How Michael Tobias Quietly Rewired the Modern Bass Guitar

I need to watch this.

I still have a rare Japanese Toby Pro sitting in my closet that I need to bring back to life. Tobias basses are fantastic, and it's a fucking shame what Gibson did to that brand.
 
BeZo said:
I need to watch this.

I still have a rare Japanese Toby Pro sitting in my closet that I need to bring back to life. Tobias basses are fantastic, and it's a fucking shame what Gibson did to that brand.
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They've recently restarted the brand. That's all I know at present.
 
JohnnyGtar said:
They've recently restarted the brand. That's all I know at present.
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Gibson wiped their ass with that brand. They still do the custom shop (to my knowledge), but the Toby Pro basses are garbage. They ruined everything that was great about Tobias with that line.
 
Yeah and Korg bought Spector and turned some of the best basses on the planet into mass produced garbage.
 
A guy I used to jam with had a green Renegade 4 string...perhaps the best playing and sounding bass I have ever played. Also had a killer Growler V.
 
Floyd Eye said:
Yeah and Korg bought Spector and turned some of the best basses on the planet into mass produced garbage.
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I didn't notice any drop in quality after Stuart Spector retired, because they were already working with Korg for distribution before that. Spector basses still have the same quality they always have, just with new trendy features like fanned frets and whatnot.

What made Tobias basses great was the neck profile. They have an asymmetrical neck profile that is fatter on the low string side and thinner on the high side. It's super comfortable to play. First thing Gibson did is make the Toby Pro bass in Korea instead of Japan, and they used the Gibson neck profile on them for economy. They were still nice, but not as good as the real thing. Now, a Toby Pro is a joke. It's a junk ass bolt on with cheap components. It's so far removed from what they used to be.
 
BeZo said:
I didn't notice any drop in quality after Stuart Spector retired, because they were already working with Korg for distribution before that. Spector basses still have the same quality they always have, just with new trendy features like fanned frets and whatnot.

What made Tobias basses great was the neck profile. They have an asymmetrical neck profile that is fatter on the low string side and thinner on the high side. It's super comfortable to play. First thing Gibson did is make the Toby Pro bass in Korea instead of Japan, and they used the Gibson neck profile on them for economy. They were still nice, but not as good as the real thing. Now, a Toby Pro is a joke. It's a junk ass bolt on with cheap components. It's so far removed from what they used to be.
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Hmm. I played a US made Korg/Spector NS just the other week and frankly my Czech made Spector smokes it in every way that matters. 💁‍♂️

Are the same guys still making them in the same converted space in Woodstock NY ?
 
Floyd Eye said:
Hmm. I played a US made Korg/Spector NS just the other week and frankly my Czech made Spector smokes it in every way that matters. 💁‍♂️

Are the same guys still making them in the same converted space in Woodstock NY ?
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Yeah, I thought that when I got mine, and I have Spector's signatures on them. There was never was much difference in quality between a custom shop and a Euro, because they both use the same neck blank and are both made to the same standards. It speaks more to the quality of the Euro series than a lack of quality from a USA bass. The only real difference is in the custom specs and colors. The Euro I played recently is every bit as good as my USA basses, but mine are solid flamed maple wings (and one is fretless).

Comparing my NS2000 that I've gigged with for decades to the Ethos is still pretty comparable.
 
BeZo said:
Yeah, I thought that when I got mine, and I have Spector's signatures on them. There was never was much difference in quality between a custom shop and a Euro, because they both use the same neck blank and are both made to the same standards. It speaks more to the quality of the Euro series than a lack of quality from a USA bass. The only real difference is in the custom specs and colors. The Euro I played recently is every bit as good as my USA basses, but mine are solid flamed maple wings (and one is fretless).

Comparing my NS2000 that I've gigged with for decades to the Ethos is still pretty comparable.
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I got the Mike Starr bass with the Tone Pump.
 
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