Ashdown - The Saint Avant 4 Matte Black

The Ashdown The Saint Avant 4 Matte Black takes a modern approach to the solid-body bass, featuring a 40 mm poplar body and a matt black finish, also described as satin by an external source.

The bolt-on neck, made from kiln-dried maple, features a C-shaped profile, a fingerboard of the same material, a radius of 13.78 inches or 350 mm, and 24 stainless steel frets. The black hexagonal inlays remain clearly visible on the fingerboard, which has a nut width of 38 mm. The 640 mm double-action truss rod allows for neck adjustments.

The 864 mm multiscale scale length and fan-shaped frets provide a geometry specific to a four-string bass. The fixed Ashdown Vintage-Style bridge, black and vintage-inspired, completes the black hardware.

Three hand-wired single-coil J-Bass pickups feature Alnico V magnets. Their JJJ configuration remains passive and is controlled via two volume controls, a blend control and a tone control, all by CTS. You can balance the three pickups with a good range of adjustment.

The vintage-style tuning machines with an 18:1 ratio are paired with D’Addario XL165 strings in a 45-105 gauge set. The bass comes with a gig bag. The manufacturer’s reference GAS AC-AVANT-4-BLK confirms this is the ‘The Saint Avant’ version, designed for those who want a black finish and a distinctive multiscale design, for both rehearsals and live performances.