Ok, I used to visit a guitar shop when I was younger and I remember a tiny bass with rubber/ nylon strings. The owner was constantly playing this thing. He used to powder his fretting hand with baby powder. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
Ok, I used to visit a guitar shop when I was younger and I remember a tiny bass with rubber/ nylon strings. The owner was constantly playing this thing. He used to powder his fretting hand with baby powder. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
"Power don't come from a badge or a gun. Power comes from lying. Lying big and gettin' the whole damn world to play along with you. Once you've got everybody agreeing with what they know in their hearts ain't true, you've got 'em by the balls."
Senator Roark - Sin City
I think you may be talking about these - http://www.ashelec.demon.co.uk/ashbory/
The Bass Place over in Tempe had one last time I was in.....
they are all over the bay for a decent price. you can type in "dearmond" and it'll come up.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
I just saw them new somewhere...
I think it was in the the AMS catalog. They go for a few undred bucks if I recall.
Cool Moto. I will have to stop in and try that thing out. Seems like a good idea since I love dog-house tones.
"Power don't come from a badge or a gun. Power comes from lying. Lying big and gettin' the whole damn world to play along with you. Once you've got everybody agreeing with what they know in their hearts ain't true, you've got 'em by the balls."
Senator Roark - Sin City
Currently, they are "Ashbory by Fender," but they are the the same instrument as the DeArmonds, made by Cor-Tek ("Cort") in Korea.
There have been many versions of the Ashbory bass, but according to the co-inventor, Nigel Thornbory, these are the best by a substantial margin.
Some points:
1] They are not upright simulators. They are unique-sounding fretless bass instruments.
2] Fender sells notoriously bunk strings for these, with a G that self-destructs almost immediately. This blunder has almost single-handedly ruined the reputation of Ashborys among bassists. The solution to this problem is to get better G stock from Mike Tavener in the UK for around $13 (via PayPal). Mike's great to deal with. PayPal him the bucks and you get the string in the mail in a few days. Problem solved. You get enough for four Gs and I'm still on my first G after about 18 months with no sign of failure.
3] Strings (from whatever source) take about ten days to break in and stabilize. Until that point, they go out of tune almost instantly, as they are still very stretchy.
4] This admittedly very strange instrument is downright addictive.
5] You can get used ones for well under $200, thanks largely to users getting disgusted with the breaking Fender G strings. You'll probably get a few G-less sets of strings with the used bass, too. Mike will set you up with the Gs and you'll be squared away for life.
04DEC05: Gone -- So long!
Hey Bongo,
Did you ever do that backing gig for the poet with your Ashbory that you mentioned a while back?
"Go Team Venture!"
No, a bunch of other stuff came up and I never got around to chasing down anyone to do it with. I forgot about it entirely for months.Originally Posted by BradKM
04DEC05: Gone -- So long!
That's too bad.
"Go Team Venture!"
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