The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: uwe on August 29, 2011, 05:43:25 AM
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Yes, I know, it reads Tobias, but they are made by Gibson in Nashville and even listed on the official site as Gibson USA basses.
"One of the Most Resonant Basses in the World
One of Tobias’ main concepts from the very beginning was that all instruments are first and foremost an acoustic instrument. Over the years, the company’s experimentation with different combinations of tonewoods produced a wide variety instruments with distinctly different sonic and tonal qualities, and the new Tobias Growler from Gibson USA continues this honored tradition. Starting with its solid multi-piece swamp ash body, the Tobias Growler is one of the most resonant basses ever made by Gibson USA. Swamp ash tonewood is characterized by huge, open pores and soft layers, which gives each new Growler a deep reverberation and fullness of sound across the entire frequency spectrum. The Growler’s tone is unique, and it’s hard to match. The highs are clear and bell-like. The mids are bold and pronounced. And the lows are strong and definite.
Electronics and Controls Bring Out Its Diversity
The new 2009 Limited Run Series Tobias Growler from Gibson USA stands out, and it’s easy to hear why. It gets its power from one of the best bass pickups in the business – a quad-coil, 5-string bass pickup from Bartolini. This advanced design delivers an extended and more resonant frequency range, along with more air and definition at the top end without sacrificing its lows and low mids. The pickup is also cast in epoxy to effectively remove any unwanted feedback and microphonics. A separate pickup-blend control lets you sweep between all four of its coils for unlimited tonal possibilities. Additional controls include the customary volume knob, and separate bass, mid and treble controls. Together, the controls of the 2009 Limited Run Series Tobias Growler lets you choose between a boundless array of sonic alternatives, allowing you the ability to adapt to any playing environment.
Subtle Changes, Big Rewards
In most cases it’s best to leave perfection alone. But two key differences to the new 2009 Limited Run Series Tobias Growler make it one of the best basses in its class. First, Gibson USA improved the Growler’s truss rod by making it bi-directional. The new, fully adjustable “Quad Bass” truss rod allows players the ability to adjust the Growler’s neck in both directions, a feature that integrates well with probably its best overall enhancement – the Growler is the first Gibson bass to receive the revolutionary Plek system setup. The Plek is a German-made, computer controlled machine that carefully measures each fret, along with the fingerboard height under each string, and then automatically dresses each fret, virtually eliminating string buzz and greatly improving the overall playability of the bass. This pioneering process does in minutes what it takes a luthier several hours — sometimes even days — to accomplish. Every fret is accurately aligned, and the bass is properly intonated, leaving the instrument “Plek’d” and amazingly playable.
Precision Glued Neck Joint
Still another key feature of the new 2009 Limited Run Series Tobias Growler is the change from using a bolt-on neck to gluing it in place. As evident on many of Gibson’s most iconic models, gluing the 34”-scale length neck to the body of the Growler bass ensures an exact “wood-to-wood” contact, leaving no air space in the neck cavity and ensuring maximum contact between the neck and body. This allows the neck and body to function as a single unit, which results in better tone, longer sustain, and no loose or misaligned necks. The neck is constructed from pure maple with purple heart laminate for a creamy smooth feel and easy, comfortable playability. It is matched with a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard void of any inlay markers and no binding.
Tobias Tradition, Gibson Innovation
Everything about the 2009 Limited Run Series Tobias Growler breathes excellence. The rightful adherence to the quality and tradition set forth in the mid-1970s remains intact in every detail of today’s masterpiece. Just like the name Gibson represents more than a century of originality and superiority, the name Tobias guarantees quality and distinction, leaving no doubt that the bass in your hands is one of the finest in the world. The new 2009 Limited Run Series Tobias Growler from Gibson USA maintains this tradition. And like all the guitars from this special series, only 350 will be produced and distributed. Each one will come with a Tobias case and special Limited Run Series certificate of authenticity."
Having resigned myself to the fact/fate that I will never get my hands on a Continental V, I am now considering to obtain one of those:
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Bass/Gibson-USA/Tobias-Growler.aspx
(http://images.gibson.com/Files/d566ca62-f3e8-4452-92c8-0e3dcc23b912.jpg)
(http://images.gibson.com/Files/e697d018-6bd6-4b6d-84c5-b2c609f4f933.jpg)
(http://images.gibson.com/Files/49b0f371-6052-49ae-bba9-5a7173064ccc.jpg)
What makes this bass different from other Tobias Growlers both from the Michael Tobias and the (much derided among Tobiasites) Gibson (Gibson bought Tobias in the early nineties) era is the chrome hardware, the ABM bridge and the - a bow to Gibson tradition - set neck. (All other Tobias Growlers are bolt-on.)
