danhkr

Yeah, decent enough guitars, but more-or-less identical to MIM standards of the time and probably not as good as more recent ones.

Yes, c'mon we need pics! Actually don't bother, I'd love a white EBMM with matching headstock and this might just tip me over the edge.

[quote name='Davout' timestamp='1323853470' post='1467681'] It seems Fender are messing about with the logos. These are [b]'Made in China'[/b] just like the SQUIER Classic Vibe range ! I guess it is a marketing ploy to get the impression that you are getting maybe a higher quality instrument for more money. So maybe they are of Classic Vibe quality, but having the big 'F' logo, they can charge an extra £100 ? Don't get me wrong, I love the CV range, & have three of them already, but at around £300 each, whereas the RRP price for these 'Modern Players' is £526. Check out the reviews in 'Guitarist' mag for Jan 2012. Tony. [/quote] My modern player jag bass was £369, the CV Jazz was £349.

[quote name='cytania' timestamp='1323723917' post='1466343'] When I started this thread I picked Ashdown sort of at random, well it had to be a curent cheap bass head - could have been the Hartke 2500 but ooh, is there a lack of love in the room for Ashdown. Think I'll give them a wide berth... [/quote] Well, slightly OT, but to offer an alternative, nearly 2 years ago I replaced an 18 month old SWR WP400 with an Ashdown ABM500 and along with the Ashdown tone being infinitely better (IMO of course), I've not had a single issue with it. The SWR on the other hand was returned twice under warranty. Granted, I'm not a huge fan of the SWR tone, but I wouldn't let one bad experience with one amp put me off a brand for life like many seem to. Search long enough on this forum and you'll find equal measures of pro's and con's for most companies; I've always found its best to find these things out for yourself.

[quote name='Slipperydick' timestamp='1322825511' post='1456249'] I didnt really take offense. Yeah, you can get better strings by paying more, but a lot more. But expensive aint always the best value, depends what your after. Pay a couple of grand for a Bass and it will, I hope, be better than a Squier, but whether its a couple of grands worth better depends what you want and how deep your pockets are, plus of course how sure you are that your not just buying for the brand name. For some reason Rotos are not as good as they used to be - unless of course theres a factory in China somewhere thats selling counterfiet ones, and thats what I've been getting - Last 3 sets I bought went dead in a month or so, where they usually lasted a lot longer. I agree, most cheap strings are what you expect, and often vary from set to set as well. The ones in the O.P are, in my opinion anyway, good for the price. I got 2 different guage sets on different Basses and they both seem to be lasting well. [/quote] Oh I totally agree about paying for brands etc. For example the Picatos and particularly the new Fenders I mentioned are as good in my opinion as Slinkys and D'Addarios, yet half the price. In fact the only set I'd pay more for are probably the most expensive ie. Elixir, and that's because they genuinely are the very best I've tried.

Just to echo what most people are saying here, special limited 'Anniversary' editions and models could possibly go up in value, but standard stuff that just happened to be released in an anniversary year won't. The neck plate is a nice touch, but claiming it will increase in value is just salesman BS I'm afraid. Good basses though.

[url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/modernplayer/models.php?prodNo=0241702"]http://www.fender.co...?prodNo=0241702[/url] Lovely bass, and not a fortune either.

[quote name='Slipperydick' timestamp='1322766474' post='1455686'] [color=#0000cd][i][b]"I've never seen a set of strings that come individually wrapped in those plastic wrappers that are any good. I'm sure [u]they all come from the same factory and they've all been equally bad[/u]". [/b][/i][/color] Aaww C'mon. I'm not the kind to take the moral highground. I just didnt like the way you appeared to rubbish what I said about these strings without actually trying them. [/quote] No offence intended and I wasn't trying to rubbish what you said about these strings, I was just been honest; I really have never seen a decent set at that price (Alice included) and they all tend to be packaged like that. That puts me off; 'once bitten...' and all that. It was more a comment on dirt cheap strings in general rather than this particular set. I'll be honest, I probably won't try them. For the reason above and also because I know that for that much again I could get some Picatos or Fenders which I know are great. If you say these are different and they work for you at a fiver, you've unearthed a bargain. I'd never criticise you for using them or anyone else for trying them, it's just in my experience there's usually a reason that very cheap strings are very cheap.

