Lew-Bass

[quote name='redstriper' post='475244' date='Apr 29 2009, 04:49 PM']With respect, it takes more than a single evening to get the hang of this instrument IMVHO. The Ashbory is now my main bass and I don't think it's a toy any more than a violin, harmonica, ukelele or any other small musical instrument, but it's not as easy to play as a regular bass and requires considerable effort and a different approach to get the best from it. It certainly doesn't suit all styles of playing and is best suited to old school jazz, blues, country, classical or (in my case) reggae finger style playing. It may not help fragile egos as much as a 'proper' big bass and it's not a popular choice - but I like being different, (I'm 6' 4" and hard as nails BTW). I got it last year because arthritis meant holding my old jazz bass was becoming too painful. At first I thought I would never get used to it and I nearly gave up a few times, but I now find myself enjoying it more and I rarely use the jazz bass even sitting down at home or in a studio. I've played lots of gigs and a few festivals with it and had many compliments on the sound. My playing is very basic though and the sound suits me - deep and smooth. All the tracks [url="http://myspace.com/redstriper"]here[/url] were recorded with the Ashbory. Please excuse the sloppy playing, they were recorded while I was still learning the instrument and most are first takes recorded live in my front room. In fact I'm still learning and that's one of the best things about the Ashbory for me - it's like starting again after 30 years with a 'normal' bass and I'm really enjoying the challenge. I've started to play more old school jazz bass lines recently to make more of the fretless sound and it can sound very double bassish. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyURepi1rvE&feature=channel"]this guy[/url] has made his own from Ashbory parts and [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3IUSd5c6VM&feature=related"]and this guy[/url] has made a bass uke along similar lines. The Ashbory has been used on recordings around the world in a variety of settings, including: Lovetown by Peter Gabriel from the movie soundtrack Philadelphia: Music From The Motion Picture, with Tony Levin playing the Ashbory. It is also featured on multiple tracks from the 2002 release by the BYU Young Ambassadors titled Broadway Rhythm, where it plays the role of an upright bass. Mike Watt used an Ashbory on the 1989 self-titled release from Bootstrappers. There is a useful Ashbory forum [url="http://www.largesound.net/"]here[/url] and I wouldn't let bilbo's negative comments put you off if you're up for the challenge. One final point - the new black pahoehoe strings are higher tension, easier to play and don't need talc.[/quote] Great post mate, thanks for the insight

Would you actually be able to ellicit much from it though, seeming though it's essentially half of a standard bass scale

hell is this! A very shortscale double bass/bass hybrid :ph34r: [url="http://www.basscentre.com/ashbory-bass/ashbory-bass.html"]http://www.basscentre.com/ashbory-bass/ashbory-bass.html[/url] It looks pretty eye-catching, anyone know what they sound like?

Cream Pearl

Thanks alot to the guys bringing the thread back on course, and to the others for such an interesting read! I didn't intend to spark a debate.. I've had a look on the smith bass website as suggested, and the woods that best fit my description (I ment a low, heavy-sounding growl if that makes any sense?) are cocobolo, lacewood and ovankol. Does that sound right to you guys? :S Also, maybe I'm mistaken but I've seen zebrano as a core wood?

Which ones do you reckon look the best, and provide a nice growly warm tone? And what are your woods of choice? Pics appreciated

It's come now guys, feels great to play the neck is very fast, the B string sounds rattly though and the pups are easily pressed down, what should I do about this?

[quote name='Stan_da_man' post='431837' date='Mar 11 2009, 07:47 PM'][url="http://www.ariaguitars.com/int/03_products/pro_eb_sb_40.html"]http://www.ariaguitars.com/int/03_products/pro_eb_sb_40.html[/url] I thang yow. [/quote] Thanks alottt mate! Are they common over here then, doesn't seem it?

