bkman42 Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Hi, I have a Gibson (90's model) Tobias Killer B 5 bass in transparent Green Finish (Really gorgeous finish) my question is before i put on ebay what is a good starting price for such a bass? I bought it from the U.S back in 2003 for £1200. I know the Tobias Models are big in the U.S. but not sure about the U.K. market? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_of_the_bass Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Not really an expert on Tobias stuff (excellent basses) but they appear on Ebay at around an £850 starting price. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 There's a Mike Tobias Designs (MTD) 5 string up there at the moment that hasn' sold yet at £699 but the Tobias brand name is more well known than the MTDs, so you'd probably do better with yours.. I had a Tobias Classic 5 years ago and it was a fabulous bass so if that's anything to go by, the Killer B you have is probably a really nice bass! Good luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkman42 Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 Think £699 would be a good starting price on ebay? Looking for round the £700 mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkman42 Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 [attachment=9963:toby.jpg]Think £699 would be a good starting price on ebay? Looking for round the £700 mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) I bought a mint walnut Gibson Era Killer B 5 for £620 last year from eBay. It wasn't very nice to play at all I'm afraid to say - B was definitely no Killer and the fit and finish looked a little cheap up close. Judging by the info from "that American Bass Site" Gibson Tobias seem to vary massively in quality - some are just great, others are really poor. It also depends on the body wood - the best ones have a swamp ash body as it sounds really tight and growly. You'll know if it is swamp ash as it'll be very light (my walnut one was [i]heavy[/i]). If it looks/plays/sounds great then you could get £700-£800 but I doubt you'd get much more - people who like Tobias generally crave the pre-Gibson models, or at least the better made (i.e. Classic to Signature) Gibsons. Good luck with the sale! Edit: body looks like maple - fingerboard looks wicked - what the hell, whack it up at £700 as someone may well take it Edited June 23, 2008 by XB26354 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='224989' date='Jun 23 2008, 01:24 PM']There's a Mike Tobias Designs (MTD) 5 string up there at the moment that hasn' sold yet at £699 but the Tobias brand name is more well known than the MTDs, so you'd probably do better with yours.. I had a Tobias Classic 5 years ago and it was a fabulous bass so if that's anything to go by, the Killer B you have is probably a really nice bass! Good luck with it![/quote] That is a Z series - they're Korean-made to MTD specs and as such should be inferior to bkman42's US made Killer B (with bart soapbars and I believe 3-band Bart eq). It has been on eBay for months - I don't think anyone is going to buy a $1200 bass secondhand for £700 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) [quote name='bkman42' post='225334' date='Jun 23 2008, 08:20 PM'][attachment=9963:toby.jpg]Think £699 would be a good starting price on ebay? Looking for round the £700 mark[/quote] I think £700 is a good starting price for that. And may i just say that's an AMAZING looking bass there! XB, you forget that what costs $1200 over in america, generally will cost about £1200 over here. Edited June 23, 2008 by budget bassist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 [quote name='budget bassist' post='225390' date='Jun 23 2008, 08:29 PM']I think £700 is a good starting price for that. And may i just say that's an AMAZING looking bass there! XB, you forget that what costs $1200 over in america, generally will cost about £1200 over here.[/quote] Not these days. A $1200 bass, at current exchange rates, including carriage costs, import duty, Customs fee and courier clearance fee, a little over £800. Based on my experiences from March and May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Which is why no-one has bid on that Z6 in months... No, that is a really tasty looking Killer B, looks like an older one too so you may well get more than your reserve. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 [quote name='XB26354' post='225355' date='Jun 23 2008, 08:44 PM']That is a Z series - they're Korean-made to MTD specs and as such should be inferior to bkman42's US made Killer B (with bart soapbars and I believe 3-band Bart eq). It has been on eBay for months - I don't think anyone is going to buy a $1200 bass secondhand for £700 [/quote] That's true, the USA made Tobias Killer B should be a 'superior' bass to the MTD. But with the MTD range, Mike Tobias made a few design changes that I think make the MTDs seriously good basses for the money. Firstly, the string spacing on the MTDs is wider than the Tobias models (I think), at 19mm. Secondly, the Buzz Feinten tuning system is great. And thirdly, the asymmetrical neck profile (not sure if the Killer B has that?) makes the neck really comfortable and easy to play! Having said all that, the early Tobias basses are very, very good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I'm pretty sure the current gibson tobias' have the assymetrical necks, my toby pro does. Also The string spacing thing is subjective. I like a closer string spacing on a bass like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='225518' date='Jun 23 2008, 11:30 PM']That's true, the USA made Tobias Killer B should be a 'superior' bass to the MTD. But with the MTD range, Mike Tobias made a few design changes that I think make the MTDs seriously good basses for the money. Firstly, the string spacing on the MTDs is wider than the Tobias models (I think), at 19mm. Secondly, the Buzz Feinten tuning system is great. And thirdly, the asymmetrical neck profile (not sure if the Killer B has that?) makes the neck really comfortable and easy to play! Having said all that, the early Tobias basses are very, very good...[/quote] You're right in that they're very decent basses for what is c. £800 new. Michael Tobias has been shopping various budget models around for years - the Bass Centre Stadiums were Tobias-designed. The asymmetrical neck has been on all Tobias and MTD flavours. I'd be a bit hesitant about the pickups and electronics on the Z series though - they appear to be no-name Korean-made, which usually equates to weak output and somewhat ordinary tone. I know not everyone is a fan of Bartolini but I'd expect this Killer B to sound pretty hot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 oh my lord that is STUNNING Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkman42 Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share Posted July 1, 2008 Now on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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