Post by De-la on Jan 28, 2004 8:45:16 GMT -5
Imagine you've just walked into a club and you hear the familiar sound of an amplified double bass. Looking towards the stage you see...no double bass? Instead you see someone who seems to be the bass player playing a tiny 4 string that looks like they just bought it from Toys R Us. Welcome to the wonderful world of the Ashbory bass guitar.
In 1985, Alun Ashworth-Jones, a maker of transducer pickups for guitars, discovered by chance that a rubber strip held over a piezo pick up produced an amazing bass note (legend has it that a passer-by walked in to see who was playing the double bass) and so one of the most unusual bass guitars ever was born.
The Ashbory, currently made by Fender under the DeArmond brand but previously made by Guild, is only 18" long and sports silicone rubber strings, a 24 "fret" lined fretless fingerboard and active EQ. The usual reaction starts with ridicule but ends with admiration of the amazing tone - it really is very close to an amplified double bass ( but at a fraction of the size and cost - the Ashbory currently goes for under £300 ). The active treble and bass give you a fair amount of adjustment but be warned - the bass control on full, combined with the instrument's natural low end can play havoc with your speakers.
This bass feels like nothing else you have ever played. The first thing to strike you is the feel of the rubber strings. The sensation of the string rolling under your fingers takes a bit of getting used to as does the fact that they tend to "cling" to your fingers in a way that metal strings never would. Also, get used to carrying some talcum powder with you. As the strings are rubber, you should rub a bit of talc onto them before playing - it cuts down on the squeaks as you play and makes them much easier to play. Without the talc, the squeaking of your fretting fingers can soon make you sound like a beginner violinist ( but you will get some strange looks on gigs when you pull a container of white powder out of your gig bag!).The strings also take a lot more turns of the tuning peg than you'd ever believe possible to get them in tune.This is a bit unnerving at first as you're convinced that the string is going to snap as you continue to crank the tuner but you get used to it. The other obstacle is that you have two octaves of fingerboard in a space that is no bigger than the first 9 or 10 frets of a standard 34" scale bass - and it's fretless! This bass takes a lot of concentration and practice to get your playing in tune, even for an experienced fretless player, but it's worth it.
Any downsides? Well, the G string does tend to break quite easily and DeArmond only produce full sets, no single strings! However, I have now located a supplier who sells the G string by the metre ( 4 strings worth) so if you need some, e-mail me ( alun@alunvaughan.com) and I'll put you in touch with him. My bass did have a faulty jack socket at first but this was easily fixed and may have been a one-off on this particular bass.Battery access is via a control plate with four screws but battery life seems to be pretty good.
I've owned mine for nearly a year and have used it on a variety of gigs, all with good results ( once you get passed the giggling that is). If you're after upright tone without the transport and storage hassles or you're just after something a bit different you really need to try one of these. They're distributed by Arbiter so anyone that stocks Fender gear should be able to order one.You may have to convince the shop staff that they still exist - I tried several stores, including ones that deal exclusively with basses, before I managed to order one.
(Report by Alun Vaughan)