Thanks alot for the info Noel, and the link After that link, I'm not sure this is an actual aria :S, maybe it's just me being paranoid but you can find next to no information on the net and this seems the only place that sells it in the UK, they all seem like Australian sites If anyone could help please do

[quote name='Bassassin' post='429405' date='Mar 9 2009, 02:34 PM']Axes R Us are very good, free post & quick delivery Alternatively CH Guitars on Ebay are worth a look. By setup I mean action, neck relief, intonation, neck angle & all that stuff. Don't know what sort of bridge you're after but I have a chunky cast 5er bridge just sitting around gathering dust. Genuine reason for sale (as they say!) - this came off a through-neck Peavey which I'm de-fretting, it will be no use when the frets are off because it simply won't adjust low enough because of its fat saddles & thick base plate. This wouldn't be a problem with a bolt-neck bass like the Aria, but obviously on the Peavey I can't change the neck angle by shimming to compensate for the saddle height. I've bought a low profile Schaller 3D to replace it with, so if you're interested in the old one, which is in as-new condition, let me know & I'll post some pics up. Jon.[/quote] I like the look of the thomann single riders, the idea of the strings looking seperate seems so sexy! haha I intend to gradually kinda turn all the metal work into gold, like gold machine heads, bridge, strap pins even the control knobs and p'ups, I reckon it'd be good. The hard part will be getting the same shade

Just taken the plunge, now if anyone could point me in the direction of a good website for bridges, knobs, pickup covers etc. I'd be very grateful

[quote name='Bassassin' post='428555' date='Mar 8 2009, 01:21 PM']I've never played the particular bass in question - but I can tell you that in my experience ( I have a bass, acoustic bass & a guitar) modern Arias are very nice quality for budget/low midrange stuff. Do be prepared to do a bit of tweaking & setting-up though, factory setup's always a letdown. It would be best to try & find one in a shop so you can make a proper assessment though. Jon.[/quote] Thankyou, I think I'm gonna go for it, I plan on customising it anyway (mainly aesthetics; gold bridge, tuners and nobs but possibly pickups if the stocks aren't upto much). By set up do you mean the action?

I'm trying to find a 5 string lefthanded fretless and finding it pretty difficult, I've found this one on ebay: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-SB40-5FL-LEFT-HAND-Fretless-5-String-Bass-Black_W0QQitemZ390034999840QQihZ026QQcategoryZ4713QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-SB40-5FL-LEFT-H...1742.m153.l1262[/url] Has anyone played one of these before? What do you think of the spec? Seeming though my budget is £300, I could put a decent pair of pickups into instead of the stock ones.

bump, I need help!

[quote name='Machines' post='422217' date='Mar 1 2009, 09:16 AM']I think there's a lot better for the price. What music are you playing ?[/quote] I'm playing anything from indie to metal, I'd like a warmer sound if possible

Anyone know if it's any good? The pickups don't seem great, but seeming though my budget is near enough £300 and without doing too much digging I've found it for £210, if I was able to get it and a very good pickup aswell would it be a good bass or is there better out there for my price range?

[quote name='Bassmonster' post='413584' date='Feb 18 2009, 08:21 PM']i know you stated you were looking at a new bass, but have you completely rulled out the 2nd hand market, there really isn't that much in your price range new, the kind of stuff your looking at starts at around £400 and there isn't alot around for us lefties (in my experience)[/quote] I don't really want to, but if something was too good to overlook then I would. The ideal bass would be a Spector, which I found RH models on the net for under £300! But not any of the models they do LH, and you can only seem to get LH Spectors overseas

[quote name='Jamesk86' post='413130' date='Feb 18 2009, 03:06 PM'][url="http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Warwick-Rockbass-Streamer-Std-2PUNA-L-H/83K"]http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/...d-2PUNA-L-H/83K[/url] This seems like a good bargin![/quote] Yeah that's the one I was going to get, but because it's at the upper end of my budget I thought I'd see if anyone could recommend a different bass, thanks though!

[quote name='Jamesk86' post='412725' date='Feb 18 2009, 09:15 AM']Check out the Warwick Rockbass collection, they don't charge extra for south Paws and they are well within your budget and good Axes![/quote] That's what I was getting! It was £245 on bassmerchant and they had it in almond sunburst, that I'd never seen before in the streamer. It suddenly just rose to £340 though

After finding a bass I thought I'd go for, the price randomely hiked up £90 on the website, putting it slightly out of my budget and greatly alienating me. So, I'm calling on you for help for a new LH bass for no more than £300 (although exceptional examples abit more are OK) that has a fast neck, 5 strings, preferably soapbars. I'll be using fingerpicking but would like the bass to be decent for slap. Thank you so much for your help, I really don't know where else to look!

It looks like a good deal mate but I don't really want a combo Thanks

How do you go about this if say for example it is a custom-made amp?

I've got a £300 budget, can anyone recommend to me a good half-stack idea? Hoping to be gigging with an indie band Edit: Forgot to say, I'm up for extremely good condition S/H