Ashbory Artifacts
This area is dedicated to historical and present documents. If you are more interested in the history of the Ashbory, co-creator Nigel Thornbory has created an excellent resource at Ashbory.com. If you are looking for comparisons/reviews/etc. be sure to visit the Articles section of this site.
Pre-Guild documents and instruments
- Ashbory Patent: U.S. patent for the Ashbory Bass silicon rubber string and transducer technology, patent number #4,750,397
- Early Protoype Basses: Prototype Ashbory Basses image and a nice note from Alun Jones
- Early Ashbory Basses: Two early Ashbory Basses built by instrument co-creator Nigel Thornbory
- Ashbory Bass article in Folk Roots Magazine (UK), April 1986: Ian A. Anderson gives an early view of this unique instrument
- Early Ashbory instruction sheet: An early "Original Ashbory" instruction sheet, circa 1985, explaining the process of "stringing-up an Ashbory"
- Early Ashbory flyer: A product sheet for the pre-Guild Ashbory offering
Guild-era documents
- Instruction papers: These are the 1988-era papers explaining how to use the Ashbory
- Promotional slick: Promotional single sheets used to explain the Ashbory to potential buyers
- Another promotional slick: There's two flyers for the Guild Ashbory Bass that we know of. This is the other.
- 1988 black & white print advertisement: "The Amazing Ashbory. Only From Guild."
- 1987 Guild price sheet: Official paper from Guild showing list prices for instruments including the Ashbory Bass
Between Guild and DeArmond
- Mark II Ashbory product sheet: Bass Centre flyer for the short-lived Mark II Ashbory Bass
- Mark II Ashbory price sheet: Confidential 1990-era Ashbory Mark II price sheet
- 1996 Ashbory pickup rebuild letter: This letter written by Alun Ashworth-Jones was received with a rebuilt Guild pickup in 1996
- Ashbory Internet Resource: AIR was a long scrappy page with the basic information people need to know but even more importantly, it was a factor in the return of the instrument
DeArmond/Fender-era documents
- Ashbory on DeArmondGuitars.com: Here's a copy of the Ashbory page from the old DeArmondGuitars.com web site
- DeArmond Ashbory announcement press release: Here's the text from the press release announcing the return of the Ashbory
- Promotional slick: Promotional single sheet flyer used to explain the product to potential buyers
- "Bill Schultz" DeArmond Hang Tag: Hang tag that came with a 2002 Ashbory Bass with a note from FMIC Chairman Bill Schultz
- LargeSound.com site launch press release: Here's is the announcement that launched LargeSound.com
- State of the Ashbory email from Alun Ashworth-Jones: An email from August 20, 2007 regarding the status of the instrument.
- Aquila Thundergut Bass String Packaging: A look at packaging from the early months of the Thundergut strings.