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Why all the Tobias Growler Gibson Hate???

#21
T-MOST said:
{Quote} the tobias growler is as good as the musicman stingray or better.


Those are fighting words.
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Not fighting words. Lots of fans of musicman here (I an a fan also). What I meant with this thread is to find objective opinions. Its is only my opinion about a brand and a bass, very underated at this forum and in the market. I saw similar threads where some said Tobias growler price exeeds its quality. I really think the opposite!
 
#22
Papersen said:
I`ve played both extensively, so I`ll chime in.

First of all, Pre Gibson Tobias are in a different league. They`re similar to actual MTD basses, and were made by the man himself (Mike Tobias) till 1990. Quality and attention to detail were simply excellent (same with MTD´s today)

When Gibson bought the company, quality standards where all over the place. Attention to detail decreased dramatically and overseas production began years later.

I think that in a certain way you can compare them to Spector (not Lakland or G&L) where overseas (mainly Korea or China) production is a much lower version of their American counterparts.

However, USA Spectors are generally superb basses and USA Gibson Tobias are not. Why ?

Because their quality isn`t always even.
In terms of tone I prefer the Growler to the the Stingray. I find their preamps more versatile and the pickup has more variety of tones also.

I also prefer them in terms of playability. The asymetric neck profile suits much better my personal needs and slimmer, lighter body is perfect for me.

I agree that there are not many USA made basses in that price range, with those features.

However, Ernie Ball is highly regarded cause of its constant QC. You`ll find many people here who has played or owned many Stingrays over the years and swear that EB Stingrays are better built that Pre EB ones.

That`s something not so usual regarding Tobias basses.
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Great post as usual compañero!!
 
#23
i also have a tobias growler 5 string and a music man stingray 5.

i agree they are identical in quality (sound is different but good in both cases, feel is good in both too).

to each his own, for some gigs the tobias is better, for others the music man.. i like them both equally.
 
#25
I owned one for and I was happy to dump that thing. Let me see, where do I start with that nightmare bass??

The "pro shop" where I bought this bass did not care for it at all. Admittedly I was really young when I bought that bass and I didn't really know any better (too much $ in my pockets and not enough knowledge at that time).

Although it looked good, the frets were left sticking out past the edge of the fretboard (very dry board). The fret board was warped so bad, my luthier wanted to replace the neck, but Tobias told us they did not make that bass anymore, so I could not get a new neck to replace the twisted one. So much for a lifetime guarantee on the neck. After taking to an excellent luthier, it was all fixed up. They heat treated it, leveled out the board and refretted it.

When I finally did get it to sound and play good, it would just lose the setup too quickly. The LaBella Super Steps had a lot to do with the good tone and feel I got from this bass. It also picked up a lot of noise. I could never get it to stop buzzing.

If you are thinking Tobias, get MTD, forget Gibson Tobias.
 
#33
I now own a '96 Growler 5 string and an Ampeg SVT 7 Pro on an Avatar B212 bottom and do get that warmth. The ultra low button on the Ampeg is also a help in acheiving that true bottom end and smoothness.

I also own a Stingray 5 string and love the sound from it too, though they are both different sounding basses and I will say that if someone out-lawed owning more than one bass, I'd have to say I would choose the Tobias growler. I love the feel of the neck and the ease of playability. My Stingray is nice too, but the Growler (for me) is a bit nicer to play.
 
#34
I had a Growler 5 string for a little while. The tone sitting in my room was pretty good. But with a band I would get buried and easily forget about playing any low notes especially it would just disappear didnt matter what I did with the amp. I now have a Lakland and couldnt really be happier unless I wanted to spend 2500+ on a bass.
 
#35
ethompson2 said:
I had a Growler 5 string for a little while. The tone sitting in my room was pretty good. But with a band I would get buried and easily forget about playing any low notes especially it would just disappear didnt matter what I did with the amp. I now have a Lakland and couldnt really be happier unless I wanted to spend 2500+ on a bass.
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I really think the type of music you play matters. Yah, if you're in a heavy metal band, the Growler isn't the right bass. But for smooth jazz and other music types where all the members of the band aren't competing to be heard, the Growler is a great bass!

It's just like anything... using the right tool for any one job.

If I play in a hard rock band, I use the Stingray. But I also like playing smooth jazz and the Growler would be the choice. But I personally do play the Growler a bit better due to the asym neck design.
 
#36
Langueta said:
I don`t mind about what people say. If so, I wouldn t have a Tobias.

Interesting post

The "hate" you percieve is due to Gibson's poor handling of the Tobias name. Sure, most of the Gibson era Tobias basses are pretty decent mid-level instruments, just as good as Ernie Ball/Music Man, Fender, etc. But that's exactly the problem, too - the basses that Mike Tobias made himself before Gibson, and the ones he makes now (MTD) are absolutely, positively, without any doubt high-end instruments. The best of the best.

It's as if someone bought out Ferrari, then started producing cars that were comparable to a Camry with a prancing horse emblem on the hood. A Toyota Camry's a good car, hard to find fault with it, but it's not a Ferrari F430.

In other words, Gibson bought the brand and immediately downgraded it. The "hate" isn't necessarily for the basses themselves, but more for the company that compromised their specialness

This of information is very appreciated
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This is the best response i've read to this question yet, I often wondered myself why the Gibson Tobias basses were looked down on, I have a modded Tobias Renegade "gibson" I love the hell out of it and honestly I think it can give any bass out there a run for the money. Wouldnt mind trying an MTD Kingston zx bass though. I need one more bass and its either going to be this or A Fender American Deluxe Jazz.
 
#39
You used to hear a lot more about Growlers in the 90's. Not much as of late. I love the early models with dual mid switches. Amazing tonal varieties available. I don't totally understand why these basses get knocked. The Killer B's and Growlers really once had a lot of love.

I love the tone of this Growler in a live setting. Starting around 3:00 minutes you'll hear some nice thick growly tone.
 

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