This is the second Tobias tone sample I have come across lately. It is striking that it is in the same tone family as Ken Smith even though its soap bars are in a location more like a Jazz Bass.
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.
Tobias Tone
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
This is the second Tobias tone sample I have come across lately. It is striking that it is in the same tone family as Ken Smith even though its soap bars are in a location more like a Jazz Bass.
Pretty versatile bass. I've always liked his aesthetic... nice to know the tone is there, too. Barts?
Ya, Tobias, Ken Smith, and Spector all started around the same time and had similar but different ideas how to bring that Alembic active vibe to the party without as much money and fuss. Tobias basses were pretty popular in Orlando because Michael started here, then realized he hated it and hightailed it. Done pretty good for himself, he did.
They are versatile. I own two and the maple body on one
has a brighter tone than the Alder one.
Nice work on this video although he chose to spank the plank
instead of fingers and even a pick. Yes, they sond good with a pick.
has a brighter tone than the Alder one.
Nice work on this video although he chose to spank the plank
instead of fingers and even a pick. Yes, they sond good with a pick.
My main 6 string was a fretless one of these. Horrible ergos and the plastic inserts in the slots in the fingerboard started popping out after a while. Hated the bass, which was fortunately stolen out of my house some years ago, thank god. but I loved the Barts. Very clean hifi tone….
L
L
This is a Gibson era Tobias. Since it has the push/pull volume pot it’s a Bart NTMB preamp. The push/pull is a “slap contour” (otherwise known as the “tone suck switch”) that scoops mids. Also, different Bart pickups than those used prior to Mike Tobias selling the company when he and his team were actually building the basses. Preamp was the Bart TCT in the Mike Tobias era (serial numbers 2044 and under). This one in the video is quite a different animal than Mike’s builds.
When I think of Tobias tone, the first thing that comes to mind is Wishful Thinking and Jerry Watts.