[quote name='Slipperydick' timestamp='1322345835' post='1449850'] Seem to be a lot of people on here with a bit of a blinkered view. I dont like all cheap strings, but I like the ones in my first post, and one or two other cheap brands are Ok as well. Its down to personal taste I know, but comments like 'Strings in plastic wrappers are usually no good'..... aww c'mon. I can remember when there wasnt so much choice, so I used Rotos or Fenders for years, even Picato were good at one time then Elites or Warwicks, I dont like Hartkes, or Slinkys. and Rotos dont seem so good anymore to me for some reason. Not ALL cheap strings are crap, Same as not ALL expensive ones are great. But in the spirit of the forum, if I, or anyone else finds something thats good AND cheap, then I reckon Its kind of a duty to passs the info on. [/quote] I must have tried half a dozen different 'brands' of dirt cheap strings in the past and they've all been rough and clanky before going dead pretty quickly. The fact that nearly all of them have been packaged internally like the ones you've shown is purely an observation. In the spirit of the forum, Im simply offering an opinion based on my experience. I never said 'all' cheap strings are crap, in fact I suggested some great strings that aren't exactly a fortune. I have no issue with anyone recommending anything, but please don't ask a question and take the moral high ground when you get an answer.

I've never seen a set of strings that come individually wrapped in those plastic wrappers that are any good. I'm sure they all come from the same factory and they've all been equally bad. You can get some great strings for not a fortune (the new Fenders for example at around £13 a set are excellent) but I like Elixir, they easily last me a year of gigging and rehearsing in two bands. Although expensive the outlay is less often, as is the ball-ache of changing strings.

Was sceptical about yet another series of odd instruments from Fender (I wholeheartedly agree they make far too much now) but picked up the Jaguar bass from this series yesterday and it's really, really good. As others have said they're Chinese and bare more than a passing resemblance to the excellent Squier Classic Vibe series. Similar (maybe even a slightly better) standard of finishing, same gloss neck tint and the fairly chunky bridge they use on the CVs. The neck profile is great and the P/J pickups are more than adequate. The Jazz and Tele basses are a bit more expensive, but this was around the same price as the Squier CV's with the added kudos of the Fender brand and offering the P/J pickup option. Also at half the price of the MIJ Jag and with very little in it between the two, a really superb guitar for the money.

....yes it was

Ady sold me an Ashdown ABM head at a great price and although wanted collection, agreed to pack and ship it which was really good of him. Top Basschatter! Thanks again!

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1319283330' post='1412198'] I'd like to know how involved the BM are in this, especially as the original order was place with them. In my experience that's the first, and should be the only point of contact, [/quote] Absolutely, a customer should not have to go to the wholesaler, they should simply register their complaint with the dealer and the dealer should sort the issue out with the wholesaler. Seems absolutely bizarre that the only 'party' working to sort this out is actually the customer. MM20, it's not your responsibility to chase S&T up, it should be BM because that is who you have bought the item from.

I suspect if anyone finds a good EBMM unusable, it says more about them than it does the guitar. In all fairness though, it's a good thing when companies come along and try to be innovative - certainly beats the crap out of wading through hundreds of fender clones - but the vast majority of great bass players and bass lines were around long before the 'fanned fret' system. To me it's an interesting alternative rather than an improvement. As for the OP, really disappointing to hear EBMM have let a duffer slip through the net. Always a risk buying unseen, but you expect top notch build quality to be a given with them. Hope you get sorted out and they make some sort of an effort to make up for it.

I use Elixir 50-105, but that is as heavy as they go and most shops don't stock them. I wouldn't recommend using any other 'coated' string as (IME) Elixirs are the only ones that really 'work' well enough to be worth the extra expenditure, but there's plenty of other good uncoated strings that go heavier. EB Power Slinkys lasted me quite a while and they are 55-110, and I think DR do some drop tuning sets which may be worth you looking into. Also it's well worth improving the life of your strings by getting into the habit of cleaning them after use (takes less than a minute to give them a rub down with fast fret).

I thought my relatively new EBMM Sterling was a fantastic bass until I bought a 1994 model! At the time I also had a Big Al SSS and a roadworn Precision and after a few gigs with the '94 Sterling I flogged the rest. Better weight, resonance, playability and neck finish & profile than either of the modern EBMM's I had, and whilst the P offered something very different, it didn't get a look in. Birdseye maple and the big bridge are nice 'extras' as well. You can never say never, but it'd take something really really special to make me want to part with the '94 Sterling, and it's the first time since I was a kid that I've been perfectly content with owning just one bass.

