BigBassBob

As others have said, the topic's a can of worms! Personally I put my compressor first in my signal chain as I don't use any filters or anything that would create a huge volume spike. My other effects are two grit pedals and a subtle chorus.

Hmmm, I guess they got lazy in the Chinese factory then?

Popped the amp open out of curiosity to check what tubes are inside. Even though the website states the amp has an ECC82 (12AU7) and ECC83 (12AX7) the amp actually has a pair of Shuguang 12AX7Bs.

Oh, and with the EQ set flat and the mid and bright switches engaged I almost sh** a brick; that's one hell of an aggressive sound!

Alright guys, the Spyder arrived this morning and I spent the good part of this afternoon playing with it. Initial impressions are positive; despite it having a valve preamp the tone is very clear and articulate (at least in comparison to the ABM) with plenty of bass and a bit of growl. It definitely has its own character but it doesn't impart too much of itself on my tone which I like. Flats sounded warm and thumpy through it with the appropiate EQing. My Rick with steel rounds sounded wild and aggressive, especially with the bright switch on. It's going to take a while for me to become fully adjusted to the EQ (I've found I've had to turn down the tweeters on my cabs as this amp has more treble response than my ABM.) but I've got high hopes for it. I've got gigs booked every weekend for the coming month so I'll have a chance to mess with the EQ live and see how it sits in a band mix (playing with a three piece this weekend and then with my usual four piece for the rest of the month.) I may look into experimenting with different valves at some point... I currently have a few JJs and Sovteks on order. Might (and that's a MIGHT) look into some NOS 12ax7's but that's a rabbit hole I think I'd be best off avoiding. For anyone interested in these, you might want to know that the specs on Ashdown's site aren't up to date: There are two speakon outputs for hooking up to cabs. There is a balanced XLR output on the back along with a balanced 1/4". The amp is branded "designed in the UK, made in PRC" so it's Chinese built. I'll post an update after I've taken it out on a few gigs.

Spyder has been ordered. I'll report back with my thoughts tomorrow evening. I'd also like to thank Pete Academy for putting up with my somewhat impertinent questions and slight rambling (this flu has been bad on my coherence... I managed to leave my WALLET at the bank today )

AHA! LOL, my apologies, I'm currently sat in bed with the flu and I'm definitely not with it. Good shout Gareth, I'll get in touch with Pete some time and make a few enquiries

Cheers mate So is Pete Academy the proprietor of a shop then?

I just listened to this again with some decent headphones. Yeah... I'll be putting an order in within a month. I'll let you know my thoughts in this thread Where did you get yours from Gareth?

Awesome I've been rocking an ABM 500 through a single 1x12" for a good while now. I was waiting on a second 1x12" to arrive when I stumbled upon the Spyder which caught my interest. I think the Spyder through two 12"s would work well for my current blues/rock work

Cheers Gareth That was pretty useful. It actually sounds more bright than I'd anticipated, which is a good thing for me. I have to say though that when you hit the bass switch I can hear the low-mids drop out and I struggle to hear what bass range is being affected (although I'm sure this is because of how it was recorded, the fact it's been compressed like hell by youtube, and my small headphones.) Nice little demo, I can't wait to try one out. One last query: Seeing as it uses the ABM 500 power section I take it that it has a similar amount of shifting power as the evo II's and III's?

Thanks mate... although it currently says the video is private

Ah I see. Thanks for your feedback on this, you've been loads of help I look forward to the vid!

Ah cool. I like to get my slightly overdriven sound by pushing a preamp with a boost or using a hint of OD. I'll see how I get on with it stock and then look at changing the tubes (thinking about some JAN Philips 5751s as I'm after a clean sound.) Are the preamp tubes a pair of ECC83s or an ECC82 and ECC83? I've seen two different specs online and as far as I know 82s and 83s are actually spec'd differently. Did you replace yours with ECC83s?

Thanks for the response! Okay, I'm practically sold on this head now. Funnily enough I've been looking at various 12ax7s/ECC83s for a while now so I have a few ideas of what could go in the pre. What didn't you like about the stock tubes and what did you replace them with?

Also, are you running your Spyder into a 2x12"?

Thanks very much Gareth. From your words I think this amp may have to be ordered lol. I noticed you said that it's naturally warmer than the ABM; to me that's a good thing but is it warmer to the point of having far less clarity overall in comparison to the ABM? I didn't mention it but I run my amp practically flat with a slight boost across everything (essentially 13:00 on all EQ, some valve dialled in for warmth.) I've never been a big fan of extreme EQ-ing (I EQ to the room usually) and I like to think my tone comes from the hands. So long as the flat frequency response is similar to the ABM I should get on with it. What do you reckon to its sound flat? I'll probably end up ordering it from somewhere with a 14-day returns policy or something. Either way, I'll be keeping the trusty ABM as a backup. Cheers, Bob.

Out of curiosity, has anyone compared this to the ABM series?

Ah that's good to hear; I'm not after loads of grind but just a touch of warmth with a clean-ish sound.

Any feedback guys? Really itching to pull the trigger on one of these

I've been using a DB 112 for almost two years now for rehearsals and gigs. Currently waiting on a second one to arrive from the US to complete my live setup.

Hi guys, I'm really curious about this amp. I've been using an ABM evo II for years but I never really use its fancy bells and whistles and I've had the valve itch for a good while. Are these amps pretty clean until you start to push the preamp hard? That youtube link makes it mighty tempting I must say!

Thanks guys. Yeah, the bedspread is f***in' awful but unfortunately, I have no say in it

Here's my current flock: [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/BigBassBob/Snapbucket/514240BE.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/BigBassBob/Snapbucket/97D53B5D.jpg[/IMG] Fender MIJ 62 Pbass body loaded with Nordstrand PJs and Status neck (the body came from my first ever bass.) Strung with DR Sunbeams (40-100.) Just picked this up from my local tech today and I'm rather impressed. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/BigBassBob/Snapbucket/DCEB0459.jpg[/IMG] Warmoth Thunderbird body (mahogany with cocobolo top with matching knobs) loaded with EMG PJX set (wired 18v) with Fender MIJ 62 Pbass neck (originally from the black body above.) Strung with DR Sunbeams (45-105.) Rickenbacker 4003, Blueburst. Stock save for the treble bezel. Strung with DR Hi-beams (40-100.) [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/BigBassBob/Snapbucket/48F3BA29.jpg[/IMG] Fender American Deluxe Pbass V with Aguilar OBP-3 preamp. Strung with DR Sunbeams (45-130.) Fender Mark Hoppus sig with Fralin pickup, stacked volume/tone control, deluxe Fender bridge and F-stamp neck plate. Strung with Chromes (45-100.) I'm a pretty happy chappy right now