TOOB Metro 6.5"

[Gitterbug]

UPDATE DEC 5, 2020

Hiya all! Over 60 METROs delivered so far!

Forum Members' discount applies to orders received before year-end. Some units still available. EU/Non-EU Member prices are as follows:

Metro 6.5GP (max. 20W) €195/160
Metro 6.5BG (max. 130W) €255/205
Metro 6.5FR (max.130W) €255/205

For speaker upgrades and shipping examples see my other posts on this thread.

Shipping two at the same time makes a lot of sense. So does the option of a second speaker for larger venues, or playing in stereo, as many clients have discovered. A second unit comes for €50/40 less! We accept PayPal.

Last moment to act before the seasonal pileup of parcel traffic. Also, we have no clue what happens to shipments to Britain in the likely event of a no-deal Brexit. (UK blues guitarist Joe Nethercoat is happy he got his pair of 6.5BGs on time and has gigged with them successfully.)

Interested? Send a PM or an e-mail to toobspeakers@gmail.com. Happy to discuss details and options.

Cheers,

Markku a.k.a. Gitterbug

Disclaimer: I make and sell these ultra-light speaker cabs for guitar, bass and other musical instruments. Today's score is 303 finished units, mainly used by pro musicians in 18 countries. Started three years ago and haven't taken a cent out of this business yet.

ORIGINAL MESSAGE

The TOOB Metro 6.5" line, requested by NY jazz pros relying on public transit, is finally available. Prototypes and pre-production samples have been in use for almost a year, with overwhelmingly positive feedback. With the supply of all key components secured (requiring €€€€ investment), batch production is now possible. Jazz guitarists will primarily be interested in the GP (Guitar Ported) and the BG (Bass&Guitar) models. An FR (full-range, flat response) version is also available. While the BG and FR versions handle up to 130W, the standard GP features a 20W Jensen C6V speaker. For those requiring more oomph, a 100W Eminence Alphalite 6A or a 130W SICA 6 L 1.5SL speaker is also available for extra price. I won't quote prices here, because EU residents will pay a VAT of 24%, while the rest of the world is subject to whatever customs tariffs and taxes individual countries care to levy (nothing so far in the U.S.).

The attached photo shows the entire lineup: FR (orange rims), BG (black rims) and GP (red rims). On the left, a GP Tweed Custom.

[asedas]

Very interesting! is this https://www.toob.fi/?

[Gitterbug]

Yes indeed. Our FB pages @toobspeakercabinet are bilingual, with links to various videos. There's also a TOOB channel on YouTube and something on Instagram.

[sgosnell]

Those are very attractive, and I'm sure sound good. If I didn't already have more cabinets than I can use, and no expectation of ever playing outside my house again, I would be interested. With one of those and a mini head one could easily carry everything at once. No public transport here, but it would all fit in the trunk of a car. But I don't need to move anything, so I'll have to pass. Good luck with the venture, and I hope you sell a ton of them.

[mr. beaumont]

Very cool.

Can you use them to aim upward?

[Gitterbug]

Very cool.

Can you use them to aim upward?

Our open-back 12J and 12B models come with extra legs for playing upright as a standard. Bassist love the feature. We also offer a tilting stand adjustable to any angle up to 90 degrees. I have used upward projection for guitar, both as the only speaker and as a second speaker behind a big band. A ceiling above the bandstand is essential. We're working on this feature for the 6.5" line, too. As the cabs weigh only 4-4.5 lbs, even the amp dock with its velcro-type strips might work for suspending the cabs upright. On the other hand, small, baffle-less cabs with portholes in the rear are quite omnidirectional. The upward position would probably serve bassists better than guitarists. Thanks for moving this item further up on our endless list of things to test!

[Ray175]

I took delivery of the BG just as I was being hospitalised a week or so ago. I get out tomorrow so will be able to test drive on Monday with the TC Electronics BAM200 that I bought to go with it. What I CAN say is the compact setup is incredibly solid, light and transportable.

[Woody Sound]

Very cool. What speaker(s) are in the FR?

[Gitterbug]

Very cool. What speaker(s) are in the FR?

