Ashdown Engineering

Hi Ed, apologies but sounds like there is some mis communication here. We were closed over Christmas and re opened on Tuesday so this week has been hectic catching up. Couriers can be a nightmare on occasion but generally speaking if you were promised a collection then it should have happened. Please can you email the details of your situation to [email protected] and I will get to the bottom of it for you. Apologies again but we will get you sorted.

Confused by this one Jack... It’s a rack head and most people rack them so what is it that you feel about the design that mean it can’t be rack mounted? Also the EVO IV is the 600 not 500 head...

Amen

Brian can sometimes be hard work that’s for sure. But we love him anyway as he’s a bass player and he’ll come round in the end. Ps So we make your cheque out to Dave? ?

You’ll perhaps need to explain that one a little more...

Hey Big Red, Sorry to hear this, do you have the details of when emails were sent etc so we can investigate. We normally work very hard to answer any customer issues as quickly as possible so I would like to look into what happened here. Thanks in advance

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1508792484' post='3394523'] Imported Norse DOOM could be a selling point, nowt more DOOM than those Norsemen on their travels. [/quote] Indeed the Doom is strong with those guys. We will be clear to specify Origin Of Doom on each amp

There should be enough Doom in Aston for the first run at least but after that we may have to go further afield

[quote name='tonyxtiger' timestamp='1508696290' post='3393874'] Great that he can now get that elusive 70s tone now that he’s officially retired from sabbath. Get the DOOM tone by writing DOOM on the amp. [/quote] Just to clarify Geezer hasn't died....or to a lesser extent even retired....so there's a good chance he wants tone he's happy with going forwards... Then 'Get the DOOM tone by writing DOOM on the amp.' Kind of... the Doom is in the amp at all times, each amp will be pre loaded with the correct Geezer approved amount of doom before shipping(the most dangerous part of the amp build), then the doom control just varies the overall level of doom.

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1506936210' post='3382034'] Couldn't have put it better myself! Only thing I can fault is the relatively noisy fan - not really a problem in the gigs I do but is that normal? [/quote] We did have a batch of fans that were noisier than we would have liked it was caught quickly but there are a few out there, if it's troublesome we would be happy to swap the fan out for a quieter one for you. You are free to pop in and we can sort whilst you wait or if you want to pop it in the post we can sort and ship back to you. Just let me know. Cheers.

Whats the 2x10? Nearly every 2x10 cab we've ever made has been 8 Ohm...

Email [email protected] and he will look after him or he could always give us a call on 01621 857853. Saying that there won't be anyone in till Tuesday as the service dept have finished for the week...

[quote name='Bassulike66' timestamp='1481546292' post='3193090'] I'll cut a long story short here, why don't Ashdown reply to my emails regarding a transformer burnout on one of their amps!?!? I have a ABM 500 EVO II which i have used for many years. However, the transformer burntout during a recent soundcheck. I have asked them for the price of a replacement transformer. I don't want a freebie i will gladly stump up the cash if they still actually supply that particular part!! It's like pulling teeth!! Mild rant over...any advice on getting hold of a replacement transformer would be appreciated. [/quote] Morning Bassulike, Sorry to hear about your frustration on this. However we don't seem to have an email that matches what you are saying here. Could you let us know when you sent the email approximately and email address?(DM us if you like) or even better if you can resend the email to [email protected] then he will look after you. We have just trawled the last 7 days of emails and can't find anything that we think is you sadly. OR if you have 5 mins then feel free to call Guy directly on 01621 857853 and he will sort the replacement transformer. He is only in today and tomorrow FYI. Hope this helps and let us know how you get on. Cheers.

You are all welcome to join us any time chaps...

