Ashbory (Guild/DeArmond/Fender) Club

[yeelaberbin]

I think (and hope) there's a market for them.
But it not so simple.

As i wrote up in this thread, i build and sell mini bass uke
that are close to the Ashbory...
But more basic and compact.

So, I've investigated on the request of bass players.
And i understood that:

Bassists mostly want long scale, steel strings and magnetic pick-up.
(even for travel!).

However, most people are ready to play bass,
but whitout the inconvenience of a regular bass
( weight, long, expensive...).
They just want play for fun.

The conclusion is there's a market for Ashbory.
But it's not a game changer.

It's just another way to think bass.

 

[NickRiffed]

I think (and hope) there's a market for them.
But it not so simple.

As i wrote up in this thread, i build and sell mini bass uke
that are close to the Ashbory...
But more basic and compact.

So, I've investigated on the request of bass players.
And i understood that:

Bassists mostly want long scale, steel strings and magnetic pick-up.
(even for travel!).

However, most people are ready to play bass,
but whitout the inconvenience of a regular bass
( weight, long, expensive...).
They just want play for fun.

The conclusion is there's a market for Ashbory.
But it's not a game changer.

It's just another way to think bass.

 

[NickRiffed]

I have seen several old faxes and letters from Alun Ashworth-Jones noting the short comings of the Ashbory and his wish to get some improvements made and put into production but regardless of which company was making it at the time, these changes never happened.
He appeared quite keen to make them more affordable and more playable.
He was also aware of the length issue and had been talking to people about getting the Mk2 back into production.
I don't think it was ever officially sold in the USA. They only made about 80

 

[yeelaberbin]

man, that's a real collection !!!

 

[NickRiffed]

man, that's a real collection !!!

Yep. An unintentionally collected collection.
I need to get the electrics looked at on the Mk2. It feels so different in your hands.
I know the only distributor back in the day was The Bass centre in London.
I think I may have to give them a call.
Talk about looking in the right place at the right time.

 

[chadds]

I bought up a few Dearmonds to play.
I love playing them.
I'd buy but I can't say there's a market.
To me the bass ukes are different instruments.
The sound of the solid body seems a bit over driven.
Perhaps most of the players are plucking really hard.
I feel like the secret is the strings.
Most of the new formulas don't sound as good or are only playable on a short part of the string.
It seems that many electric players don't adapt their touch then don't favor it as it really is a different instrument.

 

[NickRiffed]

I understand what you are saying.
A lot of people seem to think Ashborys should just play like a bass.
Far from it, but if you don't give yourself the time to find all its quirks you are wasting your time.
I know lots of people like the old sticky strings.
This is one reason why some people dismiss them so easily.

 

[yeelaberbin]

The "reverse" prototype's very interesting. It seems to be a 15" scale.
Is that right ?
I always thought Ashbory was only 18".

 

[NickRiffed]

I'd have to go and measure it accurately but that seems about right.
It is obvious that it was a bit of a rush job.
It was built purely to show off the idea.
It was never a practical instrument as such, more of a working concept.
It has string tensioners, if you can call them that, made from the staples you use for fence wire.
They just seemed to keep growing.
Once I get the Mk2 back in a playable condition I think that it will prove to be the preferred scale.
I will be leaving the 'Reverse' exactly as it is, including the missing tuner, Mrs Ashworth-Jones said she thought Alun would've been happier if the others were in a playable condition.

 

[yeelaberbin]

I will be leaving the 'Reverse' exactly as it is, including the missing tuner.

and you're right!
it's an original prototype!
A part of the bass history

 

[Turnaround]

Sold mine. So give me a number then take it back.

 

[chadds]

Did a wonderful session with a vibist. Used a Dearmond. My Guilds have been retired. I appreciate the Ashborys. I'm so happy there are so many string choices because of the Ukes. I prefer the Ashbory sound and ergonomics. It looks so nice with a suit or in a turntable electronica funk jazz mashup.

At gigs people crane their necks to figure out what is making that upright sound. At one live session someone said, "the smallest instrument in here is making the deepest sound."

