omikin

I have one of these of a similar era and it sounds wonderful. If you're in the North somewhere I would recommend taking it to Dave Rosewell. He has done a great job with my stuff and he isn't expensive. You would expect to be able to buy a working version of one of these heads for around £350, so bear that in mind when you're looking at the cost of getting it back to its former glory. If it's in as nice a condition as you say it will be lovely!

Keep us posted with how you get on.

I have had similar issues with mine. I did log it via Ashdown's website but had no reply so I will email Guy. Love the tone of this thing!

I got an American Standard Precision earlier last year. I was incredibly impressed with the setup out of the box compared to that on a different Fender P I had bought the year before. I switched the stock strings out for LaBella flats (45-105) and nothing needed doing immediately. Lovely action just where I wanted it. I tweaked it slightly a couple of months later, but really very little needed doing to it. Lovely, lovely bass. You will adore it!

That looks sooo sweet. Am trying not to wish my Super 12 had tolex on it like that... :/ I had cured my amp GAS, or so I thought...

That is absolutely stunning. Well done, that man!

I want to big up Jim Fleeting in Ripon again. I've had pretty much everything into him for a decent setup which he's great at. Even a 2nd hand Squier Affinity P bass my boss bought for her son came back playing like a much more expensive instrument. And yesterday I picked up my older P bass which I had taken in to have the back of the neck refinished. A previous owner had repeatedly leant the bass against a sharp edge and there were large sections of scratches and dings all over the neck. He's done an incredible job - it's like a new vintage neck if that makes sense. Nitrocellulose matching the aged look of the rest of the neck, and satin finish. I think I even prefer it to my new US P! Can't recommend Jim highly enough. www.jimfleetingguitars.com

I have a MiBass 10 which I use for small acoustic practices and bedroom practice. I have used it with my Genz Benz Streamliner 900 and my Fender Bassman 100 and it does a good job. I have never really pushed it volume-wise, but I have always been happy with the sound. As other posters have said it does handle a good variety of tones. My other cab is a Barefaced Super 12 which is well known as a very clear cab, and whilst the Ashdown does sound different to that, it doesn't sound bad in any way. I would be unlikely to sell mine. In fact I am tempted by the Ashdown CTM15 to accompany it as a proper bedroom valve setup. My liking for this cab is slightly influenced by the fact that I bought it from PMT and it was wrongly priced (£119 instead of £199). I checked the price and they told me it should be £199 and I said "that's a shame - I would have bought it at £119!". Anyway, the guy called the manager over and he sold it to me for £119. Can't fault them for that!

Stupid page break.

^ This.

Just wanted to finish this one off. I exchanged a few mails with KiOgon and ordered one of his lovely kits which arrived within 24 hours. I managed to install it myself and the end result is great. Nice solid pots with a lovely action, and best of all they sound great. I feel like this bass has got a whole new lease on life and is now definitely not a second choice after my newer one. Thanks John! One very happy camper here.

Lovely head and I would have one again like a shot if I had someone to carry it for me...

I used to use a VBA400 through a Matamp 2x12 and I wanted a nice gentle valve breakup so had the gain on about 8 but that meant the master had to be about 2.5 to avoid structural damage...

Can only add to the positive feedback here. Very prompt and comprehensive comms from John prior to ordering, answered all my [daft] questions very quickly so that by 10am I was ready to order. The kit was delivered within 24 hours, beautifully packaged (including that very handy screwdriver). An electronics numpty like me managed to fit it without even asking further questions, so that tells you how straightforward it is. And the result? No more wobbly pots, just beautiful tone. And I can recommend that Sprague capacitor! Thanks again, John!

Well done! You must be hugely proud. I would love my wee man to pick up the bass. He's only just turned 4 though so is more into destruction than anything else.

Have gone for some nice new pots via KiOgon. Seemed like a sensible choice.

I've had the knobs off a couple of times to change scratchplates and that hasn't affected the wobble. Without the knobs on the pots still wobble a little. :/

I now have two US P-basses. I've always been aware that the older one has slightly wobbly pot knobs, but having bought a new US P I am even more aware of how wobbly they are compared to my new one where the knobs turn with a really nice action. On the new one there is a small amount of resistance as you turn them, they don't wobble, and they feel really solid. On my older one they move with very little resistance, and you can practically rattle them. Is this just a question of age and use, or can the old ones be fettled to be a bit more solid? They're not moving in the scratchplate, so it's like it's the pots themselves, if that makes sense. Any ideas / input would be really gratefully received. Thanks!

Thanks for all your feedback - I am blown away by this bass, as I think I have shown... If there is a bass bash in my neck of the woods I will bring it along.

I'm going to be braver when I replace these strings (I would string these through but I already trimmed them...) although as these are flats that might be sometime next year...