magee Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Hello, has anyone in or near Glasgow got an Ashdown Little Bastard? I got one a couple of weeks ago and can't get as much cleanish volume out of it as people seem to say I should be able to. I've tried two sets of different preamp valves but still get the same farting when I turn it a little past halfway, which I need to do for gigging. I was hoping to compare it with another one, if someone's happy to let me come and have a go. That way if this is just the way they are I can sell it on and find something more suitable, but if it's not then I can continue to try to find what the problem is. Any help would be really appreciated, thanks, Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Anyone got a little bastard near Glasgow is yet another classic Glasgow-esque thread title http://basschat.co.uk/topic/176491-hard-case-glasgow-area/page__p__1654803__hl__glasgow__fromsearch__1#entry1654803 Sorry my post wasn't much help Matthew, hope that old Jazz is doing OK? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 No doubt, but I've never heard from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 There's plenty of em in Stirling! Sorry I can't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 It's only 30 watts and half way could well be flat out with decent pickups. You may have reached the limits of the amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magee Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Chris, the old Jazz is a bit neglected because I still haven't found a better neck for it. I haven't been looking very hard, mind, and I keep meaning to order one from Warmoth but I've been distracted by a '62 Precision the wife bought me in the mean time. You can see how that would turn a chap's head. bertbass: I fear you're right, but other users of the amps insist it's loud enough to gig with and my band's not that loud, so I'm keen just to eliminate any possible faults before I give up and sell it on. Thanks, Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Just heard the little bastard here, Zoom Q3HD, in the misc for sale items, what a great little amp. Never heard one before. You could try adding another cab or perhaps having 2 of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magee Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Update on this: I phoned Ashdown and talked to Dave Green himself, who's going to take a look at it if I pack it up and send it to him. He, too, thinks that there may be a fault, maybe it's not using all the power valves or something. Given that he designed and built it, if he can't find out what's going on then nobody can. If it works out and he finds and fixes the fault (if there is one) I think this is going to count as one of the great customer services experiences of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 [quote name='magee' timestamp='1339143441' post='1684181'] Chris, the old Jazz is a bit neglected because I still haven't found a better neck for it. I haven't been looking very hard, mind, and I keep meaning to order one from Warmoth but I've been distracted by a '62 Precision the wife bought me in the mean time. You can see how that would turn a chap's head. bertbass: I fear you're right, but other users of the amps insist it's loud enough to gig with and my band's not that loud, so I'm keen just to eliminate any possible faults before I give up and sell it on. Thanks, Matthew [/quote]I gig with a 30watt fender champ (handmade, not fender) and it's well loud enough. Guitar not bass, though the amp would be fine for bass with a couple more cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 [quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1339170640' post='1684866'] I gig with a 30watt fender champ (handmade, not fender) and it's well loud enough. Guitar not bass, though the amp would be fine for bass with a couple more cabs. [/quote] Depending on the type of sound you're after, there's a big difference between guitar watts and bass watts. I use over 200w of Mesa tubes to get the tone I want alongside a guitarist using 20w of Fender tubes. OK, if I was happy with less control over tone and a lot more drive I might be able to use less, but I'm not. Personally I think that you'd need to be playing in a pretty quiet band for a 30w bass amp to do the job [i]well[/i]. Wiser heads may of course disagree..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Any news yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magee Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 bertbass: sorry for the long silence. Dave Green at Ashdown was unbelievably helpful. He thought there might have been an issue with the power tubes but when he checked it out he said it's working perfectly and pushing out the 30 watts. So it looks like I just need a bigger amp to keep up with my band. To this end I've bought a Mesa/Boogie Buster from here (200 watt all tube head) and the Little Bastard is for sale here: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/202074-ashdown-little-bastard-30w-all-valve-amp/page__fromsearch__1 It's a real shame, it was nearly the perfect solution: all tube tone, light, small, portable. I guess it'll just have to go to someone who likes a bit of grit or who plays with a slightly quieter band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Louder cab is the cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomBass Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1363198469' post='2009696'] Louder cab is the cure. [/quote] Indeed. Use the high input to keep the pre clean, mid up full, other eq to suit and push the volume. Sounds superb and loud through my Compact, and also through my cheap pair of 2x10s. Not been wanting yet to be honest. And the DI is great too - straight off the output transformer - if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehux Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Several of us on here have played around with various valve permutations for the LB - there's a whole thread at http://basschat.co.uk/topic/185585-little-bastard-valve-advice/ Although I loved mine, in the end it just ran out of steam when competing with big drums, keys and guitar. I now use a MarkBass F1 to put my point across Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie75 Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Glasgow is full of little bastards - so I have heard! lol - apologies, I couldnt resist! No offence meant to anyone from Glasgow. You got a free bump though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rednose200 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Loads of them living round here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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