Ashdown - The Saint Roasted Ice Blue LH + Housse

There are bass guitars that seem to have a history of their own even before the first note is played. With its Gloss Ice Blue finish, vintage chrome tuners and headstock matching the body, the Ashdown The Saint Roasted LH evokes instruments that have stood the test of time whilst retaining a personality all of their own. For a left-handed bassist, this double-cutaway design also offers comfortable access to different areas of the neck, whilst the 34-inch scale length and 20 frets provide familiar reference points for crafting lines, whether it’s playing a few deep notes or moving up into the higher registers.

At the heart of this Saint lies an Alnico P-J configuration, giving the bassist two complementary tonal characters. The P-type pickup delivers round, generous and prominent bass tones, perfect for adding weight to a bass line, whilst the J adds greater articulation and bite when the track calls for a more precise attack. Both pickups are hand-wired and controlled by two volume controls and a tone control: a simple approach that leaves room for playing, listening and nuance rather than a succession of complicated adjustments.

The poplar body is paired with a bolt-on neck and a torrefied maple fingerboard – a wood whose deep colour further enhances the charm of this Ice Blue version. The 6 mm black dot inlays provide classic visual markers, whilst the Vintage tuners and fixed bridge extend this retro-inspired design. It’s a bass that can sound soft and rounded when you let your notes breathe, then become more incisive as the music builds in intensity. Supplied with its gig bag, this left-handed version has that little bit of extra soul that makes you want to pick it up, plug it into your amp and let the bassline tell its story.