Michael Tobias Design

Michael Tobias Design, commonly abbreviated MTD, is an American bass-guitar brand founded by luthier Michael Tobias in 1994. The company developed after Tobias sold his earlier Tobias Guitars business to Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1990 and relocated to Kingston, New York. Before settling on the MTD name and trademark, Tobias built instruments under the Eclipse name. The brand represents a continuation of Tobias's work as an independent bass designer and luthier rather than a large-scale musical-instrument corporation. MTD's principal identity is built around handmade American electric basses produced in small quantities. The brand's instruments are associated with a 35-inch scale and configurations ranging from four to seven strings. Tobias's designs emphasize player ergonomics, including carved bodies and necks intended to make extended-scale instruments comfortable to play, as well as asymmetrical neck profiles that are thinner on the lower side than on the upper side. These design choices distinguish MTD instruments from more conventional bass forms while retaining practical features familiar to professional electric-bass players. The handmade American line uses woods including maple or ash for necks, rosewood for fingerboards, and ash, domestic tulip wood, alder, and mahogany for bodies. MTD also uses proprietary pickup and active-electronics designs manufactured by Bill Bartolini. The Buzz Feiten Tuning System is used across the currently manufactured MTD range, including the Kingston instruments. Model configurations can vary, allowing the brand to offer different string counts and electronic or construction specifications. In addition to its American-made instruments, MTD offers lower-priced Kingston basses manufactured in China to Tobias's specifications. The Kingston range broadens access to the brand's design language while retaining features such as an ergonomic body shape and asymmetrical neck. Its CRB, or Classic Rock Bass, draws on the general concept of a Precision Bass-style instrument, while the Kingston Saratoga is presented as a modern interpretation of the classic Jazz Bass format. This two-level manufacturing structure allows MTD to maintain a small-batch American line alongside more accessible instruments produced through an overseas manufacturing arrangement. Tobias has also designed or developed electric and acoustic basses in collaboration with other musical-instrument makers, including Lakland, Modulus, Alvarez, Brian Moore, and American Showster. These collaborations extend his influence beyond instruments sold directly under the MTD name. The company has remained closely associated with Tobias's personal workshop practice: reference material describes Tobias working with two part-time helpers and producing approximately ten electric basses per month at the Woodstock, New York, shop, while the company is identified with Kingston, New York. MTD is therefore best understood as a specialist luthier-led bass brand whose differentiation rests on ergonomic design, extended-scale construction, small-scale American craftsmanship, and Tobias's continuing role as designer.

Michael Tobias Design is part of the professional history of American bass luthier Michael Tobias. Tobias first established Tobias Guitars in Orlando, Florida, in April 1977. That earlier company built bass guitars under Tobias's direction and established the design and manufacturing background from which the later MTD brand developed. In 1990, Tobias Guitars was sold to Gibson Guitar Corporation. The transaction ended the original independent Tobias Guitars period, but it did not end Tobias's work as a bass designer and builder. After the sale, Tobias moved to Kingston, New York. He initially built basses under the Eclipse name before adopting Michael Tobias Design, usually shortened to MTD, as the name and trademark for his new company. MTD was founded in 1994 and developed as a successor to the Tobias tradition, but with a renewed emphasis on Tobias's independent design practice and small-scale production. The company became associated with handmade American basses produced in the New York area rather than with mass-market manufacturing. The MTD design approach centers on the relationship between extended scale, playability, and body ergonomics. Handmade American models use a 35-inch scale and are offered in four-, five-, six-, and seven-string formats. Their bodies and necks are ergonomically carved, and the necks use an asymmetrical profile that is thinner on the lower side than on the upper side. The construction materials described for the instruments include maple or ash necks, rosewood fingerboards, and bodies made from ash, domestic tulip wood, alder, or mahogany. MTD's proprietary pickup and active-electronics designs are made by Bill Bartolini, and the Buzz Feiten Tuning System is used on the currently manufactured range. The brand later developed the Kingston line as a lower-priced series manufactured in China to Tobias's specifications. Kingston instruments retain important aspects of the MTD design vocabulary, including ergonomic contours and asymmetrical necks, while using a manufacturing model intended to make the brand more accessible than its handmade American instruments. The Kingston CRB takes inspiration from the general format of a Precision Bass, while the Kingston Saratoga reinterprets the Jazz Bass concept in a more contemporary form. MTD's activities have not been limited to instruments carrying its own name. Tobias has designed and developed electric and acoustic basses in cooperation with several other musical-instrument makers, including Lakland, Modulus, Alvarez, Brian Moore, and American Showster. These relationships demonstrate the broader role of Tobias as a specialist instrument designer. The company has remained small and closely connected to its founder. Reference material describes Tobias working with two part-time helpers and building about ten electric basses per month at a shop in Woodstock, New York, while identifying MTD as Kingston-based. This scale distinguishes MTD from major international instrument groups and supports its positioning as a boutique bass manufacturer. Its history is consequently defined by continuity in Tobias's craft, a transition from the earlier Tobias Guitars business, the creation of a new independent trademark, and the combination of American handmade production with an overseas-made Kingston range.

