Tobias Signature 5 String Bass. 1990 Catalog Bass. Unique 1 of a Kind. Bubinga-Wenge

This is the Signature 5 bass pictured in the Tobias catalogs from 1990 in Burbank to 1993 in Nashville. Notice the unique figure at the ninth fret.

It was completed in Jan. 1990.  I was a Tobias dealer and I bought it directly from Mike Tobias in 1991.  They were still in Burbank then.  At that time he told me it was previously a fretless owned by Keith Jones. Keith eventually traded it back to Mike, who fretted the bass. After fretting, it was used for the catalog shoot in 1990.

I have a set of duplicate 5 color negatives (transparencies) (14.25" X 11.5") from the California ad company "Chromatic" that did the photo shoot.  I also have the full size color key, a negative outline, and a VELOX of the Sig 5 that came with the negs.  I also have the faxed invoice for the negs sent to me by Rawn R. at Tobias for $225.00, dated 11-05-1992.
These will be included for the new owner and an original 1991 catalog with the bass pictured.

Some of the unique features of this particular instrument are:

A brass nut from the factory, visible in the catalog pic.
Purple heart wood caps on the front and back of the headstock, a one of a kind feature unique to this instrument.
The active-passive switch is wired active-midrange bump on the bridge pup. Also unique to this bass. Very useful on a fretless, but handy on a fretted too.

This bass has been played and shows no significant wear except for the finish swirling on the face and back from being played lovingly. It would buff out to mint if you choose.

It sounds killer and this particular wood combination, Wenge/Purple Heart 9 piece neck,  Bubinga body with a Wenge tone plate, "gives the best low end articulation, strong mids, and a treble that is sharp, but not as bright as a maple neck bass."

I just compared this side by side with a couple of my favorite Fender active 5s. The sound is huge, tight and punchy. Or thin, bright and pretty. Twangy or thumpy, the low end is enormous, the mids can be aggressive or polite. The top end can go from tinkly to nonexistent.

The Bartolini setup can do anything. But the bottom line is WOW!

Each band of the 3 band eq is active. So when you back it all the way off, the eq is out of the circuit. Turn all 3 bands off, you get no sound. As you dial them back in you have total control of each band. Also the bands are somewhat interactive, so the subtlety of the eq is extremely varied.

The mid switch is on top of whatever tone you dial in. In the up position it is relatively 'flat'. In the down position it has a midrange bump, but only on the bridge pickup. So with the bump 'on', you can blend it in or out by using the pan pot. This is not a feature available on other vintage Tobias basses. It must be one of Bill Bartolini's custom tweaks.

I've had Bill draw complex circuit modifications on the back of 8x10 envelopes at the NAMM show, totally from his mind, when I asked him how to tweak a particular Bartolini circuit for a slightly different sound! Brilliant man.

The clear finish is slightly cloudy in some spots, but is solid and not lifting. Typical of Bubinga and Wenge with clear coats.

The neck is Mike's assymetrical design, fatter on the bass side, and thinner on the treble side. The most ergonomic design out there. Super fast and comfy.  I took my bass to Alembic in the early 90s so that they could copy the neck profile for the new bass they built me. Wish I still had that one!

You will see a picture of the neck side dots taken in bright sunlight to show how the original fretless dots were filled in at the Tobias shop. There is some clouding of the finish around these dots, but the finish is smooth to the touch, no lifting. It looks much worse in the pic than in real life.  In fact this pic is overly harsh! In real light you can't even see these dots or the clouds. I just wanted to make sure it was mentioned.

This has been my #1 bass since the day I received it in 1991. It's time to pass it on. If it doesn't sell, I won't really mind. I'm just not playing anymore, so treat yourself to one of the finest 5 strings available. A rare custom California Tobias! No wonder it was the catalog bass.

It comes with the original Tobias hardshell case. Mint, I always used a gig bag.

Worldwide shipping may be a possibility, but the shipping carton will be too big for some countries. Please inquire.