Michael Tobias Design
Encyclopedia
Michael Tobias Design is a Kingston, New York
-based manufacturer of electric bass guitars founded by luthier Michael Tobias in 1994.
Tobias, along with two part-time helpers, currently builds about 10 electric basses per month at his shop in Woodstock, New York
. MTD's Kingston, Heir, and Saratoga basses are manufactured in China
to Tobias's specifications. Tobias also designs and develops electric and acoustic basses in collaboration with musical instrument makers that have included Lakland
, Modulus
, Alvarez, Brian Moore, and American Showster.
MTD is a successor to Tobias Guitars, established in Orlando, Florida
in April 1977 and sold to Gibson Guitar Corporation
in 1990. Following the sale, Tobias moved to Kingston, New York
, where he began building basses under the Eclipse name before settling on "MTD" (Michael Tobias Design) for the company name and trademark.
MTD handmade American basses are come in 35 inch-scale 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-string models and are available in a variety of configurations. Necks are made from maple or ash with a rosewood fingerboard. Wood bodies are made from medium weight ash, domestic tulip wood (aka Eastern yellow poplar), alder, and mahogany. MTD bodies and necks are ergonomically carved to allow access to the instrument's extended scale and feature an asymmetrical neck, a design where the neck is thinner on the lower side than the upper. Pickups and active electronics are a proprietary design for MTD made by Bill Bartolini. All currently manufactured MTD basses, including Kingston basses, employ the Buzz Feiten Tuning System
.
Lower-priced Chinese-made MTD Kingston bases include the Precision Bass-inspired CRB (or "classic rock bass") and the Kingston Saratoga bass, billed as "a modern re-imagining" of a classic Jazz
-style base. Features of the MTD Kingston basses include an ergonomic body shape and asymmetrical neck.
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
-based manufacturer of electric bass guitars founded by luthier Michael Tobias in 1994.
Tobias, along with two part-time helpers, currently builds about 10 electric basses per month at his shop in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
. MTD's Kingston, Heir, and Saratoga basses are manufactured in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to Tobias's specifications. Tobias also designs and develops electric and acoustic basses in collaboration with musical instrument makers that have included Lakland
Lakland
Lakland Guitars is a Chicago, Illinois-based manufacturer of electric bass guitars. The company's first bass combined elements of the Fender Jazz Bass and the Music Man StingRay. The company's current line-up includes basses inspired by classics like the Fender Precision Bass and Jazz Bass as...
, Modulus
Modulus
Modulus may refer to:* Modulus a genus of small sea snails* Modulus , a formal product of places of a number field* The absolute value of a real or complex number...
, Alvarez, Brian Moore, and American Showster.
MTD is a successor to Tobias Guitars, established in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
in April 1977 and sold to Gibson Guitar Corporation
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
in 1990. Following the sale, Tobias moved to Kingston, New York
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
, where he began building basses under the Eclipse name before settling on "MTD" (Michael Tobias Design) for the company name and trademark.
MTD handmade American basses are come in 35 inch-scale 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-string models and are available in a variety of configurations. Necks are made from maple or ash with a rosewood fingerboard. Wood bodies are made from medium weight ash, domestic tulip wood (aka Eastern yellow poplar), alder, and mahogany. MTD bodies and necks are ergonomically carved to allow access to the instrument's extended scale and feature an asymmetrical neck, a design where the neck is thinner on the lower side than the upper. Pickups and active electronics are a proprietary design for MTD made by Bill Bartolini. All currently manufactured MTD basses, including Kingston basses, employ the Buzz Feiten Tuning System
Buzz Feiten
Howard "Buzz" Feiten is a North American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and session musician.He is best known as a lead and rhythm electric guitarist, and for having patented a unique, scientifically designed tuning system which re-configures its stringboard / neck for more accurate tonality...
.
Lower-priced Chinese-made MTD Kingston bases include the Precision Bass-inspired CRB (or "classic rock bass") and the Kingston Saratoga bass, billed as "a modern re-imagining" of a classic Jazz
Fender Jazz Bass
The Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
-style base. Features of the MTD Kingston basses include an ergonomic body shape and asymmetrical neck.