4 string

The 4 string had a natural finish over a wood I believe was swamp ash. It was rather nice looking, except for some streaks and marks in the wood. The 3 piece neck was nice looking, and I love the Tobias headstock. The finish was decent.

Looking at the neck joint, I noticed there was a visible gap. Not exactly desirable for a $1000 instrument. Otherwise, construction was decent.

Playability was good. The 4 string slapped well, and the action was nice and low. The bridge & tuners were decent. The knobs were of the now-becoming-typical plastic variety, which I don't much like, but the pots underneath were of good quality.

The Tobias Growler, though, comes down to one thing: tone.

The Bartolini triple coil pickup, along with whatever EQ was on-board had tremendous, beautiful tone. What struck me instantly when I began playing this bass was that rich tone was right there. It turns out that one of the 3 way switches went from "clear, piano-like slap tone" to "all purpose sweet tone" to "fat like Albert fingerstyle tone". In fact, only after searching could I find a tone I did not like. Very versatile tone, with butt-shaking low end.

5 string

My review of the 5 string is as for the 4 string, with the following exceptions. The low B string is as tight as most I've played. The sound of the B also fares well against the competition. Sound is balanced from B to G. The 5 string, however, did not seem to be as terrific a slapping bass as the 4. The right hand feel was not there, and the sound was not as tight and focused.

In summary, if you want tons of great sound, and like the Tobias look, definately check into the Growler in the $1000 and under price range.

Construction	85%
Playability	93%
Appearance	90%
Sound	100%
Value	95%
Overall	93%