markorbit

Good luck on it's safe return. I have no time for thieves.

I bought a S/H Wal ProIIE in cherry for £300 from The Bass Centre, Wapping in January 1987. It recorded so well shortly after the producer was trying to buy it off me. Yes, I wish I still had it. I remember The Bass Centre had lots of famous players on signed posters as you went up the stairs. It was indeed the best bass store around in those days. I used to drool over the Status and Steinbergers... the Steinberger was my holy grail.

There is no standard EQ solution for 'baked-in'. Some amps like GK have an upper mid presence by default and others such as Aguilar have a low mid presence. Some amps are gritty and some are clean. When an amp has a baked-in sound it's usually impossible to 100% dial out... BUT sometimes it's the baked-in sound that you were looking for.

Hi Rich, you are welcome to come and try my Ashdown ABM with your BB2 if you want. The ABM is what I'd been looking for. I'm now not looking for another amp... and the VU meter gives the right vibe as well 🙂

Well... my own amp journey has had me moving away from the Class Ds and eventually brought me back to the Ashdown ABM. Real authoritive, warm and punchy tone. First time I've been this happy with an amp for a LONG time. Only thing I would say is disengage the default preshape tone and use the EQ. Yes it's a bit bigger and heavier but it's not a monster. The ONLY disappointing thing is the Compressor which when on is already too much... but I like the Gain to work the meter and the valve.

Bruce did get a great sound from his Precision. You have to get the action right so when you dig in the frets add to the tone. I think his D string is close to fretting out. A Marshall Super Bass on the edge of breakup helps get that bottley sound too. A well setup Precision bass where the action can go low is a thing to behold for rock.

On closer inspection it isn't the Terror Bass that is in his live rig but four AD200s. Pics here. https://orangeamps.com/artist/john-mcvie-of-fleetwood-mac-2/

I was somewhat surprised to see Fleetwood Mac's John McVie has chosen the new Terror Bass for his recent stage rig. Obviously this guy can play what he wants no matter the cost. Perhaps I should check the new version out. I tried the old one and found it a bit limited tone-wise but maybe the new Clean switch allows more variation. I quite like John McVie's tone usually - just a simple, warm tone that works.

Guitar amps should have them on by default and undefeatable. GET OUT OF THE BASS RANGE YOU PLANT POT !!! 🙂

Another plus one for Ashdown customer service. They aren't afraid of a ringing telephone either. I think the ABM is a reasonable substitute for an all-valve amp. Doesn't get you there exactly - but set the valve drive at the sweet spot and go.

Great video! Thanks for doing that. Really useful 🙂

I'd second the 'get a louder cab' as well. I can't think of anything that is either smaller or weighs less than the Walkabout that will get you the same type of sound. It's been a few years since I owned a Walkabout. I've been searching for a good smooth, warm, old-school amp for a while recently but don't wish to go all-valve either. I'm now considering getting another Walkabout !!! Everything else is falling short and I've bought a good few to compare along with the ones I've previously owned. Also, my love of Class D is at it's lowest point. Everything was falling short. So I bought an Ashdown ABM and got the closest to that warm, valve sound I seek. It doesn't bloom like a Walkabout can as it's more immediate but it doesn't lack real warmth! I have an original first EVO version. You have to defeat the default EQ shape first to get the mids back but from there I can tweak the EQ slightly, wind the valve-drive to about 2' 0 clock and with fingers it delivers a lovely rich velvety tone with my P. I guess there is a reason why so many pros use Ashdown ABMs. The latest Mesa D800+ claims to be somewhere between the Walkabout and the Carbine. Might be worth a try but from what I've heard it's more modern than old-school. I was also impressed with the vintage sound of the Ashdown Rootmaster heads when I tried them. Just not a fan of the look. If you grab one I'd recommend the 800 watt version.

I think the hum is louder on the PF50T. My PF20T does hum but less than the PF50T from what I remember. It's not that noticable on the PF20T.

My CTM15 was also silent... it was the same one 🙂

I think the hum is how they come. My PF20T is the same. There's a thread on Talkbass with instructions on how to reduce it further... it involves adding a capacitor or something. It's not a tube issue. In my experience it's common with all the PF tube amps. You'd think Ampeg of all manufacturers would get this right. I knew this when I bought it but at £299 I can live with it.

Yes Ashdown DID make a change to the latest ABM based on this general criticism. Bear in mind it didn't seem to be an issue to lots of pro players but the ABM600 is voiced slightly differently to it's predecessors. I also agree with avoiding the preshape button and using the EQ. In practice this means pushing IN the button to defeat the preset EQ curve, the opposite of a Trace Elliot for example.