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1456237625' post='2986896'] Tea and biscuits at Ashdown HQ sounds amazing. I wonder what an Ashdown afternoon tea is like... I want to know if everybody downs tools and chills out with the Rolling Scones. [/quote] We're actually just about to break for tea in a min..... Will post a pic.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1456231022' post='2986802'] Sounds like the ashdown b overly complicated after reading that. [/quote] Not really, all that takes about 2 mins and once everythings set correctly you wont have to do it again

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1456224942' post='2986720'] Yeah methinks they just want you for your chocolate biscuits [/quote] Maybe... ;-)

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1456178932' post='2986414'] So I was the proud owner of a B-Social for two days for last week... Couldn't get on with it. Seemed to work OK with my lower output basses but it couldn't cope with the 2x9v preamp in my GB giving it a noticeably lower volume despite dialling down the input gain and using the master vol. The Apptek modelling was a joke with an audible delay between playing and hearing the effected signal. And the amp cab variants just providing different levels of boominess - even their own Ashdown models. The unit played audio OK but in the end that was all I was getting for £600 and my iPad docking station is better with more bass and sound spread but costing < £100. And despite me sending a desperate support plea to Ashdown via e-mail via their website, I've had no reply. Not sure this product and the appkit are ready for the market. Suggest anyone interested in this unit test it very carefully first, including the apptek which I know is difficult in the shop but do it. All of this might be me being picky but I'm not sure it is? (Many thanks to PMT Manchester for their support and understanding throughout this episode!) [/quote] Hey Visog, Sorry to hear about your disappointment with the B Social. We don't seem to have had an email from you over the past couple of weeks so not sure what has happened there... You could have phoned us though and we would have chatted through any issues whilst you were sitting with the amp... However first thing we would say is that the B Social is quite a complex bit of kit and the fact that you state that you owned the unit for 'two days' is a bit of a worry as we don't think that is really enough time to get to grips with everything... As regards your high output bass this is very odd as we have tested with countless basses over the past year or so including our 18v Status and Doug Wimbish's 9v Spector more recently with no problems at all. The active input is -15db compared to the passive input which should negate any high output issues. Are you saying even using the Active input its clipping on the front end regardless of input gain? AppTek works perfectly and has been a feature on a number of our amps for around 3 years. Did you spend some time to set the app up correctly as this is critical? There are a lot of parameters to set/play with and if this isn't done then the results won't be great. First of all there is per saved set up an input level gain and output level that will need to played with to get the best out of things depending on the bass being used/amp sim chosen/fx etc. Once this is set and all is nice and clean/clear you can then adjust volumes on the actual B Social etc. It is also vital that you set the 'Noise and feedback filter' off to remove latency also turn off the 'adjust to prevent feedback' setting as well. [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'amp cab variants just providing different levels of boominess - even their own Ashdown models' - again can only suggest things weren't quite set up correctly as there shouldn't be any 'boominess'. Using the EQ within the app and setting the B Social fairly flat should remove any 'boominess' pretty easily(Also turning off the filters I previously mention will help too. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If you wanted to pop down and see us in Essex for a couple of hours one day we will happily go through everything with you in person, bring your basses/Ipad/chocolate biscuits etc and we think that within a few mins you would have a different view on things. We know you've already returned your unit but you can come and have a play on ours and if your mind was changed enough you may decide to give one another go... [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Check out the B Social videos that we did with Doug Wimbish on our YouTube channel, there was no tricks, no post production etc on any of the B Social videos and despite using a fairly high output bass there is no boominess or latency issues when using AppTek sims and FX....[/font][/color] https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpmPk7hnfreWxFa0_GDpmJFWAs94ocJEj Anyways let us know if you could pop down and see us as it would be great to be able to go through everything with you in person if we could...

