Jean-Luc Pickguard

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='321677' date='Nov 4 2008, 11:57 AM']I would recommend you play with your ears and not your eyes![/quote]
I hope I will be able to once I'm more used to it & know what I'm doing.
I hadn't heard about the intonation changing as the strings warm up on an Ashbory - I haven't noticed this happening, but [b]new [/b]strings take a long time to stop stretching (several days) so they keep going flat. Once the strings are a few weeks old they settle down and should be able to keep in tune for a whole set.

btw the Planet Waves SOS strobe tuner works really well on an Ashbory (at the octave dots)

I went to Robin Bibi's Jam night in Sutton last night with my blue Ashbory (playing though Chris_b's lovely rig) I think my intonation wasn't too bad for my first time playing Ashbory in public.

Laklands reason for using Plek seems to be to save their workers' hands rather than it being superior to a [s]hand[/s] manual job.

The fretstone John at the Gallery did on my CIJ mustang is absolutely perfect for my TI flats with ultra low action. I can't imagine any way that bass could possibly play any better.

[quote name='SJA' post='320814' date='Nov 3 2008, 11:53 AM']JLP, have you got a 34in lined fretless you can compare the intonation with?
ie. playing above the octave at the 18in string length point?[/quote]
Nope - my fretless precision has an unlined ebony board.

I now know that Ashborys are in tune if you play between the lines & horribly out of tune (a quarter tone sharp) if played on the line. It just seems weird that it was designed like that.

[quote name='lozbass' post='320772' date='Nov 3 2008, 11:03 AM']My current fretless (Jazz) is unlined but the dots are in the standard positions for a fretted bass. When I took it for a re-string and set-up recently, the luthier initially thought it needed a new bridge as it apparently wouldn't intonate properly - he's assumed that the dots were 'on the line'.[/quote]
Aha - this is the exact opposite of what I have on my Ashbory (The current ones are made by/for fender in Korea). If I play it behind the fretline as if it was fretted its perfect.

[quote name='lozbass' post='320772' date='Nov 3 2008, 11:03 AM']You could try re-intonating the Ashbory[/quote]
Unfortunately there's nothing to adjust - the bridge/pickup assemble is a solid fixed unit.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think the concensus seems that

[list]
[*][b]Unlined fretless - play on the dots[/b] [i]Except for Lozbass's Fender CS masterbuilt[/i]
[*][b]Lined fretless - play on the lines[/b] Except for Fender/DeArmond (& possibly Guild) Ashborys.
[/list]


So as I expected, the fingerboard layout on both of my Ashborys is different to other lined fretlesses so I can only surmise that one of the following is true
[list=1]
[*]The fingerboard was designed specifically to confuse new users
[*]someone cocked up
[*]There is a practical reason for it which I have yet to work out.
[/list]
Its not a problem once you know the secret though - perhaps Fender should include a manual that explains this.

This is the bass I have to play "between the lines". Ashborys are always fretless with thick rubber band strings, piezo bridge & 18" scale.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='320411' date='Nov 2 2008, 07:49 PM']In my experience, it's usual for unlined fretlesses to have the dots where the fretlines would be.[/quote]

Yep - that's my experience as well

I said it was a confusing post - what about where the lines are on [b]lined [/b]fretlesses

After almost a year of thinking my Ashborys were practically impossible to play in tune I have now realised that this is not the case if you don't play by 'fretting' [b]on the lines[/b], but using the dots [b]between [/b]the fretlines as the fret-point like on an unlined fretless.

All lined fretlesses I recall playing were in tune when played on the lines and unlined ones were in tune on the dots.
[b][i]
Is this always the case or are there lined fretlesses where you also have to play between the lines?[/i][/b]

I only ask as this seems really odd on the Ashbory and I think a lot of people may have formed a negative view of the Ashbory as it sounds so out of tune if you don't play between the lines.

You should really send them back for a refund.
Rotosound jazz-bass flatwounds were also just as bad when I last used them. Utter crap imo.

That get my vote for the best StSanders 'shreds' video yet

Have you tried lowering the pickups? If its the same sound I had on a bass once this will solve it. I think it was caused by the magnetic pull on the string.

