The Ashbory bass is a solid body

fretless bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and sc ...

Alun Ashworth-Jones ''Alun Ashworth-Jones'' is the full name of the noted British folk/ blues/rock songwriter, guitarist and singer Al Jones, and is also the title of his first album, which this article addresses. He had previously made an E.P. as part of the tri ...

and Nigel Thornbory. It is 18 inches long, almost half the size of a standard bass guitar. When amplified, the Ashbory reproduces the low, resonant bass tone of a plucked

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

History

The Ashbory was designed by folk musician Al Jones and luthier Nigel Thornbory. According to Thornbory, "Al discovered that a rubber band stretched over one of his guitar transducers produced an impressive bass note when plucked." The Ashbory was produced by the Guild Guitar Company from 1986 until 1988. This version used a one-piece poplar body and neck. There was an attempt to launch a Mark II model in 1990, but it was scrapped. The Ashbory would be reintroduced in 1999 by Fender under the DeArmond name. This version was constructed using cheaper agathis wood. Ashbory-size

Features

The Ashbory uses silicone rubber strings and an acoustic piezo-transducer pickup fitted to the bridge to create the instrument's tone. Due to its small, fretless fingerboard, it requires considerable skill to intonate accurately. The lower string tension of the instrument means that no truss rod is required, and unlike electric basses and electric guitars, neither the bridge nor the neck is adjustable. Because of the grip of the rubber strings, it is necessary for chalk or talcum powder to be applied to the strings for playing.

Playing styles

The manufacturer recommends "standard electric bass 'fingerstyle' playing", and acknowledges that electric bass techniques such as

slapping and popping Slapping and popping are ways to produce percussive sounds on a stringed instrument. It is primarily used on the double bass or bass guitar. Slapping on bass guitar involves using the edge of one's knuckle, where it is particularly bony, to ...

and pick playing do not work as well on the Ashbory. On the other hand, the Ashbory can be used to create additional sounds. By muting the strings with the left hand and using the right hand to strike the strings, an analog synth-like sound can be created. Snapping the strings with the right hand can create an upright-bass-like slap sound.

References

External links

Large Sound Ashbory Bass resources
*
Ashbory sound clips
*
User's Guide for the Ashbory Bass

The Story of the Ashbory Bass by Nigel Thornbory (Ashbory designer)
Bass guitars Fender electric bass guitars Amplified instruments 1985 musical instruments Musical instruments invented in the 1980s {{bass-guitar-stub