Ashbory bass
Encyclopedia
The Ashbory bass, designed by Alun Ashworth-Jones and Nigel Thornbory, is an 18-inch scale fretless (but marked) electric bass developed in 1985. This scale is just over half of the 34-inch scale of an ordinary bass guitar
. When amplified, the Ashbory produces a low, resonant bass tone similar to the tone of a pizzicato (plucked) double bass
.
strings and an acoustic piezo-transducer pickup to create the instrument's tone. The lower string tension of the instrument means that no truss rod is used in the Ashbory's neck. Unlike electric basses and electric guitars, neither the bridge nor the neck is adjustable. The manufacturer recommends that the silicone strings be dusted with talc powder to make the strings easier to play.
. It is now manufactured under license by the Fender corporation.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. When amplified, the Ashbory produces a low, resonant bass tone similar to the tone of a pizzicato (plucked) double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
.
Features
The Ashbory uses silicone rubberSilicone rubber
Silicone rubber is an elastomer composed of silicone—itself a polymer—containing silicon together with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Silicone rubbers are widely used in industry, and there are multiple formulations...
strings and an acoustic piezo-transducer pickup to create the instrument's tone. The lower string tension of the instrument means that no truss rod is used in the Ashbory's neck. Unlike electric basses and electric guitars, neither the bridge nor the neck is adjustable. The manufacturer recommends that the silicone strings be dusted with talc powder to make the strings easier to play.
Playing styles
The manufacturer recommends "standard electric bass 'fingerstyle' playing", and acknowledges that electric bass techniques such as slapping and popping 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.Miscellany
The Ashbory bass was originally conceived as a more portable option for bass guitar players, just as the now-standard 34" scale was first used as an alternative to the double bassDouble bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
. It is now manufactured under license by the Fender corporation.