la bam Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 (edited) This maybe have been covered times before, but... I notice now, in conjunction with all very heavy gear going cheap, that the average used price for an Ashdown ABM combo is around £200. (which is crazy cheap). I also notice that the average price of an ABM head is around £250-300. Now, I may be missing something here, but wouldn't it be an idea to buy the combo, remove the head, house in a 2u sleeve, sell the cab and save around half on buying just the amp? Is it an easy job to remove the head or is it not advisable or dangerous? I'm after a spare back up head, so looking at options. Edited May 2, 2017 by la bam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Nothing wrong with your idea at all. In general the combos are wider so the sleeve is wider than the standard 19" rack size but it can and does work very well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 But you wouldn't be selling a cab, you'd be selling a combo without the amp section, which a lot of people wouldn't want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted May 2, 2017 Author Share Posted May 2, 2017 Fair point. But I'm sure I'd get at least £50 for it. The combos framework look like 2 boxes on top of each other so one would just be empty (or store cables in there). Plus the saving already over an abm head, makes it a decent option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 It's certainly not a crazy idea but simply one where you need to price your time. There are minor safety issues too. I've never looked at this model but I've repaired a number of combos over the years. The securing bolts may be tricky to find and the amps are often very snug in the space and difficult to slide out, Ive even found them stuck in place by the glue used to cover the cab with Tolex/carpet. Sometimes the speaker cable will need to be removed. Obviously make sure everything is unplugged before you star and don't stick any bit of you inside the amp even if it is unplugged. The power supply can store some charge for a long time. Once out you'll need to make or buy a sleeve, a simple enough job but it'll take you a couple of hours or cost you a few quid. Sometimes amps are only partially cased when they come out of a combo so electrically they are unsafe out of the cab. I've no idea if that is the situation with the Ashdown. If you sell the 'cab' as a combo with the amp missing you will effectively be selling a damaged cab. Will it have the necessary plate with sockets on it or will you have to buy one and solder it in? Next you need to deal with the amp casing, remove it and re-finish it or remake the cab using the grill and fittings. Alternatively you could scrap the cab and sell the speakers as bare drivers or let someone else do the work and sell it off cheap as a project. None of this should put you off, a bit of fiddling around and £50 for the speakers if you are lucky sounds about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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