Tobias Review: Standard 4 String Fretless

History:

Purchase: Music-Go-Round in Antioch, Tn. used for roughly $575.00. Wanted a fretless, and was interested in Tobias basses, so I couldn't pass on this one.

What I Like About This Tobias Standard 4 String Fretless: An excellent fretless bass!!! This is an older one made in '92, which is not pre-Gibson, but is pre-Nashville. It was sawed out in Japan, then shipped to Burbank, Ca. to be finished, assembled, and set up by Michael Tobias himself, and the rest of his ten-man shop. It is one of 400 total basses built this way. I have felt very fortunate to have found this bass. It is what I wanted in every way. Assymetrical neck-through construction, Bartolini humbuckers, three-band EQ, made of flamed maple and deep-grained ash. The perfect compliment to my Stingray, it is the mellow to my grind. Jaco tones for days. Also gets that tone from Pink Floyd's "Hey You" and Paul Young's "Everytime You Go Away" (Pino Palladino on bass).

What I Do NOT Like About The Tobias Standard 4 String Fretless: Nothing. I love everything about it. This must be a trick question or something.....

Tobias Standard 4 String Fretless Quality Rating: All top notch! Finish is thick, pickups are firm, neck is perfect, tone is superb. It has the attack of a fretted when using roundwounds, until you hit that growly "G" or slide up to "E" a few times, then those in the audience who know the difference, quickly recognise it is a fretless bass.

Review Summary: If you can find one, BUY IT!!! Fretless or not, I wouldn't own anything else but my Tobias and my Stingray. And if you have both like me, you couldn't ask for anything more.

Rating of this Tobias product: 5

This Tobias Standard 4 String Fretless Bass Guitars Review Submitted By: wademanthebassman

Review Date: 2002-08-12