Tobias Toby PRO-5

Direct from MusicYo, on sale $449.

The guitar's looks are to die for. I've played a lot of instruments over the years and this has an appearance that simply gets attention. But how does it play? The neck was close to perfect right out of the box, I added a little relief and it was right on. I like a very low action and this puppy has it. The frets were very even and well finished. The sound with the stock strings was very bring and full, a bit too bright for my taste. A set of half rounds corrected that for me. With the active pickups, there is a lot of tonal variation available though it's hard to quickly dial in what you're looking for sonically. People have complained about low output and I don't find that to be the case into my Ampeg combo amp. Into an old Deluxe Reverb (a '67), output is a problem which makes me suspect a high output impedence on the Pro-5; this would explain the variability of output. I was looking for a new bass for several months and ordered a Toby 6 string on a whim. The 6 was not for me and I returned it for the 5 and found a bass that was comfortable from the first note. MusicYo was great about the return. I'm used to a passive J-bass and the Pro-5 a very nice, low cost way to get into a modern bass design. Frankly, this was nicer player than a '75 Reissue J-bass I tried and a third the price, I also thought it was the equal of a $1000 Ibanez 5 string I almost bought.

It's tough to quickly dial in a particular sound. No hardshell case available from MusicYo. Still hunting for one.

Construction is quite good. Everything fit and worked properly. I would like a more secure holder for the battery has it had slid out of its holder in transport. On the positive side, the battery compartment has threaded inserts so they should last. There were a few very minor fit and finish issues, a nicked bit of lacquer on the headstock and a few very small fills on the rosewood fingerboard. Nothing that affects playability and you have to hunt to find them. Structurally, the Toby Pro-5 feels very solid and should last a long time.

I was expecting to have to spend well in excess of $1K to find a good guitar, I can't believe I found something so good for $500. This instrument is value, value, value.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Music Yo $589 Had a Toby Pro 4, but wanted a 5 string bass. Often available for less on ebay.

The neck (neck-thru) is wonderful. It is very smooth and a joy to play. Also, the Toby Pro 4 had no string rattling like other basses I had played. The Pro 5 has none either. The neck on the Pro 5 is not much wider than the smaller Pro 4. Tone is also good and versitile. The body is comfortable and beautiful to look at (natural satin finish) I have had it for 18 months and still love to pick it up everytime.

Body is slightly clubbier than the Pro 4. I suppose it has to be. Standard Tobias pick ups not quite as responsive as the Bartiloni upgrades on my Toby 4.

Quality of what I believe is Korean construction is excellent. BUT, I had to get a 2nd unit as the first one I got from Music Yo could not set its intonation precisely enough to be satisfactory. Music Yo was very good about replacing it.

I had bought a used Toby Pro 4 and loved it. I tried a 5 string DeArmond, liked the 5th string but didn't like the low string rattle, so I thought I get a Toby Pro 5. It was everything I expected, once I got one that was acceptable. For the price I have played nothing even close in quality, feel and sound.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com