[quote name='danbanbass' timestamp='1454353225' post='2968920'] Because of what the foo fighters bassist has used in the past I want to be faithful to it within reason. [/quote] Should really read 'Because of what the foo fighters bassist has used EXCLUSIVELY FOR OVER 15 years I want to be faithful to it within reason' ;-)

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1452275361' post='2948449'] With typical gain staging half way on many amps and with many basses equates to full power on louder notes. Plenty of amps have the gain stages set so that they reach full power well before noon with typical input signals, because people assume that if an amp is as loud with the master volume at 10 o'clock as another amp with the master at 2 o'clock, then the first amp must be more powerful. Sadly it isn't but it sells amps in shops and means we end up with lots of amps on the market where the second half of knob rotation is worthless as you're already at full power by then. [/quote] THIS!!! What most players/customers don't understand is that the master volume on an amp and where it is in relation to volume is completely irrelevant. All depends on what type of pot is used(Log vs Linear) amongst other things. There's a certain little amp(quite a popular one) that actually puts out its full power(500 watts) at 11 o'clock on the master volume and after that a limiter/compressor kicks in to protect the amp but there is no increase in volume after 11 o clock just a load of compression As Alex points out what this means is people think 'wow this amp is loud and I'm not even halfway!' whereas in reality the user thinks they've got loads in reserve they are actually at the limit already. This has been happening for years and is cheeky for sure and the brand I'm talking about aren't the only ones to do this...

[quote name='gillento' timestamp='1447841057' post='2910778'] I just love it when manufacturers are chiming in to clarify things:) Thanks a lot! [/quote] No worries, it can be confusing so just wanted to clarify things for you.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1447706136' post='2909703'] The only UK made Ashdown heads from the current crop are the valve series as far as I know. I think the first batch of EVO IVs were UK too but now it's the custom valve heads and Foundation cabs only. I believe anyway... [/quote] Yup we do still make quite a bit in the UK, Valve heads of course but also the Retroglide-800, JJ-500 and we have made a lot of ABM heads here this year aswell.

[quote name='gillento' timestamp='1447672575' post='2909344'] I do not wa nt to start a discussion about UK made quality vs Asian made I am simply curious: Online I found a picture of the 1200: [url="http://www.gearnuts.com/images/closeup/xl/1600-ABM1200REIV_detail4.jpg"]http://www.gearnuts....EIV_detail4.jpg[/url] it says made in PRC. Here's a link to a german online store: [url="https://www.musicstore.de/en_GB/EUR/Ashdown-ABM-600-EVO-IV-Made-in-UK/art-BAS0008062-000;pgid=xiggcQQ7.FtSRpJ2Tn099tZD0000Xbt9o1Zm"]https://www.musicsto...tZD0000Xbt9o1Zm[/url] So who owns any of these and can confirm? [/quote] The standard production ABM EVO 4 is made at our facility in China so hence the designed in UK and Made in PRC, however we do offer an option for UK made if people wish to pay the premium, also due to demand since the launch of the EVO 4 we have actually been building batches in England to fulfil orders in between China shipments so because of this there is actually quite a few made in England versions out there in stores. I.e the ABM 1200 that Music Store have listed here is in fact a UK made model so they are correct... Hope this helps

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1445354173' post='2890844'] People are weird. Some people on here have rejected amps because to get the sound they wanted, they had to have X control in a position other than 12 o'clock! EDIT: Sorry, that wasn't supposed to sound as harsh as it did! My point was just that people shouldn't be afraid to use the controls on their gear [/quote] Didn't sound harsh - sadly rang very true!

[quote name='Fisheth' timestamp='1445350684' post='2890790'] Oh they do look lovely. What's the difference in sound between the cabs? What would fit best with the CTM 100? [/quote] Sound is hugely subjective so what's 'best' for one person may be completely wrong for someone else... There is a difference in sound of standard ABM vs ABM Foundation in that we hear deeper bass and more definition on the top end but again it depends on the player, the amp, the bass used etc etc. With the Foundation range you are paying for the absolute best we have ever made and the reliability, consistent performance and longevity that comes with that fact. Saying this probably 90% of our artists actually use regular ABM cabs so one of those would also be more than up to the job with a CTM 100...