JPJ

Wowzers! Just used this in anger for the first time today at rehearsal playing through an Ampeg 6x10. What can I say other than I’m blown away. Pre-shape engaged, EQ flat, passive five string Precision bass and this thing sounds and more importantly feels like a full valve amp. It has that ‘bounce’ and for those who are interested, it has enough heft to demolish walls. Whack on the doom control and it’s instant Geezer Butler. Can’t wait for tomorrows gig now 😎

This was me. I’d tried the ABM’s and the MAG’s in various rehearsal rooms and always found them to be a little dull or lifeless. Then I tried the Head of Doom and I’m a convert. Oh and spot on about the customer service - absolutely first class! Yes that was my point - by choice I meant choice of manufacturer rather than amplifier topology.

…..it’s a Platypus? 😂

This was me. Tried many Ashdown amps from the ABM’s to the Mag’s in rehearsal rooms and always found them to be a little dull or lifeless. Then I tried the Head of Doom and became a convert. And you’re spot on about the excellent customer service.

Without wishing to get into the whole 'heft' class A/B/C/D/E/F etc debate, I do feel like we have a much smaller range of options these days, or is that just the effect of my rose tinted glasses?

You could always buy this from me, its the proverbial Swiss army knife for acoustic bass and has the really useful notch filter for those problematic feedback frequencies. Only selling as an old hand injury makes double bass or EUB playing too painful.

New amp day here at JPJ towers thanks to our very own ryancowell25. Having used nothing but SWR for the last 15 odd years (save for a brief flirtation with an Aguilar AG500) I decided to try something different as I’m being drawn more towards that lightly overdriven valve sound. I’ve posted before how despite wanting to, I could never get on with the Ashdown ABM range so this was a bit of a leap of faith. So far I’ve only been able to play this through a little TC 2x8 cab at low volume but it sounds mighty and sort of reminds me of someone but I can’t quite put my finger on who? 🤔😉😎 Thanks to Hermes, the amp has obviously had a knock in transit damaging the Subs control knob and thank the gods Ryan opted to ship in the Gator gig bag or who knows how much worse things could have been. Quick order fired off to Ashdown for a set of 5 replacement knobs so she should be looking at her sexiest best for her first public outing next weekend.

I’ve just shielded a recent build with that slug tape and can confirm that the glue is indeed conductive enough (resistance test with multimeter) to not need to solder each join. Mind I did solder leads to each pickup cavity and feed those back to the control cavity shield before connecting that and the bridge earth to the ground on the output jack. Result is the quietest passive bass I’ve ever owned.

I had a Fender Jazz V DLX a few years back and the active pre on that used to distort a little when the battery was getting low.

Has anyone any experience with the Ashdown Pedal of Doom. Looking for some honest advice as I’m tempted to try one but don’t want to spend the asking price if its pants 😎

Me too! And I can’t understand why someone like OneControl hasn’t cloned something like the Redhead preamp, or why Fender haven’t used the patents they own to do something similar.

I wouldn’t always rush to blame the FOH engineer. A lot of venues these days have in-house PA systems and at least one of our local venue’s has a PA with way too many subs mainly to satisfy the venues other use as a nightclub. Given that these venue systems are presented to the visiting FOH engineer as ‘tuned’ systems, the first time the engineer here’s the system with a crowd in the room will be show time.

I may be a fan of rack mount pre’s too

Our PA is stored in my garage. Yes everything is either flightcased or lives under fitted covers and its been this way for the last ten years without problems. That said, my bass amps all live in the house as they are older and more likely to be temperamental.

Like the OP I mix the band whilst playing. For me, its all about finding space in the sonic landscape for each instrument. I used to play with a guitarist who was so loud and so bassy that sound men & women were always asking me to turn down. During one soundcheck I actually turned right down and mimed along only to be asked to turn down again - oh how we laughed. My own recipe is start with the drums, add bass and segregate the bass from the bass drum by eq, then add guitar(s) repeating the trick, before layering the vocals over the top. Cutting through is a matter of eq of the bass, a good sound where you can hear and distinguish each instrument is a matter of good eq of the whole band.

I’d be applying some heat to loosen them even going so far as to burn the wood around the screw, then drill out the burnt wood and plug the hole. I’ve done this successfully on a couple of occasions when all other methods failed.

My first bass was a Jedson tele in sunburst. Covered it with black sticky backed plastic from Woolworths and er shielded the scratch plate with tin foil for both aesthetic and electronic effect 😊 instant Phil Lynott with the emphasis on the “not” 😂

Welcome to the SWR fan club. in my experience, most SWR preamps need only subtle tweaks to achieve a great sound, and yes they do sound pants at the extremes. Re basses sounding thin, check your cranking the input gain as SWR gear can be sensitive to proper gain chaining