Tobias basses, who knows about 'em?

[EagleMoon]

I would take an 80's Tobias over an MTD. Just personal preference, but they're perfect.

Just goes to show you how much personal preference can vary so widely from person to person.

 

[NecroticImbecil]

Just goes to show you how much personal preference can vary so widely from person to person.

Yup. That's why I chimed in, and why I made sure to include "personal preference" as you did. Sometimes the point gets lost there is no "best," just "best for you." Perfect may be a bit strong, but for what they are, I think the old Tobias basses are perfect. Mike moved on to a different design, great but not the same. I think he had the original Tobias formula perfected, and moved on to something different.

 

[bass4worship]

Owned three Tobias, One '94 four strings and two Killer B 5 strings. Sounded nice with warm lows. Could never get the gowl I wanted out of them.

 

[SMG]

Though no one has noted it so far on this thread, there were two different preamp setups used in the pre-musicyo (90's) era Gibson made Tobias basses. The early ones (early in Gibson ownership) had a mini switch that was for passive/active modes, the later ones had a push/pull volume that did this and had a three way mid frequency switch. The preamps in active mode sound quite different. That said, I played my 90's Classic 5 with the later preamp this evening through my Little Mark head and 1-10 and the tone just rang. Bass was set entirely flat in active mode and both pickups on, amp was set the same as I usually set it. I just don't recall any of my other basses sounding quite this good or the sustain lasting this long since I began using the Little Mark head.

 

[Chris90]

Hey guys,

I found a Tobias with serial number TB008, can anyone tell me something about this serial line, are these good basses? What would be it's value? It's a 4 string, NT construction, bartolini's, all maple ( i think ) neck has no purpleheart. Here's a link to the dutch auction: Invalid Link Removed

Thanks in advance.

Yours,
Christian

EDIT: According to Michael Tobias himself it appears to be a bass made by 'another shop' during early 1991. One of the 110, are these desirable basses?

 

[Angus]

No, not desirable. I'd pass on it, for sure.

 

[SMG]

Looks like one of the ones from a batch that Mike contracted out to another shop. There were two such batches if my memory is correct, the "Standard" that was made in Japan and another that was made here in the states. (Help me out Tobias freaks...who made this batch? Was it Michael Pedulla?) Either way, if it is one of these two batches (the Japan made bass had a three knob configuration with a mid control inside the compartment while the US made one had a four knob system) it is probably a good bass. Used versions of the Japanese made model that I have seen have been in the $700 - $1000 range, and they all have played very well. I believe the US ones are generally about the same, maybe a bit more. I think the Japanese ones often had high gloss finishes that I am not sure the US ones had.

 

[SMG]

Also, I am pretty sure the bass in question isn't a musicyo.com bass. The control set up, while having four knobs, has a different layout. The musicyo Tobias basses has four knobs in a diamond layout. Furthermore, the musicyo basses did not have Barts in them while both the Standards and other US batch did.

 

[Angus]

No, it's definitely not a musicyo bass, and I agree that it's fromt the Japan/Pedulla era, but from here I can't tell which it is. I'd guess Pedulla.

By all accounts (including mine), they're fine, well-made basses, but there is nothing desirable or particularly interesting about them.

 

[KenP]

I have a Classic 5 #3036. It has been my only bass since 1999. I have always struggled with a dead spot on the neck and the lack of growl that I'm looking for. It has the mini switch that was mentioned earlier. I kept getting it caught on a stand and breaking it so I had it hot wired so that it is always in active mode. I've thought of selling it and getting a Jazz or Stingray but just can't bring myself to give it up. My DNA is embedded in the wood.

 

[mark35mi]

I have a Killer B 5 with a serial in the #2300's. Bartolini's, natural swamp ash, and frigging AWESOME!!!! It appears it was a very early Nashville Gibson built bass. I absolutely love this bass! I get compliments from whomever and wherever I plug in. Recently played with an 80's Cover rock band, and have also played it in a blues/rock/groove band. Great tone! Great player. Love it!

 

[sfearing]

To answer Dave Koczorowski's question, my Killer B has a similar serial number (#1207093). I called Gibson a few minutes ago and they confirmed it was made in 1993. That was all the information he could tell me. I asked what the other numbers meant and he didn't have any other information he could tell me other than the year.

That's a start to finding more about the serial number, anyway. At some point Gibson seemed to abandon the system they adopted in 1993 and went back the shorter numbers.

