WE SAY

I think everybody smiles when they first take the little fellow out of his bag. The Ashbory has a scale of merely 18in, and a poplar wood body weighing 3lbs. More precisely, the 'body' is simply a neck, widened at one end to take the bridge and controls, with a small headstock at the other, fitted with modified Schaller banjo pegs. A highly lacquered fretless 'fingerboard' is, in reality, part of the poplar neck, bound and marked in the conventional way.

Two more features shove the Ashbory bass even further out on a limb: a specially developed piezo-electric pickup (doubling as a bridge), and non-metallic strings (made instead from a silicone compound that looks and feels rubbery). It is recommended that these unusual strings are kept dusted with talcum powder in order to minimise friction.

The piezo element, sandwiched between bridge and baseplate, produces a minute voltage when strained by the vibrations of the strings stretched across it. Adjustment for action etc. is not possible on this bridge design, but then none appears to be required.

Pickup output is delivered to a battery-powered pre-amp (accessible via the back plate). Three functional (cheap) plastic control knobs govern volume, bass and treble, and there is a miniature toggle switch with corresponding LED indicator — the pre-amp may be bypassed for an untailored response.

The review sample was, in the main, well finished by American guitar makers Guild, who are marketing the Ashbory for its British designer, Alun Jones. The review bass was cobalt blue with a black fingerboard; aesthetically, it looks like a cross between the type of Hawaiian guitar that you play on your lap, and something from Woolworth's.

The fingerboard, while allowing a useful scale of two octaves, is considerably compressed (especially the top half) if compared to a standard bass. The makers emphasise the need to play the Ashbory quite delicately if the best sound and pitch accuracy are to be maintained; I found it necessary to adopt an almost meditational attitude, which would be difficult during a gig. Practice is certainly in order. Bending the very lightly tensioned strings has no effect on pitch, but rocking a finger back and forth on the string produces vibrato. Space for manoeuvre is minimal, being further hindered by a plastic pickup cover that, although removable, exposes the pickup which is quite microphonic, so you must keep your fingers clear to avoid extraneous bangs and thumps.

Being over 6ft, I found the Ashbory a complete nightmare both to play and hold. I very much like the feel of the strings and the sound they make (a big fat wedge of bass, thudding and percussive; sometimes synth-like, but also able to produce a fair rendition of acoustic double bass). The pre-amp punches out a very hefty voltage (possibly too much for a few amplifiers) but the sound is of high quality, and the response is quite lively.

DECISION

Compact people with fine bones will probably fare better than me, and someone who isn't used to playing an ordinary bass at all might well take to this new instrument with ease and flair. In terms of pure value for money, the Ashbory isn't good; value to the individual is harder to quantify.

ASHBORY MINI BASS £370

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