• 1994

  Michael Tobias Design founded

  [1]Michael Tobias Designen.wikipedia.org

  After an interim period using the Eclipse name, Tobias established Michael Tobias Design and adopted MTD as the company's name and trademark.

• 1990

  Tobias Guitars sold to Gibson

  [1]Michael Tobias Designen.wikipedia.org

  Tobias Guitars was sold to Gibson Guitar Corporation. Michael Tobias subsequently relocated to Kingston, New York, and continued developing basses independently.

• 1977

  Tobias Guitars established

  [1]Michael Tobias Designen.wikipedia.org

  Michael Tobias established Tobias Guitars in Orlando, Florida, creating the earlier bass-manufacturing business that preceded MTD.

A specialist, luthier-led bass brand combining small-batch American craftsmanship and ergonomic extended-scale design with more accessible Kingston instruments manufactured in China to Michael Tobias's specifications.

• Electric bass guitars

  MTD Handmade American Basses

  The handmade American range is the core boutique offering of Michael Tobias Design. These basses use a 35-inch scale and are available in four-, five-, six-, and seven-string configurations. Their carved bodies and necks are intended to improve access and comfort on an extended-scale instrument, while the asymmetrical neck profile is thinner on the lower side than the upper side. Commonly specified woods include maple or ash necks, rosewood fingerboards, and ash, tulip wood, alder, or mahogany bodies. Proprietary MTD pickup and active-electronics designs are made by Bill Bartolini, and the Buzz Feiten Tuning System is used across the current range.

• Electric bass guitars

  MTD Kingston

  Kingston is MTD's more accessible series, manufactured in China to Michael Tobias's specifications. The instruments extend the brand's design approach beyond its small-batch American production, retaining ergonomic body shaping and asymmetrical neck profiles. The series includes formats influenced by established bass archetypes while applying Tobias's modern design priorities. Kingston instruments are positioned as lower-priced alternatives to the handmade American line rather than as unrelated mass-market products.

• Electric bass guitar

  Kingston CRB

  The Kingston CRB, whose name refers to the Classic Rock Bass concept, is a Chinese-made MTD model with a format inspired by the familiar Precision Bass style. It combines that traditional reference point with MTD-associated ergonomic shaping and an asymmetrical neck. The model serves as an accessible entry to the Kingston family and to Michael Tobias Design's broader approach to bass construction.

• Electric bass guitar

  Kingston Saratoga

  The Kingston Saratoga is described as a modern reimagining of a classic Jazz Bass-style instrument. It is part of the Chinese-made Kingston range and applies MTD's ergonomic body concept and asymmetrical neck design to a familiar double-cutaway bass tradition. The model broadens the Kingston offering for players seeking a contemporary interpretation of a widely recognized electric-bass format.

1. 1Michael Tobias Designen.wikipedia.org