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I tried one of those in a store and was less than impressed with all aspects of it. That said, I do remember the output to be substantial, so yes, I'd recommend going through the wiring.
I think the Ibby necks are some of the thinnest, so I'm not surprised that the Toby feels a bit bigger. The Ibanez nut width is 1.61 inch, while the Toby is 1.68 inch. Both have the same 12" fretboard radius. It certainly isn't anything like a P-bass neck, though.
I think the Ibby necks are some of the thinnest, so I'm not surprised that the Toby feels a bit bigger. The Ibanez nut width is 1.61 inch, while the Toby is 1.68 inch. Both have the same 12" fretboard radius. It certainly isn't anything like a P-bass neck, though.
YAY!!
these necks are one of the prime features of the Toby, and I'd guess the vol. is ok but indeed less than your Micro, my Std. IV has quite decent oomph especially with the bass boost maxed but I have many passive basses which overpower it.
I played a Soundgear for many years and currently have a Toby that I converted into a fretless. To this day I haven't played a neck as slim as that Ibanez. Keep practicing, you'll get used to it (first couple of weeks you'll cramp, then you'll get over it).
As for the volume, I think the Tobys are decent basses and a really good value, but I'd say the one thing I really dislike about them is the electronics. I swapped the pickups on mine out and am much happier. Improved both volume and tone by a mile.
As for the volume, I think the Tobys are decent basses and a really good value, but I'd say the one thing I really dislike about them is the electronics. I swapped the pickups on mine out and am much happier. Improved both volume and tone by a mile.
I've contemplating getting one of these Toby's and doing just that, as a backup. What pickups and electronics did you put in, and was it worth the investment vs buying some other make/model?
Great players. I recently bought one at a garage sale dirt cheap and put some Nordstrand Big Blade singles in it.
Another issue I've found is the bridge. The action keeps dropping 'cause of the poor quality of the screws it seems. Replacing it this weekend.
To be clear, are you thinking of converting it to fretless or just swapping the pickups and having it as a backup? If it's the latter then yes, I think it's definitely a worthwhile investment. These basses can be found for as little as $100 (GC used section) and are playable as is (if you can deal with the stock tone, which I found irritating). I got a pair of Geddy passives for $70 and just swapped them out. One thing to note, the Toby pickups are both the same size as the bridge pickup of a J set. So if you get one of the sets that has the smaller neck pickup it's going to be a very tight fit and may not fit at all if you like super low action.
If you're thinking of converting it to a fretless that's less clear. I wanted the experience of defretting a bass and I had a very specific look in mind that I was able to achieve by going this route. I've probably spent just as much on tools/materials as what I paid for the bass, but the experience has been invaluable and I have a really unique looking fretless that I love to play now.
the electronics on the Std. IV is different than Dlx. and oddly the Dlx. gets a bad rap for noise etc. but the Std. has it's own unique sound and I've kept mine original for that reason. I'd like another to mod / experiment with.
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I got this Toby Deluxe for my wife and it's a great player, but sounds thin and hi-fi'ish, don't like the tone at all. The EQ can mitigate this to some point, but the timbre itself has no balls at all, I'll probably get a couple of J sets from AliExpress and experiment with it, my feeling is anything is better than these pickups. Hissing is not an issue really, unless you're maxing the highs, which I've never done. The asym profiled neck in this bass is great, very stable and allowed for ultra low action out of the box.
I'd try upgrading the wiring before the PUs which I think are pretty good.
I'll definitely bypass the electronics and check those pickups out before deciding on any change. So far it sounds too "kensmithy" for me (I know, might be a quality to most, but I find the Ken Smith sound terribly generic, same with many other boutique basses).
I agree with this. I think the stock pickups sound nasal in the mid/treble and have disappointing lack of bass. There was no amount of EQ that could resolve that, that's why I swapped the pickups.
I bought the standard iv because I'm not a fan of any hiss or noise that (might) come out of the deluxe model - not sure if that is the case. So far this bass sounds very noiseless and clean and after 2 days I think it may be a keeper. The slightly wider nut size wigs be out a bit, but I'm just going to get over it. By the way it's a white one, it just has a killer look.
I like the pickup selector knob, but one thing I think is questionable is a treble and bass knob - just a single tone knob would have been ok.
I like the pickup selector knob, but one thing I think is questionable is a treble and bass knob - just a single tone knob would have been ok.
their look is what first grabbed me, for a simple design they nailed it. I found the knobs to all have great range and use, even minimal settings offer some benefits, that's how I found an Alembic sound!