eude

I think if you used an SWR Redhead for home practice you might get in trouble... I used to own an original Ibanez Promethean P5110 combo which was plenty powerful for gigging. I replaced a MarkBass LittleMark and Aggie GS112 with it and didn't miss any volume whatsoever. Plenty loud enough for small gigs as long as you're not playing metal, and really useful for on stage monitoring too as it tilts back nicely. It was one of the rarer early class D amps rated at 500W that I think actually was 500W, or close anyway. The more recent ones are pants, but the originals were amazing. Anyway, there is actually one on FaceBook marketplace right now >> https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/562779298220694/ I might beat you to it though Cheers, Eude

Glad to hear you came to a conclusion on this, most comments I hope were constructive It does sound like a more traditional build is what you're looking for and Mr Shuker will certainly make you a wonderful instrument. Please be sure to share progress if you can. Cheers, Eude

Wow! Have you ever played instruments from either luthier? And, I should add, I can't imagine you have with a statement like that.

The OP maybe in luck, the UK Bass Guitar Show will be back next year, in Liverpool, Pandemic permitting. https://theukbassguitarshow.com/ I know ACG will be there and Jon Shuker has attended several of these in the past too.

Thank you very much for the update! Having listened to the video, that's a hell of a lot of sound for a tony amp through a teeny tiny cab! I expect you're right, with a couple of good 1x12 cabs that little amp would be a force to be reckoned with, frustratingly, although there's a 1x12 Gnome cab coming, it's a 4 ohm job. There is an 8 ohm 1x10 though... Eude

The filter preamp is an exclusive option with ACG, you can also go passive, or have a John East Uni-Pre or P-Retro too though.

I've had both ACG and Shuker basses. My Shukers were excellent basses, but they didn't have the personality of my ACGs, they're just a much better fit for me. As much as there's a fixed menu of options with ACG, they're not really any more fixed than most luthiers, the only difference is that Alan will stick to his tried and tested designs rather than gamble on a self penned idea, or a straight up copy of something else. Alan will only use his propriety pickups, but there's a degree of customisation available as they are hand wound to spec. And, to second what @Bigwan stated above, not once have any of my ACGs come with any mistakes, or late, every time they have been early, a rarity in this game. Finally, the build quality of all of my ACGs is spectacular, and knocks the stuffing out of a lot of high end basses I've tried, absolutely incredible workmanship. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but I would certainly tip towards ACG though Cheers, Eude

It's very difficult for a small company, even if they sell globally, to chase down rip offs like this. Really crappy thing for them to do.

It is very similar in many ways to an ABM, but I think you have to think of it as a signature model. Is there really that much of a discernible difference between any of the signature Fender Strats out there? At least some serious effort and design has gone into making it look different and very cool, if you ask me, rather than just lazily painting it a different colour and pretending it's new and unique... I expect there's a limited market for this amp, but with it being hand made, in Essex, I expect they won't be flooding the market with them anyway. I think it's rather cool.

Sounds lovely dude, real rock tone. Aren't wheels on your cab cheating though Eude

That's why I mentioned my Aggie cab Although, I remember hearing a friend's Standard 104HF MB cab, weighed about 30kg I believe and sounded marvellous! I don't think there's many pros out there that are using Class D amps for day to day touring though, they're just not as reliable.

True, but there are some out there making lighter cabs at similar price points. I feel just a slightly more compact 1x12, even with the same heavier build would be a much needed addition to the lineup...

Totally get you, I'm not concerned about the weight of the head, 7 kgs is nothing really. It's the cabs that I feel are too big. 32kg for a. great sounding cab is fine for some, but others want something a little smaller and lighter without making a sacrifice in sound, it can be done. My favourite cab I've ever owned as an Aguilar GS112, which was not a lightweight cab, compare to modern standards, 20kg, ceramic driver and it was great. Two 1x12 cabs, 20kg or lighter, would be a better fit for me, and a lot of others on here I expect too.

I really don't know. They've always made super reliable, but not particularly sexy gear. This new range really changes that, they've nailed the aesthetics, but they've missed some of the go to's for successful modern bass equipment. If you're selling class D gear, your flagship really needs to be 800W or 1000W (they usually the same power module in most cases) to keep up with everyone else. I reckon they could've probably got one of the 500W ICE power units in the little head too, instead of 200W, which just isn't going to have folks lining up to buy it. If you want to sell to your average bass player these days, you need to think about the weight and size of the cabs, as most of us don't have roadies. The cabs, all of them, are a bit old school in that capacity. Regardless, I really hope the range is a success, as they sound fantastic in the demos I've heard, and I love to see a UK company doing well.

You sound like my wife... 😁

Absolutely stunning! And you are not helping my ACG GAS, not one bit 😉

There's a John Myung pedal too...

Holy crap that looks good!

Am I alone in thinking, that of they could somehow make that Guy Pratt amp (G Pramp) smaller, maybe even by just a third all over, even if it was still heavy, they would sell a bunch more? Eude

I'm a huge fan of the futuristic/retro thing they're going for right now, definitely agree it can be marmite though.

Or a Mega Bastard?

Still 30W, and it has Two Notes tech built in so it can run headphones and/or DI without a speaker load and has cab/speaker SIM when used in that style. I absolutely love this new design, I hope it filters through into the other products too!

Lovely, so good to see these things coming to life.

I remember speaking to someone via Instagram who replaced the fan in their ABM for a high spec PC one, with the same size and voltage requirements. It was whisper quiet by comparison, and when I say high spec, it was still only about £20. I might do it in the future, but to be fair to Ashdown, how many people who buy a 600W ABM are that interested in playing along with an acoustic set up? These amps are for loud stage use, they make plenty of smaller, and probably quieter amps and combos for when a lighter touch is required, no? Eude

Oh wow, that's a really cool spec. Love to see more and more shorter 6 string basses out there too. Since I moved to 31.5" I've never looked back. I hope you share a lot of pics etcs when it finally lands! Cheers, Eude