A strange little cult piece, the Ashbory Bass flips the script on what a bass guitar is meant to be. Originally from Guild and later picked up by DeArmond, this Fender era Ashbory U-Bass is an 18" scale with silicone rubber strings that feel closer to an upright than anything electric. The response is soft, rounded, and unmistakably woody, with that low-end bloom you don't expect from something this small.
The whole thing is barely larger than a guitar, lightweight and easy to sling around, but it doesn't behave like one. Notes swell rather than snap, and the fretless board pushes you into more expressive territory straight away. It's a completely different touch.
Active electronics with volume, bass and treble let you steer it from dubby thump to something a bit more defined, though it never really loses that upright-like character. Odd, compact, and properly fun to play.
