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
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.
