BassAdder60

Yep and the spare became my main amp ABM600 purchased from a nice chap on here 👍

You could change the pickguard to black like I did on my metallic silver Player Series. I’ve also added a HiMass bridge to it as well Funny thing my new £200 backup bass Yamaha TRBX174 came set up very well just needed better strings and action dropped 1mm and slight truss rod tweak so QC can work

As the OP I can now say for me the answer is YES I should have one / need one. My new Yamaha TRBX174 arrived today with gig bag for £250 It was nicely setup out of the box, maybe a little high. Truss Rod tweeked and action lowered to the same as my Fender PBass and put new strings on it ( stock are not great ) Ready and set now and for approx a 1/3 of the cost of my PBass I have a very usable second bass / backup Sorted 👍

Decided to get a backup / basic bass Ordered a Yamaha TRBX174 in Red and gig bag I will use it at home, practice and take to gigs but play my Fender PBass for gigs in the main Total cost £250 for backup and piece of mind sorted

Ok Fender HiMass Bridge arrived and I fitted it ( very easy ) I can confirm the action is fine and I can get the Fender recommendations in action height which is how I had it before Nice bridge and a big improvement over the stock vintage bridge on the Player Series

Still on the fence about if I should be taking a spare backup bass to gigs ? I really like my PBass and if I got a backup it would be mostly unplayed as I would only buy a cheap bass. So who never takes a backup bass to gigs or practice ?

It’s on order so can’t compare at the moment

I’m thinking of swopping my stock PBass player series bridge with a Fender HiMass Anyone suffered with action problems later At the moment my low E saddle bottom has about 1/8” above the base of the vintage bridge The HiMass is thicker and I’m curious if getting similar action is possible without shimming the neck ?

Following on from my Sub Feature question I think for filling my sound out perhaps using the Drive ON / OFF would be better I could add the drive during guitar solo parts to fill the sound out a bit more and if I recall you get a small volume lift when engaging the Drive on the ABM and RM Only downside is I lose the ABM drive ( set as minimal ) during normal play but that maybe less noticeable In the past when I played my SVT Classic I also ran a SanSamp pedal into the front for added grit during guitar solo sections

Just checked and Ashdown confirm the two are not interchangeable between Rm and ABM series

Anyone tried the FS-2 with the ABM600 to see if it switches on the Sub ? I know it should be the FS-4 but I don’t want two foot switches if one could do both Sub on both amps

Has anyone used the Sub feature on their Ashdown in situations where you need to fill out the sound during a single guitarist solo section ? If that would work add more depth I will order the footswitch

I agree .. probably one of the quietest amps with a fan I’ve heard Definitely use it in the studio it’s that whisper quiet

I agree the RM500 / 800 drive is ok but not brilliant and more of an overdrive sound unless on very low settings The ABM600 drive from on to about half way is a warmer ( also slightly boosted volume) tone with a tiny bit of grit. As you crank it further it sounds more fuzz / overdrive

My RM800 has a fan but it’s so quiet you would really struggle to hear it

I would say the RM800 is equally as good sounding with slightly less EQ adjustments. The ABM600 does have a bit more weight to the sound and warmth with the tube drive but it’s probably not that noticeable in most situations My RM800 is whisper quiet, the ABM has a bit more fan noise from its dual fans but nothing crazy Both are great choices of amp The RM500 is a good amp too

I would look at the Ashdown ABM 210H Pro Neo cabs which go for around £390 They are very light and compact too Full sounding cab and very nice bit of kit

Used my Ashdown rig with ABM600 and ABM210H Pro Neo cab for band practice this weekend The amp / cab performed really well, punchy and yet full sound and articulate too Ran with my new found sound setup using SHAPE Feature ON with bass reduced slightly and mids boosted Sat really well in the band mix and really sounded full yet not boomy at all

I thought this and ignored it but there is a tone in there that you cannot get with just the EQ Trust me I’ve tried and it doesn’t quite get close Granted on its own it’s way too boomy but dial in some mids and 1.5khz and back off the bass slightly and you have a great full sound

The 210 cabs ( I’ve got two ) are really nice and so light I would imagine the 115 cabs would sound good and be like the 210 with the horn off ( I don’t use the horn )

Home settings so will need tweeking live Also setup my RM800 the same

I’ve tried it and adding some missing mids and dialling back the bass gives a full deep yet clear sound I cannot reproduce the same tone if it’s set as flat and using only the EQ to boost bass and treble and backing off mids It seems to be a full tone if used with care and not too much added bass I think I like it and perhaps in a band with just one guitarist this would fill the sound out better as less competing instruments and frequencies ( rock band ) I would imagine folk who try it without making further EQ adjustments would dislike it as it’s very mid empty It’s in truth SHAPE + add back some mids when using the EQ with it = good sound

Curious who actually uses the Shape Feature on their Ashdown amp This is the feature that creates the smiley face shape EQ Sounds lovely in isolation and low volume but who uses it when gigging and why ? For clarity this would be the Not Flat sound but the Shape sound with bass boosted, mids cut and treble boosted There was a similar topic on here some years back with people asking about the Ultra Low / High on the Ampeg and many voted they use the Ultra Low ON ! Naturally you can run both and add Mids etc so that’s an extra possibility or run it and back off some bass too

A bit like adjusting your bass amp settings at home only to hate that at band practice! Cant see why anyone would want to use the Shape Feature.. The position where it creates a smiley face EQ At home on low volume it sounds great but turn it up and it’s horrible !

I went through this exercise recently and added the ABM600 to my gear and it’s a superb amp It’s a hard amp to beat as a good does what you need head. Plus the service Ashdown provide to new or second hand amps is superb and often with little or no charge. It looks the part too on top of any cab