Why do I kinda like this nugget??

[MotherAnarchy]

Ashbory bass - Wikipedia

Saw Danny Sapko playing one on youtube several months ago and I just thought about it. From what I can remember it has rubber bands for strings and you're supposed to put talcum powder on it. It's just so weird, I can't help but love it.

 

[SpyderX]

Am I ther only one that thought of The Spinners

 

[MIMike]

The strings were silicone, not rubber bands.

 

[MotherAnarchy]

The strings were silicone, not rubber bands.

That's right; it's been a while since I've heard about this bass

 

[crazycloud]

Saw Danny Sapko playing one on youtube

Must have looked huge on him...

 

[Saetia]

View attachment 7504584
Ashbory bass - Wikipedia

Saw Danny Sapko playing one on youtube several months ago and I just thought about it. From what I can remember it has rubber bands for strings and you're supposed to put talcum powder on it. It's just so weird, I can't help but love it.

I kick myself for never grabbing one from the musicians friend catalog all those years ago. Not sure why I was always drawn to it as well. Thanks for substantiating that for me lol!

 

[newfuture]

I loved mine until I realized it was a temperamental beast that was almost impossible to play in tune. The OEM strings tended to split in two while in the case. And so I sold it and kinda regret it. I prefer a bass uke these days. Easier to play in tune, but similar tone

 

[BrianVengeance]

I was working as a GC gear slinger when those were a thing, and they are both profoundly cool and existentially confusing in the hands. There is something unnerving about the string feel and entirely alluring for the portability factor.

 

[jerry]

I wanted one when they came out, never got to try one though, its the O.G. U-bass.

 

[farace]

I have one of the original Guild Ashbory. The strings supplied by Guild were superior to the strings later sold when Fender bought Guild. They were all prone to failure, though. I installed a set of Aquila Thundergut strings, and they’re far more durable (and much less sticky, no talc required). The original pickup died, so I installed the later Fender pickup, and the original friction tuners were intolerable, so I replaced those with the later geared tuners. I don’t play it often, but it always inspires comments.

 

[mcnach]

I loved mine until I realized it was a temperamental beast that was almost impossible to play in tune. The OEM strings tended to split in two while in the case. And so I sold it and kinda regret it. I prefer a bass uke these days. Easier to play in tune, but similar tone

I had one... I really liked the sound but the tuning instability and poor ergonomics made me get rid off it.

Right now I have a fretless uke bass and a GoldTone ME bass (20" and 23" scale respectively), which have none of those issues (the selection of strings available today would have fixed the Ashbory's tuning instability, but not the neck dive)

 

[Swerve]

Trevor Dunn calls his the booger bass.

 

[MotherAnarchy]

I have one of the original Guild Ashbory. The strings supplied by Guild were superior to the strings later sold when Fender bought Guild. They were all prone to failure, though. I installed a set of Aquila Thundergut strings, and they’re far more durable (and much less sticky, no talc required). The original pickup died, so I installed the later Fender pickup, and the original friction tuners were intolerable, so I replaced those with the later geared tuners. I don’t play it often, but it always inspires comments.

View attachment 7504694

That's so cool actually! I didn't expect someone here to actually have one.

 

[newfuture]

I had one... I really liked the sound but the tuning instability and poor ergonomics made me get rid off it.

Right now I have a fretless uke bass and a GoldTone ME bass (20" and 23" scale respectively), which have none of those issues (the selection of strings available today would have fixed the Ashbory's tuning instability, but not the neck dive)

You understand me.

At the end of the run with my ashbory, I was using an early version of pahoehe strings that were a lot better, but never settled in. The aquilas that came on my $80 Amazon special uke bass are insanely stable and probably would have enough to make me keep the ashbory going.

But that 18" scale was TINY!

 

[Geddaric]

Loved the tone, but couldn`t make it past the string feel.

 

[Pings Bass]

When I was shopping for my first fretless bass circa 1987, a dude in a pawn shop on the south side of Chicago tried to sell me one of those after telling me on the phone he had lots of fretless bases. It was the only one he had.

I found it to be completely unplayable.

And yes, this was the original U Bass, as previously mentioned.

 

[ad9000]

I saw Ian Maidman playing one on tour with David Sylvian (around 1987) and it sounded great.

 

[scott sinner]

I like how phallic it is.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Is it fair to say it is a neck diver if it has nothing but neck?

Reminds me of "The Head Detective" from the "In Living color" show. Detective Head gets blown up, but they can rebuild him, for $5 mil. Partner says "What can you do for $49?" So he ends up a head on a pair of feet.

Same guys designed this bass.

 

[monsterthompson]

I like how phallic it is.

You’ve got a keen eye for art.