At the moment my favourite tone is from my Ashborys (with ashworth transducer). Of course the silicone rubber strings are what are really making the tone.

I always mix in 50/50 magnetic & piezo on my NS CR5M

It said I was Duck Dunn & Willie Dixon in equal measure.

Actually it said the person that put the quiz together is an idiot - not in so many words, but the clues were there.

Billy Sheehan hasn't played the same since he evicted all his body thetans.

[quote name='marcus bell' post='316790' date='Oct 28 2008, 03:50 PM']who else sings, and plays complex bass lines, and insured his thumb for a million quid???[/quote]
Who cares
Can "thwakkata thwakkata thwakkata thwakkata thwakkata thwakkata thwakkata thwakkata thwakkata" even be considered a bass line?

[quote name='saibuster' post='316132' date='Oct 27 2008, 08:26 PM']If you get out of denmark st, take right towards Tottenham court road tube, there is a shop on your right with lots of second hand studio gear and guitar pedals on the window.

I walked in there in the intention of buying a pod x3 or a tech 21 bass driver. The reason i went there was because they seemed to be the only ones who actually sell both of them.

I approached the guy that was there, a tall skinny guy with long hair, seems around the end of his 40s, and asked him if i can try the pod next and the bass driver.

him: "Why?"

Me: " Im looking for a device that would enable me to record my bass direct to the computer"

Him: " They are both very different "

me: " I know, thats why i want to try them, see which one i prefer"

him:(Angry tone): " there is no way you can compare them, they are too different "

me: (getting angry) " I dont want to compare them, i want to hear which one i prefer"

him: " we do not demonstrate gear here, if you want you can buy both of them"

he then turned his back to me and started talking to the other "sales" person.
Being a hot tempered middle eastern, he was kinda lucky that i was there with my girlfriend,
it was probably the rudest addetude i've ever got since moving to london.

Before i went to the shop i went to a cash point and took 300£ to buy one of these units.
I left the shop empty handed and very very angry and bitter.

Apart from the fact that he was a complete c**t, i really really wanted to hear the difference between a digital flashy unit like the pod, to a more hands on analog unit like the sans amp.

I'm never going near that area again.


Just to soften things up, i've ordered a new bass from Andertons over the phone 3 weeks ago, and they were very patient nice and friendly to me.[/quote]
That'll be RockStop - The same bloke (I'm sure - looks like he's stuck in the 80s?) was very huffy when I tried out the behringer bass synth pedal but didn't buy it due to it having no useful sounds. I've bought loads of stuff there previously without trying it out, but I'm not going to bother going in there again. They were very unhelpful when my mate took his akai looper he bought there back due to switches not working. They wouldn't exchange it & never got it repaired when he left it there. He had gigs coming up & ended up repairing it himself at his own cost.

You [b]might [/b]have more luck with a limiter. I really like the cheap-as-chips Behringer green bass limiter/enhancer. I play fingerstyle, but it really makes fast 16ths pump out nicely. You may not notice much when you turn it on, but you'd probably notice more when you turn it off.

It must be for playing [b]rock[/b] music.

The Custom shop logo looks possibly a bit dodgy as if its been put over where a real serial has been sanded off.

I wonder what the B sounds like on a 32" scale. Not sure I'd like the half-inch action at the 12th fret.

Its obvious what the problem is - the management must be putting guitarists in to run the bass shop.

A bass player would understand that the correct number to own is one more than the currently number.

Dr Randall Kertz wrote a very good book called "The Bassist's guide to injury management, prevention & better health" - available from his web site.

80s bass is all about using a boss chorus pedal isn't it?

Jean Baudin looked as bored playing as I was listening

[quote name='thebeat' post='312370' date='Oct 22 2008, 06:47 PM']# " I took it out of the packaging and not only was it beautiful to look at, but was perfectly in tune!!! It is the best resin back semi accoustic I have ever played and I'm looking forward to many happy hours with this baby. In short I love it. Keep producing your great guitars." - Maureen, South



....well after this and the OP's glowing report i just couldn't resist it and bought not only a bass but also the company!!! don't you just love unsolicited advertising? [/quote]
If the instruments being shipped in tune is such a unique selling point, what does that tell you about the target-market?

The basses come ready tuned

I think they're rubbish