Ash Taiaha Fretless-5

Dodgy rythym and thick strings here...

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Ash Taiaha Fretless-5

Post by ash »

The first Ash Taiaha 5-string fretless bass is going to be flying out later today. And bass geeks in the vicinity of my workshop should come and have a look before it goes South to Dunners.
Last edited by ash on Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by snitchez »

worth it. its nice. got the finish done already?

sweet. now mine is slowly gonna get its turn =)

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by Kev77 »

pictorials?//
"Cash on the ballot, money to burn, Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn" Bob Dylan is a genius

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by ash »

Taiaha has left the building. Praise the Gods of Unplanned Misfortune for looking the other way for long enough for me to get it done. Tough build, but sweeeeeet glorious result. My camera is full of pictures so I'll bust some out later tonight.
http://ashcustomworks.com for custom built electric guitars hand made in new zealand

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by ash »

Thar she blows. The longest, most expensive, most challenging, most cursed build so far.
Also known as an Ash Taiaha fretless 5-string single-cutaway bass guitar:
Img_0540a.jpg
Howls of discontent from the traditionalists, I'm sure. The space between the upper horn and the neck is left solid to give maximum support to the neck and assist in acheiving a solid low-B tone.
Img_0508.jpg
Mahogany body, maple/bubinga/carbon-fibre neck. Swamp kauri top and covers. Ebony fingerboard.
Img_0542.jpg
Gotoh GBS510 tuners (amazing things) and Hipshot Triple-lockdown bridges.
Last edited by ash on Fri Sep 04, 2009 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
http://ashcustomworks.com for custom built electric guitars hand made in new zealand

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by snitchez »

like it more with the pup covers in place. thumbs up mate.

next one should have fanned frets? =)

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by ash »

Img_0534.jpg
Nordstrand Big-Singles pickups under the swamp kauri covers. Audere Z-mode 3-band preamp under the gold knobs.
Img_0556.jpg
Top half of the body is hollow, bottom half is full of batteries and electronics.
Img_0523a.jpg
Plus a handy weed-compartment.
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Re: Ash Taiaha Fretless-5

Post by robnobcorncob »

Very nice. Wow.

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Re: Ash Taiaha Fretless-5

Post by snitchez »

stop with the photos already. i cant afford one right now =)
plus it would just to be wanking on

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by foal30 »

what are the pick -ups?
also the range...what does it go up too?

is each bridge saddle isolated?

like the pick up covers and the headstock which looks well tidy
probably prefer the back view...but not the electrics coverings... i like the flash harry matched wood covers.


how do you feel about letting this sort of work commitment go? I realize the $ probably helps but on a philosophical level what is it like? apart from a few children i haven't made very much so am wondering what it's like to do this.

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Re: Ash Taiaha Fretless-5

Post by foal30 »

Nords, right post jam up
the top photo of ya second lot
looks like a giant guitar in Los Angles

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by Terexgeek »

foal30 wrote:also the range...what does it go up too?
I believe the range of a fretless bass is about 30 feet, depending on the strength of your arm and the weight of the bass.*




Ba-dom-cha!





*Of course to throw any ASH instrument would be wrong, wrong, wrong, but you just don't give me feeder lines like that... :roll:
Tin arse!!

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Re: Ash Taiaha Fretless-5

Post by Jenesis »

Whoa, that's spesh!

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Re: Fretless bass geeks alert.

Post by ash »

foal30 wrote:what are the pick -ups?
Nordy Big Singles. Like big, fat J-bass pickups. Noisy as all hell one at a time, but they hum-cancel quite effectively with both or mostly both on.
also the range...what does it go up to?
28 fret lines. Not for any good reason other than that's how long the ebony was and the owner wanted the fingerboard to go all the way to the pickup.
is each bridge saddle isolated?
Yes, five seperate individual bridges mounted independently. They have one screw in the front of each and a huge hollow bolt in the middle. You can feed the string through the hollow bolt or hook in to the back of the bridge as you desire.
like the pick up covers and the headstock which looks well tidy
probably prefer the back view...but not the electrics coverings... i like the flash harry matched wood covers.
Matched wooden covers would have been nice and elegant but the dude's budget ran dry.

how do you feel about letting this sort of work commitment go? I realize the $ probably helps but on a philosophical level what is it like?
This one's a massive relief to see go. It has been really challenging with literally every part going wrong and having to be corrected. I had to cut the first neck out and start again. First top got munched in the thicknesser. Drama sourcing the hardware. Drama with the kauri's crazy grain. Drama with the pickup cavities. And so much more.
The fact that it going out the door equates to money coming in makes parting such sweet awesomeness. 8)
I would like to have more time to play and test each instrument before it goes, but there usually isn't such a luxury.
http://ashcustomworks.com for custom built electric guitars hand made in new zealand

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Re: Ash Taiaha Fretless-5

Post by bender »

I'm normally pretty trad when it comes to guitars but that is fekkin' cool! I especially like the contouring on the back of the upper bout and neck.

Hot work as usual mate!

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