MTD Shop Visit - Talking BASS with Michael Tobias and MORE! - LowEndLobster On Location 

Gouche heh heh heh

Could not agree more ! Mike is as good a they get in the industry as a builder and ethical businessman. Great to see family tradition continued. Also another family builder F Bass George/ Marcel equally have ethics and decency. Add on Keith Roscoe. Great to see this vide of the master, Micheal Tobias.

XD couldn't have done it without you! Thanks ;P

Thanks BP and congrats! I may have done something... similar.... (let's just say the thumbnail picture was taken here and not at MTD).... and I am right there with you. A USA Super 5 has never looked so tempting.

Stu lives right around the corner actually! He sold the brand to Korg somewhat recently, but I do plan on going back and doing a proper sit down interview with both Stu and Mike (with better audio!)

@@LowEndLobster I got a Korean Spector last year and since then I’ve been drooling over the American builds. They are such amazing designs and tone for days.

Thank you! The Tobias dudes are some of the best in the industry and their character absolutely reflects on the instruments they make

Thanks dude! Yeah mine too now!

Thanks Philip!

Thank you for the tip! I'll keep my eyes peeled!

@@LowEndLobster You'll soon be doing lobster sweeps on your asymmetrical neck like Bubby Lewis! Welcome to the cult! Mtd4life!

There’s a nice one for sale right now (November, 2022) on talkbass classifieds for a good price . Tried posting a link here but I’m not seeing it. Make it happen, Lobster!

Thank you Mike!

Thanks Alex! They're super wholesome and humble folks. I really enjoyed spending time with them. They just make you feel so welcome. Looking at so many pretty basses from big names on the internet, it's easy to forget that many of those are made by small builders out of small shops, and they're people like us and not some corporate suits.

Love this video

Thank you Budi!

Thanks Bully! Yeah man they're super down to earth

Now can we talk about how clear and transparent that usa mtd was dude....

Super 5 review drops this Sunday :)

Thank you Marcio!

Thanks Fred! The Tobiases are the coolest!

Thanks Willy!

That's a bit of a hike ;P

Thanks Jeff! Yeah the wood choices and the impacts of those woods are incredible. So much special sauce! He didn't, but I'll be sure to ask next time I see him. Going to try and do a sit-down style interview with him and Stu Spector (lives right around the corner).

Thanks Derick!

@@LowEndLobster i wanted to ask you a question are those mtd Kingston super basses..really good what you didn't mention is they are built in China..i own 2 Kingston mtd artist basses which were manufactured in Korea in the early 2000's.....yes mtd basses are always outstanding products...but come on sir..made in China...im sure Michael has 100 percent supervision over the Chinese bass factory..

I mention this in the interview and ask about the switch to Chinese labor. I also mention it in my review. We really can't paint all Chinese labor with a wide brush. Mike said the shop is family run and has been building guitars for like 50 years or something. From what I've seen (and it's a huge and prevalent problem), slave labor is much more common with electronics, toys, clothes, shoes, etc. I don't think that type of thing is present in the manufacturing of these instruments

@@LowEndLobster well said thanks 🙏

This is a great question! I plan on doing another visit with a more 'sit down'-ish interview, will ask this!

@@LowEndLobster Yeah Mike looked like he's always in the middle of something so maybe better check a couple dates if he's not that far away from you then you can afford to be flexible, or even maybe build a rapport and get a couple drill downs (Kiesel and others do this all the time, everyone LOVES factory videos, especially with detail - the staining segment was very cool and Mike does it a little different than the several other builders I've watched color and seal). I don't own a Tobias, so I had no idea (no reason to know lol) that there was anything special with the intonation/tuning/etc. That particularly caught my eye. I've seen reference to what I assume is the Buzz Feiten Tuning System on other instruments that I don't own (IIRC Washburn used it too?) and didn't know it was *that* special. Thanks to commenter for pointing it out...

@@russellzauner Yeah thats how I was introduced to the BFTS system was on a custom shop Washburn bass. I had to use a setting on my korg tuner to properly tune and intonate it to the BFTS offsets. Once I did the instrument seemed to have sweeter chords and double stops. I would grab my jazz bass and play those same chords and it was not as "in tune". Its some kind of tempering thing with the offsets in the tuner and the nut? I could never make sense of it but its there.

It was really humbling to see what they produce out of that little building. I had no idea what to expect. MTD is a huge name in the bass world, and I didn't know whether to look for a large warehouse or office space or something... But no, the entire operation run out of that little workshop and it's incredible!

They're quite nice

:)

I still kick myself for not asking to keep that piece of wood that he finished

Thanks Martyr! The USA ones are indeed pricey, but oh my are they worth it.

Thanks Justin! They're seriously the most down to earth people, I would have been in the same boat otherwise! So easy to talk to

Ahaha indeed it does! Thank you!

Yes! It's around 750 installed currently, I have a separate video coming detailing the modded bass, and another comparing it to the stock Kingston

@@LowEndLobster That's very reasonable for such upgrades, thanks for the info!

Thanks Boogie! Indeed there are some learning curves, we'll get there though! I definitely appreciate the constructive feedback :)

TBH.... I have no idea what any of that stuff is lol (I have a basic understanding of the tools, but most i've ever done was build a tray in middle school woodworking class lol)

Thanks Richard! Yeah the upgraded one is really nice. I have the stock Super 5 review coming Sunday, and the subsequent modded vid coming soon after :)

Thanks Trav! Yeah we're still working out the on location audio thing. It's been a challenge but it's been getting better!

Great question! I would reach out to MTD, they're great at responding.

I think you can do it through your local dealer.

Me too

Yup!

@@LowEndLobster awesome!!!

Ash for the Kingston Supers

It really is!

@@LowEndLobster so can you send your own import MTD to them for the upgrades?

Everything will soon be revealed

Thank you! Absolutely valid criticism! We absolutely have our work cut out for us learning how to do the 'on location' sound, but we're determined to get it right. I really appreciate it Col!

Live sound is tricky, especially if you aren't proficient yet. The last thing people want when you're visiting their production space is extra time spent mic-ing everyone and taking forever to get levels right. It requires some practice in a stress free environment, but once you have a repeatable process things go pretty fast

Whoops, my bad - Pedulla retired recently. :-) Tobias *sold* - I would say don't be proud. If someone is going to buy your brand, even if it is your name, there's a $$$ amount on that and you can ALWAYS keep building unless you sign non-compete contracts lol Joel Dantzig still builds...

I saw you ask about the Korean basses. :-) It's not like we always knew, but now that we know it's good to do the right thing. :-) Thanks for that - I don't think I'm special but I have been told I am ... squeaky.

oh shit. he did have a non-compete. Usually they're 2 years, he must have been a strong negotiator. Welcome to the shithole that was the 90's. The good old days lol sure right, in hindsight... yeah not so much maybe.

The articulation on the USA model is STUPID AF holy crap *C L A R I T Y*

and now, yes - transparent by intent. :-) It's lovely to hear that because I've been wondering all this time why higher end instruments command their value in the market and in the enthusiast. Some sound like crap and everything you've held sounds GREAT. The rose top one - that one has LUNGS. If I could call an instrument "breathy" or "throaty" that's what I'd use as an example to someone who had no idea. Might want to check inside to see if it has a literal diaphragm with beef support like that.