I think the bigger MB series stuff sounds great for the money but I'm not sure about build quality and reliability. Mixed reports.

Yes, I don't think this new one, the dual tube range or the all-valve stuff looks as smart as the ABM and BTA stuff. That old 'script' font that everyone was using in the early 90's is pretty naff. Firm believer though that it aint what an amp looks like, it's how it performs and despite what people say, Ashdown's MAG and ABM stuff is pretty-much the industry standard at those price points.

[quote name='Rumble' timestamp='1317731739' post='1393772'] I can dial out the boom by trimming back the bass, but that seems to negate the point of getting the ABM in the first place. [/quote] I don't see why, eq controls are there to be cut as well as boosted and there's plenty of scope either way on an ABM. It's a new amp, start with a flat eq and spend a bit of time with it, and again, don't be afraid to cut!

[quote name='phatbass787' timestamp='1318372770' post='1401447'] If I was going to go valve amp I would have to try one of these bad boys for sure... [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?section=valve&ID=231"]http://www.ashdownmu...on=valve&ID=231[/url] [/quote] Hell of a lot more expensive though, and (as you've probably guessed from the LB550 thread) I'd certainly want to take a peek inside and see if the build quality is actually any better than the ampeg. I've said it lots of times but the majority of valve gear really is the 'emperors new clothes'; it looks and often sounds the part but I'm far from convinced it's made to the standards it should be to justify the outlay.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1318347090' post='1400943'] Of course they would have cost more. But I didn't say anything about building to a price (and yes, I know what that means, thank you) but building down to a price. I don't have the MAG cabs, I have the ABM ones - the top of the range. So they should be up there with top end cabs but they're not because Ashdown skimped on the bits you can't see. I've no reason to believe the latest ABM range is any different. You're a MAG cab user, eh? Miles better than Behringer - well that's great. You must be very happy. What exactly is Ashdown's market share, by the way? [/quote] ABM cabs aren't top of the range, but my main cab is an ABM 610 and it's really good. Perhaps theres something better out there for the same money, I don't know, but I tried mine and the 4x10 up against Ampeg, SWR and Hartke equivalents (all more expensive barring the Hartke) and it was superior to my ears. My MAG cabs are spares and rehearsal cabs and they're great, really nice and punchy, although not as good as the ABM. The comparison to Behringer was because of the similarity in price ie. [i]for not a lot more than a Behringer you can get a really good usable cab.[/i]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1318345084' post='1400897'] Virtually all modern all tube amps are PCB. I know purists prefer the 'real thing', but the tone difference is ...what...nothing? The Ampeg CL is horrendously expensive, and yet its built overseas, with the same technology as the AD200b. Difference is, the AD200b is noticably more 'distinct' in its drive, and certainly better for my tone goals. No offence to Marshall, but I wouldn't touch a Marshall for bass, ever. Don't really like Marshall guitar amps if im honest. Watts and volume are not a concern for me with a full tube amp...especially anything over 100W. Yes, Matamp can build great PTP high quality tube amps, but is the tone exactly what Im looking for? Not sure, but I'd only look at Orange and Matamp from now on. The Orange cabs are big heavy tone monsters. They are built like a tank, heavy, but excellent tone. Very well finished and constructed. The attention to detail is excellent. I bought my Orange gear 2 years or more ago before they became very popular again, and I didnt have to pay £1300-1400 for the amp. I would still think £1300 for the AD200b is reasonable, especially compared to the Ampeg CL. The customer service is another major point. Orange (particularly Neil) have an excellent reputation in this country. [/quote] I agree most modern amps are PCB made, but the better ones don't mount poweramp valves straight on the board. It's a real cheap quick fix and is notoriously bad for faults and expensive repairs. If a company does it, it should be reflected in the price regardless of tone. This goes for Ampeg too ([i]and[/i] Ashdown if their valve gear is the same - I've never seen theirs). Shame on Orange because they could mount the valves on proper bases and still be predominantly PCB based, yet increase the durability and QC tenfold. Knowing what I know they'd still make a fortune selling it for £1400, but like many companies these days, it's all about marketing and making money rather than truly supplying a quality made product. It's just sad that the price suggests it is something that its not, especially when Matamp would probably hand build you a similar amp properly for similar money. I'm not a marshall fan either, but the VBA is a monster. I'd recommend anyone at least give it a go, and like I say it [i]is[/i] built to higher standards but for less money. Personally I resent Orange, Ampeg etc for that.