I have the Ashdown LB-30 Drophead and owned it from new. I use an active German Warwick Streamer $$ bass. The tone I get from this combination is [i]ridiculous[/i]. Ive gigged at small to medium pubs and clubs and lovely big venues.. This amp is great but you need to do a few things to it to make it really shine in a gig situation. [list]
[*]The first thing is to get the Ashdown specific 2 x 12 cab. I have tried others, BF GB TE Vanderkley etc but the VS 212 is the one that brings out the best tone.
[*]Buy a clip on fan and aim it at the output valves, and remove the metal shroud. (This keeps too much heat in the valve zone otherwise)
[*]Buy 4x matched Cryo Electro Harmonix EL84 output valves (15% bigger vacuum tubes) and replace the wooly sounding smaller JJ Tesla valves - Which IMHO are better in AC30's! (Watford valves provides the cryo EH tubes for £75)
[*]Buy a phillips ECC82 (12AU7) valve approx £45 and replace this in the ECC82 slot (the other two ECC83 work fine) This give more definition in the played note and allows the amp to be driven HARD
[*]Use a DBX compressor and dbx eq. This boosts the specific waves as a concentrated source - but dial out the clipping on the EQ and watch for the threshold breach on the compressor, keep the noise gate low.
[*]Make sure your using proper heavy duty speaker 1/4 jack cables and speak-on to speak-on from the 15 cab to the 2x12 cab (helps with sensitivity)
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On average I used to go through output valves every 6 to 8 months at least... or i did until I fitted a clipped on fan to the handles on the side and pointed it at the output tubes. The tubes will last ages now, and I can drive it at virtually full power and get a nice warm sound with hardly any noticeable clipping. It gives great harmonics and can perform well.
However, if at a large venue, the DI feed is very very hot and theres no ground lift or pad, it simple terms the amp volume has to be at noon and be heard through a monitor (which is totally crap) so I get the sound engineer to put a pencil mic on the horn and if possible two mic's for the 15 and just one on the 12. This is not always possible so I get them to mic just the 12. (That way you get to have a monitor of the 15 and 2x12 ) I have had the 15 mic'd and have destroyed PA speakers before now (SO stick to the 12).
Also pedals make a great addition, I use a BOO instruments tremolo, Digitech chorus and TC electronics reverb and delay. I place in a 3 piece band and get a great sound from this set up. Sound engineers love this bass amp!
Thanks, Mark