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MiniStar vs Ashbory 4 string fretted bass?
- Thread starter Blanco
- Start date
I've been looking for a MiniStar & now wonder about the Ashbory's?
What would you like to know?
Read up on them... they are very different instruments.
The Ministar instruments are full scale, very small lightweight instruments that are designed to be the ultimate travel instrument.
The Ashbory's are silicone stringed short scale instruments whose primary design goal is to mimick the tone of an upright bass... within reason.
i have the 4-string Ministar and like it. I've owned an Ashbory but not for very long. You have to put powder on the strings and it was too icky for me.
I have 2 basses that I use as my "travel" instruments. One is a Steinberger Spirit XT-2, and the other is a Ministar Basstar.
The Steinberger is ready to go... meaning you just take it out of the case like a "standard" bass and play. That's because it is just like a "regular" bass... only it's a headless format which makes for a physically smaller instrument.
The Ministar requires a small amount of assembly to become playable. There are 2 steel rods that serve as the anchor points for the strap that need to be attached to the bass body. It's not really playable until those rods are attached.
The Ministar can only be played fully assembled and needs a strap to be played. The Steinberger Spirit has a fold out leg rest so you can play it without using a strap.
The Ministar has a somewhat chunky, but comfortable neck. The Steinberger neck is quite slim and narrow.
One thIng about the ministars, the intonation is non-adjustable. The one I've played several times has intonation that is pretty good, but still, there it is. Of course for the price of the MS some corners had to be cut, and this was one, which I think is fair enough. What else about MS's ...... Hrmmmm .... Oh yeah, they ship with some real weird sort of string that feels exactly like a rubber band with round winds, awful things.
Then again the Ash strings *are* rubber bands
Well silicon at least The Ash is a completely different ultra short scale beast. I know guys who sound like a champ on an Ash. I sound more like a chimp but that's a reflection on me, not the instrument. I find the fingers of my plucking hand really catch on the strings and sort of twist/roll the strings rather than pulling them back for plucking. Sure, you can powder the strings but who could be bothered.
The MS has frets the Ash doesn't.
For about the same money, I would much prefer one of the cheapo Steinie knockoffs to a Ministar any day.
Mike
Then again the Ash strings *are* rubber bands
Well silicon at least The Ash is a completely different ultra short scale beast. I know guys who sound like a champ on an Ash. I sound more like a chimp but that's a reflection on me, not the instrument. I find the fingers of my plucking hand really catch on the strings and sort of twist/roll the strings rather than pulling them back for plucking. Sure, you can powder the strings but who could be bothered. The MS has frets the Ash doesn't.
For about the same money, I would much prefer one of the cheapo Steinie knockoffs to a Ministar any day.
Mike
If you're cool with very short scale instruments.... then sure, that could be an option.
Got any links to those?
I like the price on used MiniStars about $100.00 when i can find them I found a guy that dont live close & we keep trying to set up a meeting to buy his & I might have it this monday, but I'll keep looking around incase that dont work out. ( he still has it advertised on line so it might sell before I get to him? )
I like the way the Stein looks yet it looks a bit longer that the MS.
& to be honest what attracts me to the Stein is that I can play it sitting in my cab without a strap, the strap might become annoying to be honest.
I have a Riverhead headless (Steinberger knock-off) that I use as my travel bass, and it's way superior to the MiniStar that I (of course) had to try out.
As mentioned, the bridge solution on the MiniStar is not very flexible, and it's hard to adjust action and intonation is fixed. In addition, the rods are somewhat weird... just hard to get used to. The quality is also somewhat flimsy. Of course, it's a $100 bass and shouldn't be compared to instruments many times that value. But be warned. I think I would prefer to add a few dollars and get a better travel instrument (Well, i did anyway).
As mentioned, the bridge solution on the MiniStar is not very flexible, and it's hard to adjust action and intonation is fixed. In addition, the rods are somewhat weird... just hard to get used to. The quality is also somewhat flimsy. Of course, it's a $100 bass and shouldn't be compared to instruments many times that value. But be warned. I think I would prefer to add a few dollars and get a better travel instrument (Well, i did anyway).
Thanks I did find one not sure of the brand,but it looks like a riverhead & it even comes with a hard case for $188.00?I have a Riverhead headless (Steinberger knock-off) that I use as my travel bass, and it's way superior to the MiniStar that I (of course) had to try out.
As mentioned, the bridge solution on the MiniStar is not very flexible, and it's hard to adjust action and intonation is fixed. In addition, the rods are somewhat weird... just hard to get used to. The quality is also somewhat flimsy. Of course, it's a $100 bass and shouldn't be compared to instruments many times that value. But be warned. I think I would prefer to add a few dollars and get a better travel instrument (Well, i did anyway).
But to be honest with you its not so much the head that get in the way while sitting in the cab of a big rig, I can stick that out the window, its more the size of the body that makes it sorta akward being the driver or passenger seat of a truck/car was never meant for guitar playing.