 

[spigmu]

Several dozen emails later and I find that I now have the original, Nigel Thornbory made, reversed design prototype along with Alun Ashworth-Jones' own pre Guild Ashbory, probably something that Clive Cherry had a hand in, and his pre production Mk2 sold to me by the late Alun's wife, Linda.
How chuffed am I?
Linda is a delightful lady, she would love to see the Ashbory go back into production.
She asked me if I thought there would still be a market for them.
I think there would.
What do you guys think?

Wow, Nick. You qualify as chuffed! : ) I think it would be great and would not be a foolish venture if they could sell for as low as what they had been going for when mass marketed as opposed to pre-Guild. One of the problems with Ashborys is that there was never any revision within the time it was at one company in response to users' feedback. Certain things changed when it went from one to the next (tuner improvement was a biggie early on) when new production started, but there was never a Rev2 from the same manufacturer, with the little tweaks that can really make a difference.

I'm very impressed with the pedigree of your babies! I have 3. A Guild, a DeArmond I got first as a spare but it became #1 when the Guild mysteriously, slowly added several centimeters to the string height and became an entire half step out at the octave. And then a Fender I used for the aforementioned failed moving of the G tuner : ) One thing I have to say is that the DeArmond didn't disappoint me soundwise after the Guild, and I was especially pleased that the Fender didn't disappoint me after the DeArmond. I use that the most as it's the easiest to play and doesn't sound any worse, although once I dial in that girthy boom it pretty much all comes out in the wash.

I also have a UBass acoustic which I don't like at all, and a Rondo Hadean solid body, which, sadly, I don't like much either. I return to both of those periodically and put them back away. I've also done a few other strings and keep returning to the stock Ashbory silicone type.

 

[filobanks]

Hi Ashbury lovers!

I wanted to share my Ashbury with the group. This is the original one Guild made for Alun Ashworth Jones. I purchased this from Aluns wife whom has had it in her position since his passing in 2008.

I know ints not quite like owning the Les Paul made for Les Paul but its pretty cool that this is the one that went to the inventor and that stayed with him for 20years.

 

[TolerancEJ]

#31 filobanks

Very cool! An instrument of historical importance.

 

[chadds]

I'm still making music with these wonderful creations.

 

[farace]

Here's mine. I kept it all original until the pickup died, and my only option was to retrofit a Fender unit. Since I was going to have to do some minor mods anyway to fit the pickup, I went ahead and changed from the cursed friction tuners to the geared tuners. I hated those things--if I cranked up the tension enough to hold tune, it was too high to easily tune it. (If anyone is looking for original friction tuners, I can tell you the name of the guitar shop I left them with.) the geared tuners make the bass playable without constantly fighting slipping tuners.

I know the original pickup cover is not supposed to fit the newer pickup, but if you make a couple of new dimples underneath, it fits fine. I like resting my hand there.

The original Guild Ashbory strings are the best to me.

This bass is wearing the Aquila strings. Never really liked the Fender version of the strings much; as mentioned the original Guild strings, when Guild was still in Westerly, Rhode Island, were superior in tone. I was sad when I couldn't get Guild strings anymore, then happy when Fender started making them, then sad again when I realized they didn't sound nearly as good as the Guilds. Now I'm happy with the Aquilas

Interesting note: when my partner and I got together and she saw my Ashbory, she said, "oh!" And told about how her ex, who had been a luthier at Guild, used to bring home boxes of bridges and they'd sit around the kitchen table filing sharp edges off of them.

[Edit: I just checked with my partner, and she told me the sharp edge they were filing was not on the bridge, but rather in the slot of the tuner peg. Strings were breaking because they'd be resting against a burr at the end of the slot, so they were bringing them home to file them smooth.]

Guild Ashbory

• farace
• Jul 9, 2016

 

[chadds]

Love that red. My Blue one is nearly Purple. I gig Black ones.

 

[TolerancEJ]

#32 farace
Very cool - Thanks for sharing & posting!

 

[TolerancEJ]

#1 TolerancEJ
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#32 farace