There is a Gibson serial number website which shows their convoluted numbering system over the years.
Link Removed

 

[Aero71]

Is there someone who knows more about this model? Is it a prototype or something? Thing's got thunderbird pu's.
It does has a serial number on the back of the headstock 27xx, so I guess 1994?
Any info is welcome.

 

[SMG]

It looks like a Renegade body and neck with modified routes and pickups. I may be wrong, but I think the Renegade (which came with a Bart soapbar and a Bart singlecoil) was the only Gibson produced Tobias with a maple fingerboard. The Renegade also only had three controls, vol, bal and tone, though it did have an active Bart preamp inside. The Renegade was essentially a simplified Growler with a maple board. (The original Growler had a preamp system similar to a Warwick MasterMan, where each coil within the MM case had a separate vol, treb and bass control, as well as three position scoop switch...a ton of tones, but a lot of work to find what you want.)

 

[Aero71]

It looks very similair like a renegade, but a renegade has a different knob alignment plus a switch.
This one doesn't have a switch and the cavities look original. Also there are no repairs or whatsoever
to cover holes or something. The paint is also original.
So my guess is this an experiment or prototype? It certanly is rare.

 

[Dojix]

I've got a Toby Deluxe V. Worst thing on Earth. Pickups are crap, the preamp is muddy, low B is muddy, tuners are plastic and suck at staying in tune, clearly visible joint for where the headstock was glued on, extremely weak and brittle, really unbalanced and a little bit neck-heavy.

Of course, I've heard that the Tobias brand with Epiphone only got crap recently, something about Tobias leaving the company. So I guess it depends on what specs you're looking for in an instrument, because an older model could be really good.

 

[SMG]

Dojix,
The Toby Pro line and Toby Deluxe line were products sold through Gibson's musicyo.com site of the late 90's. Those instruments were produced without any input at all from Michael Tobias. They are a far cry from the actual Gibson Tobias line that were, for the most part, really superb instruments, and even further removed from the pre-Gibson owned original Tobias instruments.

I had a Toby Pro VI for a while. It played quite good, but the pickups and preamp were by no means the strong points. When these were readily available, they played good enough that a lot of people modded them with better pickups and preamps, especially since you could get used ones pretty cheap.

The current Epi Tobias line is probably comparable to the musicyo Toby Deluxe line...not at all comparable to an actual pre Gibson Tobias, or even a Gibson made Tobias.

Furthermore, the Renegade and Growler series were the bottom dwellers of the Gibson made Tobias basses. If you ever get a chance, check out a Tobias Signature, Tobais Classic, Tobias Basic, or even the Tobias Killer B (bolt on). Again, usually (there were a few dogs here and there) spectacular instruments.

 

[Angus]

It looks like a Renegade body and neck with modified routes and pickups. I may be wrong, but I think the Renegade (which came with a Bart soapbar and a Bart singlecoil) was the only Gibson produced Tobias with a maple fingerboard. The Renegade also only had three controls, vol, bal and tone, though it did have an active Bart preamp inside. The Renegade was essentially a simplified Growler with a maple board. (The original Growler had a preamp system similar to a Warwick MasterMan, where each coil within the MM case had a separate vol, treb and bass control, as well as three position scoop switch...a ton of tones, but a lot of work to find what you want.)

It isn't a Renegade- you could not modify one to make it look like this due to the position and size of the bridge pickup. I've seen this model a couple times in a couple of times- I have played one that was black. I do not know what the story behind them is, but it was definitely a temporary model that existed in the early Gibson days.

They also always strangely had the black painted headstock, which the Gibson-era basses didn't seem to usually get until a bit later in the series.

 

[Dojix]

Dojix,
The Toby Pro line and Toby Deluxe line were products sold through Gibson's musicyo.com site of the late 90's. Those instruments were produced without any input at all from Michael Tobias. They are a far cry from the actual Gibson Tobias line that were, for the most part, really superb instruments, and even further removed from the pre-Gibson owned original Tobias instruments.

Ahh, makes sense. Well, just in case that's what OP was wondering about, since I've seen a few recommendations for what I have as a first 5 string, but it's just not worth it at all.

 

[Aero71]

It isn't a Renegade- you could not modify one to make it look like this due to the position and size of the bridge pickup. I've seen this model a couple times in a couple of times- I have played one that was black. I do not know what the story behind them is, but it was definitely a temporary model that existed in the early Gibson days.

They also always strangely had the black painted headstock, which the Gibson-era basses didn't seem to usually get until a bit later in the series.

I thought the first Growlers also had black headstocks. Later they used natural headstocks, but also the electronics changed, I believe.

Anyone else who knows more about the above model with thunderbird pickups?