp constructions, had no record of that particular mod, and that Bob Lee would have handled all of that. I ended up with a Mike Pope preamp in that bass, which was far superior for my prefs in all respects.
As noted above, Mike did have a “standard” Bart circuit; but, there were also significant variants; and Bob Lee was handling that end of things. FWIW, my C6 is a Nashville instrument; and it is by far the finest 6 I’ve ever played. Gibson did mishandle their relationship with Mike at the corporate level. But, the staff in the Nashville shop IME were fairly on top of their game. The changes they made in the Bartolini circuit lined up with changes Bartolini were making as they phased out the TCT for a good while.
So, some of the issues were with Gibson, but some of the changes would have been equally happening had Mike retained the brand. Anyhow, it’s all history now. I just think it is inaccurate to villainize Gibson beyond what they actually did wrong.
Bartolini phased the TCT out because the basses that were mainly using it stopped (mainly Tobias because Gibson wanted that birds nest "slap tone" circuit). I own a Nashville Tobias myself, and while it is a nice bass...I had to give it quite bit of love to make it anything like the Tobias' guys like Terrance or Gouche had. Mike has never had much to do with this electronics, even now...and back then there was WAY more customer considerations/customizations/variations going on than the more standardized electronics he has now.
I believe the USA Supers and the Kingston Super with the USA upgrades share the same preamp. I believe the Super USA pickups as well are dual coil and similar in construction to the Music Man style pickups used in the USA modded Kingston.
