What happened to Tobias Basses???

[bste9]

Obviously the OP has the two companies/brands confused. At any rate, I have one of the Tobias Toby Pro5s. I actually really like it, it has a lot of features that you can't find at that price. Solid maple body, 5 piece maple/walnut I believe neck through construction and its very comfortable and looks killer too. The weak points are the hardware and electronics. I upgraded the pre to a Bartolini and it made a huge difference. Maybe one day I will upgrade the pups, but for $500 I am happy with it.

 

[burgerdj]

This thread is becoming a cautionary tale on the value of brand protection.

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

I bought a used MTD Super 4 last year. It's fantastic. For a double humbucker bass, it has my favorite single coil growl - better than my 4 other versions of a jazz bass. Thank you micro switches.

 

[jTrolt]

Yep. You're confusing the bolt-on, flat- slab bodies of the high production low dollar Tobias made by Epi-Gibson or whatever they call themselves this week. Unimpressive, to be certain. It's also over 15 years ago, and what's left are now strictly used.
Show me a crappy bass with the MTD logo on it.

Today the man in the brown truck is bringing me a MTD CRB 5 I got a deal on for $300

Congrats, but this is an anomoly. You will not find an MTD new in a guitar shop for $300, which is more to the point of discussion here. (And yes, jealous!)

OP: closest thing you could find to your request was fulfilled, yet again, closer to 20 years ago. At that time, I purchased a neck-through, active EQ Toby Pro5 from MusicYo.com for somewhere in the $600 range. Respectable, gig-able instrument. Made money for several years using it. However, I recently upgraded to a KZX-5, and other than sentimental value, I no longer play the old TobyPro. The Kingstons completely blow it away with all the advancements packed into Michael's current batch of imported MTD's.

So - I do actually have what you're looking for, you're just a decade or two behind, and my wife* is not totally convinced I should sell it, based on sentimental value.
(*surprise!)

 

[red_rhino]

The Kingstons completely blow it away with all the advancements packed into Michael's current batch of imported MTD's.

Even the Kingston line has evolved and improved substantially since it was introduced. The current offerings are really impressive, and MTD offers pickup/preamp upgrades to the Super 4's & 5's to bring them to USA-build specs.

 

[BrotherRay]

What happened to Tobias basses?
The same thing that happens to any product Gibson buys

 

[Deleted member 96522]

I read the MTD history at the MTD website, and a few things become apparent. Firstly, Michael and crew became overwhelmed by the sudden popularity and demand for their pre-Gibson Tobias instruments. Secondly, not long after he sold the brand Michael realized what many Gibson loyalists were already painfully aware of at that time: That Gibson had morphed into their own version of CBS-era Fender, more focused on promoting the brand name to make $$$ rather than upholding the standards of excellence that made the instruments so popular in the first place. Thirdly, I believe Michael discovered too late the importance of protecting one's 'name', because the name had value based on its reputation alone. Because of his skills as a master luthier, Michael was able to reinvent himself through the hugely successful launch of his MTD instruments. But a top shelf MTD is still nothing like one of those pre-Gibson neck-thru Tobias basses. Those SOCAL instruments had a certain spirit to them (a 'chi' if you will), which is why I believe they became so popular so fast. Kinda of a sad end to be honest...

 

[The Other Tom]

I love my ‘00’s cheapass Toby Standard !
It was friggin $199 (on sale), WITH a poopy Epiphone amp, cord, strap, and bag.

I don’t have any bread for a nice instrument, but this was a big step up from my U-bass.

I still look around at dirt cheap instruments, and this Toby kicks all their asses. I could sell this used one, for more than it cost.

I took this ragtag, fretbuzzy, crappy Chinese factory made bass to a random small town music shop (the only one in two towns), and I got that Toby SET UP, and loved on by an old ass bass player. New flats.

O.M.G.


It played like a totally different bass. Like a nice one.
So sweet.
I was amazed.

Now, I can really appreciate the beautiful maple neck, with the unique shape. Nice clean fretboard. It’s lightweight. Tobias PJ pickups that sound good enough to me. I totally get the tone I want. I Set the knobs and mostly leave them alone, run it through a new Rumble 20, and it sounds freaking great!

The set up totally changed the game. I could not believe how differently the cheapest Toby played.

I can’t let folks call it a dog without mentioning, it’s a good dog, if you treat it right.
Man’s best friend.

 

[dje31]

This thread is becoming a cautionary tale on the value of brand protection.

That's the problem with using your surname for the company name. If you sell off and they retain the name, your own reputation can be tarnished in perpetuity by the acquiring company. Mike's not the first, or last, to whom that occurred. But you don't think about that when you start a company, selling it off later.

When I started my consulting company back in the 90s, I used my name because people in my industry knew me. I never sold it off to anyone when I spun it down, so I didn't have that problem.

That said, Mike is doing great, as is MTD. Those who know, know.