SICA 6 D 1.5SL, a Neo speaker with a whizzer cone. It ranges from 70Hz (even lower in a ported cab) to 15kHz. Takes 130W and sounds great with everything tested so far: violin, harmonica, accordion, keyboard in jazz piano mode, 12-string electric and various acoustic guitars. The bottom end is obviously thin but one can use it with electric (and probably upright) bass. My son and his buddies have tested it with a Kemper and TC Electronic BAM 200 as the power amp. Cuts through drums. A decent test video with a modeling amp is on the agenda, but I feel too old to engage directly into something that may soon blow over.

[christianm77]

Sadiq Kahn is talking about pedestrianising of a lot of central London, so presuming gigs continue this could be a real lifesaver.

[Gitterbug]

Sadiq Kahn is talking about pedestrianising of a lot of central London, so presuming gigs continue this could be a real lifesaver.

I used to visit London a lot in my investor relations job. Walking was the fastest way to get from A to B back then. Seriously, the initiative for the Metro concept came from NY jazz guitarists and bassists dependent on public transit and dashing from one session to another each night. We are now looking into integrating a 50W micro amp with a DC battery pack option. What next? An aux power out to a busker's electric scooter?

[christianm77]

Gutterbug - When I click on the 6.5” models on the website I go through the 12” bass model, so can’t seem to find any info.

[christianm77]

Also the powered speaker option would be really interesting. Just a flat response class D would be great, can plug whatever preamp I want into it then.

[sgosnell]

For a really portable rig, one of the newer power supplies/generators should work well. They provide 5/9/12VDC and 120VAC, are very light, and last for a long time. With one of those you don't need to find an AC outlet. A Class D micro head like the BAM et al shouldn't pull much power, and one charge should last all day. One such is the Beaudens B-1502, but there are others.

[pingu]

I took delivery of the BG just as I was being hospitalised a week or so ago. I get out tomorrow so will be able to test drive on Monday with the TC Electronics BAM200 that I bought to go with it. What I CAN say is the compact setup is incredibly solid, light and transportable.

ive got a metro with the alpha lite 6a i use with a BAM
yes !
it is very solid ,compact and very light ....it is also loud .... i’ve used it amoungst Drums bass keys sax and vocals band
you can literally carry your
guitar and a shoulder bag
with the metro/Bam and all
your bits and bobs in it
Easily to the gig

wonderful !

and it had plenty of oomph too

i would be very interested in your experience with the BG version ....

i might try one of those drivers
in my metro .... for a bit more
warmth

love it

[Gitterbug]

Gutterbug - When I click on the 6.5” models on the website I go through the 12” bass model, so can’t seem to find any info.

Chris, strange. When I click the 6.5 image on the front page, I land right there. We'll look into this. The website is a bit behind, both re. photos, specs and pricing. Will update all that as soon as my media pro son (who was supposed to be laid off due to the virus but is actually over-employed with direct video streaming) has the time for new product shots.

[christianm77]

Chris, strange. When I click the 6.5 image on the front page, I land right there. We'll look into this. The website is a bit behind, both re. photos, specs and pricing. Will update all that as soon as my media pro son (who was supposed to be laid off due to the virus but is actually over-employed with direct video streaming) has the time for new product shots.

if it helps I’m accessing on my iPhone via Safari

[sgosnell]

Must be an iThing problem. On both my laptop and Android phone, clicking on the "See the new Toob Metro Series" takes me directly to them.

[grahambop]

Website works ok on my iPad using Safari browser, selecting any of the 6.5 options brings up the 6.5 models.

[christianm77]

Works great on my laptop

So if I want a quote, contact you direct Gitterbug?

[Gitterbug]

Works great on my laptop

So if I want a quote, contact you direct Gitterbug?

Direct contact is welcome. The we can discuss which model and speaker option (there's actually five for the GP) suits you best. Toobspeakers@gmail.com.

[Ray175]

Got out of hospital earlier than expected yesterday afternoon so I was able to spend 45 minutes with the Toob Metro 6.5" BG and BAM200.

