My introduction to bass playing.  I remember seeing one of these originals, manufactured by Guild, in the mid-80's at the House of Guitars in Rochester (that's where I traded in my 13 roses SG MIJ copy for my Guild s-90).  I played 6-string then and didn't understand it.  When Fender really took over Guild and resurrected the De Armond line, they built several guitars and basses from original Guild specs.  The Ashbory - invented in the UK, was an extremely different idea for a bass.  With only an 18" scale and fretless, it takes a little concentration to play well, but it's soooo cool.  When I saw one at Guitar Center in the mid-oughts, and found out one of the salesmen was selling his because it was an impulse buy, I couldn't resist.  A $250 bass for $150 (private sale - no tax) was the only other inspiration I needed.  The "specially formulated" silicon-rubber strings and the piezo pickup do give it a big bass sound.  I haven't figured out how to get an acoustic double-bass sound yet, but it is neat.