So has ever anyone of you seen one of these in a shop or with one of the mailorder shops? The official Gibson site still lists them among Gibson USA basses, but that site is often hopelessly behind things. OTOH, I cannot believe that the market could have gobbled these up so quickly if really 350 were built. Tobias basses have their diehard fanbase, but 99% of them are only interested in the pre-Gibson takeover output. I've randomly checked ebay in the last few months, not once did one show up.
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Tobias Tradition, Gibson Innovation
Must be a typo.
I haven't seen any new Tobias for years. It's not something a Gibson dealer would normally order for store stock.
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Innovation? It looks like every other coffee table bass on the market.
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How did you miss this...?
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I didn't. I was just waiting for a convenient one to gobble up because I thought these things would sell like rabied pups and a cheap one would come up sooner or later. But I never saw one crop up anywhere, expensive or cheap.
I guess this is is the high grade version of Tobias' Stingray or ATK. It's not the first time that Gibson builds a bass from formally another brand. The Lee Sklar Sig was a Valley Arts (that boutique Fender kitchen Gibson bought) idea and kept the look of it too.
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Looks like Uwe has GAS.
And it is contagious, I never gave a thought to Tobias before but I like that bass.
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If you can time travel back to 1995, you'll probably find all you want.
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There used to be tons of Tobias basses around here since in those days Knoxville was still in the outlying regions of Nashville players' orbit and I can attest that there really is something almost almost intangible that makes pre-Gibbie models far superior. I remember the first time I played a post-Gibson model; I wasn't even aware of the change in manufacturing/ownership but I could tell that the instrument in my hands didn't feel like any of the Tobias basses I was used to, and not in a good way. The Gibson produced models aren't bad basses, but they have never recaptured whatever magic was in the old ones. To be fair, none of the MTD basses I have played have either, but I'm pretty sure the only ones of those I have encountered have been import models.
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Common sentiment seems to be that Tobias lost the boutique feel after the Gibson takeover and that the new stuff feels upmarket off-the-rack in comparison.
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I know this is "Bring out your dead", but...
1987 EXPLORER - boutique (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1987-PRE-GIBSON-TOBIAS-5-String-EXPLORER-Bass-Guitar-/190732163072?pt=Guitar&hash=item2c6885d800)
Pricey...
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Pricey ain't the word for it. That's ridiculously high.
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If you have GAS and don't know what to do, I'm really sporty for a Black Les Paul Oversized ;)
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That one's been on and off ebay for quite some time now. I just can't figure out why no one has bought it yet. ;)
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;D
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I have meanwhile learned from Gibson that the Tobias Growler 2009 Limited Run that started this thread was never built. The flood came when production should have started and they never bothered to return to that model once operations started again. Doesn't sound like a lot of orders then. :mrgreen:
And once again - following the sad Continental V affair - I have been deprived of a Gibson model, insult to injury, insult to injury ...
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If this had been built, it wouldn't really have been a Gibson, though I do understand why you wanted it.
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It wouldn't have been a Gibson by name only, Gibson would have built with a Tobias headstock. As they shortly after relegated Tobias to those Toby budget basses of their Epi line, Henry J probably didn't want to devalue the Gibson brand by having a Tobias built in Nashville.
Not that Gibson hasn't brought out enough basses since 2009!
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What really happened is that Gibson engineers were stumped trying to figure out how to put a three-point on it. :vader:
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What really happened is that Gibson engineers were stumped trying to figure out how to put a three-point on it. :vader:
It was combining the three-point with the Warwick tailpiece for the B string that was the killer. Gibson managed to design a bridge that couldn't be restrung without the aid of four other people and since the Alabama monkeys were all busy winding Les Paul guitar pickups, Henry just couldn't spare the manufacturing manpower to string them all up once built, so he had the bodies all routed into SG guitars and turned the necks into banjos and declared those Tobias basses a business loss on his taxes. The Feds confirmed this when SEAL Teams invaded the Gibson factory during the artifically-created flood they used as cover.
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It wouldn't have been a Gibson by name only, Gibson would have built with a Tobias headstock. As they shortly after relegated Tobias to those Toby budget basses of their Epi line, Henry J probably didn't want to devalue the Gibson brand by having a Tobias built in Nashville.
