Hey there,
Haven't been on or made a post in quite a while. No excuses other than simply avoiding GAS I suppose lol. For a while I have been content with my small stable of bass's. My American Standard P, my back up MIM P (with EMG Geezers) and an older Ibanez SR300 (the P/J config) which I never truly fell in love with. I decided to advertise the ibby for a possible trade and after a number of months someone came calling with an absolute mint condition Toby Deluxe IV.
I did some reading and found many "mixed" reviews on these guitars. So I decided to throw my 2 cents in here. Let's first put this bass into a realistic perspective. The Epiphone Toby Deluxe IV is an entry-level sub $400 dollar guitar, it is not a boutique Micheal Tobias Designed custom axe. So let's be realistic.
I was blown away by this guitar. First the look, it's a pretty sexy looking guitar which of course means nothing if it sucks. When I strapped it on I was shocked with the weight, light as a feather and very comfortable. Some of the frets were a little sharp (fairly easy fix), but that was the only issue I could see with the fit and finish. The neck was extremely comfortable and being a "short guy" the balance is incredible with easy reach to all frets.
Sound is certainly trebley (I agree with the reviews there), took a while to find an EQ that I was happy with but when I did, this bass sounded pretty solid. New stings (Chromes for me) and some tweaking to set it up for my preferences I took it to my next band rehearsal.
Played three hours with the band and this bass delivered the goods. My band mates were very impressed and could not believe how inexpensive this bass is. The boost from the tone expressor knob is very dramatic allowing for some nice growl and the sustain is exceptional.
I still love my Fender P's but this is a very nice playing and sounding guitar when I am in the mood for something a little different and when I want to rest my aching shoulders. If someone was looking for a first bass to learn with or very fun back up, I would highly recommend test driving one of these guitars. I like it so much I am keeping my eye open for a Trans Amber one
Haven't been on or made a post in quite a while. No excuses other than simply avoiding GAS I suppose lol. For a while I have been content with my small stable of bass's. My American Standard P, my back up MIM P (with EMG Geezers) and an older Ibanez SR300 (the P/J config) which I never truly fell in love with. I decided to advertise the ibby for a possible trade and after a number of months someone came calling with an absolute mint condition Toby Deluxe IV.
I did some reading and found many "mixed" reviews on these guitars. So I decided to throw my 2 cents in here. Let's first put this bass into a realistic perspective. The Epiphone Toby Deluxe IV is an entry-level sub $400 dollar guitar, it is not a boutique Micheal Tobias Designed custom axe. So let's be realistic.
I was blown away by this guitar. First the look, it's a pretty sexy looking guitar which of course means nothing if it sucks. When I strapped it on I was shocked with the weight, light as a feather and very comfortable. Some of the frets were a little sharp (fairly easy fix), but that was the only issue I could see with the fit and finish. The neck was extremely comfortable and being a "short guy" the balance is incredible with easy reach to all frets.
Sound is certainly trebley (I agree with the reviews there), took a while to find an EQ that I was happy with but when I did, this bass sounded pretty solid. New stings (Chromes for me) and some tweaking to set it up for my preferences I took it to my next band rehearsal.
Played three hours with the band and this bass delivered the goods. My band mates were very impressed and could not believe how inexpensive this bass is. The boost from the tone expressor knob is very dramatic allowing for some nice growl and the sustain is exceptional.
I still love my Fender P's but this is a very nice playing and sounding guitar when I am in the mood for something a little different and when I want to rest my aching shoulders. If someone was looking for a first bass to learn with or very fun back up, I would highly recommend test driving one of these guitars. I like it so much I am keeping my eye open for a Trans Amber one
