Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	J Kranz
Experience	28 years
Review date	May 27 2002
Manufacturer	Tobias
Model	Killer B
Price	$660 (used)
Item owned for	1-6 months

Bass type	6 string fretted
Neck join	Bolt-On
Neck construction	5 Piece, Maple/Purpleheart
Fingerboard	Pao Ferro, 24 fret, 34"
Body	Swamp Ash
Finish	Tung oil
Pickups	Bartolini soapbars
Hardware	Tobias hardware, blk
Electronics	Stock 9v Bart, eq on/off switch

Originally looking for a 5 string, I stumbled upon this 6 string @ a local music store. It originally had a poly black finish which was dinged up pretty bad. I was surprised when stripping the paint revealed a beautiful piece of swamp ash--a testament to the quality of Tobias; so it was decided to refinish it w/pure tung oil. I expected a less than spectacular quality of wood "hidden" under the paint. The pickups/electronics are quiet in the noise dept. It gets a great natural tone w/ the eq switch off, eq on is used only when a certain sound style is required. The neck is incredible--very easy to play and doesn't have markers to hide the choice piece of pao-ferro. The action can be adjusted very low (below 3/32)if desired. The 34" scale is okay if the right strings are used. MTD (exposed .135) are used and they work great, but be careful winding the B--the tuner is pretty close to the nut and may crack the string winding. The nut slot for the B should be widened to accommodate this string. The bridge is a "Tobias" bridge (different from the later Gibson models) and will buzz if not adjusted properly. I'm satisfied with the construction. Everything seems to fit well. Little things like metal anchors for the neck and cavity cover screws would make it better. The guitar is perfectly balanced; when its suspended by the strap, there is no diving. The body is very light and comfortable. No laminated woods on the body. This bass was made in 1993; consequently, finding info is confined to your ambition to hunt it down. Gibson has some info on their site.

Construction	90%
(Screw holes for control cavity will wear out)
Appearance	95%
(No frills, beautiful fingerboard)
Playability	100%
(Can't ask for anything more)
Sound	98%
(Resonates well, especially in the mids)
Value	100%
(a good value with a little work)
Overall	98%
(I'd never be able to afford a new bass of this quality)