Not that Gibson hasn't brought out enough basses since 2009!
If they continue this trend you might have to rent another floor of your office building :P
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No prototype to search for? This is an insult to your collection, someone needs to be slapped!
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following the sad Continental V affair
Wanna fill me in?
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Wanna fill me in?
Seriously, you don't know...? :o (or are you intent on winding him up ;D)
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Wanna fill me in?
The Continental V (http://topguitars.info/guitars/view/185/196/default.html) was announced in 2005. It existed at least as a prototype, IIRC Uwe saw one at Musikmesse. Never made it into even limited production. Uwe has been sore about it ever since.
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Thanks, Dave.
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They robbed me of it. I had it in my hands ...
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Unbelievably, there are still web pages up for said beastie... :o
Continental V - oil fin... (http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/9356-gibson-continental-v-5-string-oil-finish-maple-neck.html)
and another one in Oz... (http://www.guitar.com.au/guitars/bass/gibson/BAC5.htm)
Here's another one... (http://topguitars.info/guitars/view/185/196/default.html)
and yet another... (http://www.yourshoppingnetwork.com/shop/product_view.asp?storeID=AVPBXMM3S0DQ8PB5BNW1PCB9FHPQ3GUC&menu=&seg=0&subtype=&subtypeid=0&c1=9&category=Guitars&subcategory=Bass+-+Electric&c2=78&pr=118098&priv=0)
Uwe... you need justice... :vader:
This one is a PDF on Gibson's own site!!! (http://www.gibson.com/Files/USA_PDFs/Data_ContinentalV_bass.pdf)
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Those store pages have been up all these years. AFAIK none of them even received a single one.
Maybe the problem was the Curly Maple center block. They should have gone with Shemp Rosewood or Moe Mahogany.
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Henry J is supposed to have been aghast when he saw it exclaiming "That's maybe a Tobias, but not a Gibson"! And sure enough, the product manager responsible for it was a former Tobias ececutive.
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Well you must admit it's more of a Tobias than it is a Gibson.
If Gibson wanted a part of the boutique bass market, they could have designed something that is both Gibson and boutique. Think Rickenbacker 4004.
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Personally, I think Uwe should sue Henry for mental cruelty, with that last page still being up, and maybe settle out of court with the prototype being delivered to ze Fatherland in lieu of damages...
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I like the way you think, Ken.
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Precision Glued Neck Joint
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Bass/Gibson-USA/Tobias-Growler.aspx
(http://images.gibson.com/Files/e697d018-6bd6-4b6d-84c5-b2c609f4f933.jpg)
What makes this bass different from other Tobias Growlers both from the Michael Tobias and the (much derided among Tobiasites) Gibson (Gibson bought Tobias in the early nineties) era is the chrome hardware, the ABM bridge and the - a bow to Gibson tradition - set neck. (All other Tobias Growlers are bolt-on.)
I'll bet there is no tenon on the neck and it is simply a non-drilled bolt-on that is glued in place. Probably just getting rid of a pile of old Growler necks that were made and sitting in a pile....or ONE extra neck, hence the lack of more of them to sell :)
Like those Gibson Epi's stamped "Official Gibson Prototype" I have, using old Grabber/G3 necks that they hacked off the lower body horn on to make a "new" model. Good drugs in that R&D department.
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I like the way you think, Ken.
The marthter hath taught me well...
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FPeM5DxPJLc/UDph5ioU8TI/AAAAAAAAIEw/dg9b9bhehas/s1600/William+Dieterle+~+Charles+Laughton+in+The+Hunchback+of+Notre+Dame,+1939+%5B2%5D.jpeg)
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I'll bet there is no tenon on the neck and it is simply a non-drilled bolt-on that is glued in place. Probably just getting rid of a pile of old Growler necks that were made and sitting in a pile....or ONE extra neck, hence the lack of more of them to sell :)
Like those Gibson Epi's stamped "Official Gibson Prototype" I have, using old Grabber/G3 necks that they hacked off the lower body horn on to make a "new" model. Good drugs in that R&D department.
I believe those did not even reach the prototype stage so that what we see on that pic might just be an old Growler with the neck screws photoshopped away. That is one thing were Gibson is strict: They don't male bolt-on basses. Even the reissues of former bolt-on basses such as G-3 and Grabber are set neck. It's been roughly 25 years since a bolt-on bass left Nashville, the one and only exception being the oddball Lee Sklar Signature bass which was originally a Valley Arts project and then abducted by Henry J into the Gibson CS.