The gear was bought principally for my MIC Höfner Violin Bass, but yesterday I tried it with my 1961 ES-175D and also an Ibanez MIJ Artist 2619 Prestige

The Toob arrived nicely packaged and is robust and solidly built. The stand was easy to fit and points at a good angle, so all the sound is not "in your feet". The little platform for positioning an amp was pre-equipped with 2 velcro strips that were perfectly aligned for the bottom plate of the BAM 200 so the amp was effectively and solidly fixed to the speaker's platform in no time at all. Since the BAM has no reverb I used my T-Rex Duck Tail delay pedal to dial in an approximation of a small amount of reverb.

With the ES175DAll settings at noon. Full, balanced sound, getting close to a tube amp but with more clarity and precision. Rolling off the treble and (partly) the mids gave me a very satisfying "thunky" sound. I was surprised at how the lows came out nicely from such a small speaker,which projected nicely - I used a Boss W20 system to be able to hear from the other side of the room. The BAM is rated at 200W through 4 ohms, and with the Toob at 8 ohms the potential volume was reduced. For practice with gain at noon I found more than enough volume at 9 o'clock on the volume knob. I didn't push into higher levels yesterday other than 30 seconds with gain and volume at 3 o'oclock, but my impression was that there was plenty of power for playing out unless you have a noisy drummer. The Neo woofer in the Toob gave nice note separation at all the frequencies I threw at it. To be sure it didn't give the "oomph" of the 12 inch speaker on my TMDR, but that comes as no surprise, because it's not pushing as much air.

With the Ibanez Artist 2619 Prestige Much the same as for the 175, any essential differences being down to the brighter Super 80 trisound pickups on the Ibanez, which when thrown into a series configuration got me a very pleasing Peter Green sound.

No recordings at this stage, my health issues have prevented me from moving forward with my home studio as fast as I would like. But maybe in summer I'll be in a position to do so.

Conclusion - if someone is looking for a quality, compact, robust speaker with good mids and lows, that will also fit into a small sports bag, then the Toob Metro 6.5 BG presses all of the buttons for me.

During the week I'll try to find time to plug the Höfner Violin Bass into it......

[pingu]

Thanks Ray ,
very helpful

to Gitterbug , do you think the sica 6 L 1.5 SL driver would
give me more bass than my current alphalite 6a ?

[kris]

is it work good with nylon strings guitar?
Jazzingly
Kris

[Gitterbug]

Thanks Ray ,
very helpful

to Gitterbug , do you think the sica 6 L 1.5 SL driver would
give me more bass than my current alphalite 6a ?

Not in your cab. It just stays clean on lower frequencies. For deeper bass you need the BG enclosure, which is one rib deeper and has just one porthole with multiple layers of felt.

BTW, I have just tested a BG in upward position and it works better than anticipated. More testing required to confirm this.

[Gitterbug]

is it work good with nylon strings guitar?
Jazzingly
Kris

Quite ok, but with nylon-stringed guitars (and steel-string flattops), either GP with Eminence Alphalite 6A or FR with SICA 6 D 1.5 SL work even better. Many amplified acoustic guitar players prefer a scooped tone, with bass and treble end enhanced and the nasal mids suppressed. Both Alphalite and SICA 6D, being more or less flat response, enhanced or full range speakers, enable this.

[Gitterbug]

One more post from Yours Truly! A fruitful Sunday in that the Metro 6.5B learned to stand and sing upright. Tried with J-Bass (not shown), Casino Coupe, Martin GPCPA4 and Ibanez NTX700 (nylon). Me partial but likes! Well in view the new grill, our own design with a beam blocker in the center. This baby came together between 5 pm and 6 pm today, stickers still missing.

[Gitterbug]

Rather than just a bump, some price info after all. First, the MSRP's in Finland: 6.5GP = 249€; 6.5BG & FR = 299€. These prices include Finnish VAT of 24%. For sales outside the EU, the corresponding tax-free prices are 199€ and 239€, respectively. FOR FORUM MEMBERS, AN ADDITIONAL 15% DISCOUNT until June 15.

6.5GP speaker upgrade to SICA 6 L 1.5SL (130W) 25(EU)/20€, to Eminence Alphalite 6A (100W) 50(EU)/40€.
UpBeat extra legs for 6.5BG: 25(EU)/20€. Especially upright bass players appreciate the vertical playing position.

Recent shipping examples: 6.5BG from Helsinki to Brooklyn, NY 52€ via UPS (there in 24 hrs!); ditto to Paris, France 20€ via GLS.

[Gitterbug]

The Pandemic has put everything on slow motion. We see gigging resume here and there, however, starting from smaller venues where the TOOB Metros are on home turf. Since the previous post in May, quite a few units have been sold. So that nobody should miss the boat, we're extending the discount offer to Forum Members until further notice. For the sake of clarity: the EU/Non-EU Member prices are as follows:

Metro 6.5GP (max. 20W) €205/170
Metro 6.5BG (max. 130W) €255/205
Metro 6.5FR (max.130W) €255/205

Speaker upgrades and shipping examples as in the previous post.

Shipping two at the same time makes a lot of sense. So does the option of a second speaker for larger venues, or playing in stereo, as many clients have discovered. A second unit comes for €50/40 less! We accept PayPal.

Forum Member Christian Miller has been testing and using both BG and FR. Both are keepers. Wait for his video if uncertain about which one you need. And please note that these are passive cabs requiring an amp.

Contact via private message or e-mail to toobspeakers@gmail.com

[christianm77]

I thought I repost what I put on the other Toob thread. These things are no joke.

------

So, I took my Toob Metro BG to a rehearsal today - big band (socially distanced which was funny.)

I decided to walk to the venue - about 15-20 minutes from my home and found the speaker to have hardly any weight at all. After all these years of hauling an AER around it felt like a feather.

I used a BAM 200 amp as a head.

The amp and speaker performed really well, more than loud enough to project for solos with proper drums (albeit jazz). The other band members had no trouble hearing me, and all were intrigued and impressed.

I plan to do a video soon.

For London guitarists - bear in mind we now have congestion charge at weekends. This will make it (assuming the gigs come back) very expensive to use a car to drive into central London... A ultralight gigging rig is the future as far as I can see.

[Gitterbug]

Hi all! Christian Miller's review of the Metro 6.5BG is just out on the Guitar, amps and gizmos section. New inquiries already in.

[neatomic]

^ happy for you gitterbug!..to launch a product like you have is sooo difficult! much success!

getting it into christians hands was smart move!

cheers

[Gitterbug]

Thanks! Honestly, it was Christian's initiative.

[Lobomov]

So when do I want the BG and when do I want the GP?


And why would I want one of the the 6.5" versions when there is a 12" version?

[christianm77]

The 6.5" versions are super light and sound great. Like stupid light.

[Gitterbug]

So when do I want the BG and when do I want the GP?


And why would I want one of the the 6.5" versions when there is a 12" version?

The request for these truly public transit compatible, yet giggable, cabs came from NY jazz guitarists and bassists already using 10" and 12" TOOB versions. Similar logistical constrains exist in many other metropolitian areas, where the bike or electric scooter are often the fastest means. The overall philosophy, as well as the characteristics of each model is explained on the toob.fi website. The FR/IR stuff is new and perhaps a fad, but the FR model is already in use by 1) acoustic guitarists, 2) keyboardists (at least in the common jazz modes), 3) modeling amp people as desk or stage monitors, and 4) violin, harmonica etc. players needing amplification.

[Gitterbug]

Gigs resuming here and there. Bump to let you all know that a new shipment of SICA 6 L 1.5SL drivers is in. Standard in Metro 6.5BG, works perfectly in the 6.5GP shell, too. Now offering to Forum Members the 20W Jensen version of Metro 6.5GP at EUR 195 (EU) and EUR 160/USD 190 (non-EU) plus shipping. Perfect with e.g. Quilter Interblock 45.

[Gitterbug]

Bump!

[Gitterbug]

One last bump. Britons acting , existing stock dwindling, ultimate shipping d/l nearing.

[Ray175]

Have to admit, that looks like a great Xmas present for someone looking for ideas ! I'm more than delighted with my 6.5Metro BG......