Please tell me why I should avoid Ashdown amps? (aka why Ashdown are just great!)

[edstraker123]

I did wonder about pairing it with a more expensive cab - but so far have managed to resist the temptation !

[burno70]

5 minutes ago, edstraker123 said:

The LB30 is a phenomenal head - I'm far from being an Ashdown fanboy (as you may have seen from my B- Social comments - and I hated the CTM-15 too ! ) but  a friend was selling one and I couldn't resist it.

I've got it teamed up with an Ashdown VS115 and every bass you put through it sounds amazing - not many bass purchases are keepers but the LB30 definitely is. I couldn't recommend it more highly as a home amp.

Here it is with some acoustic loveliness :

Said friend still misses this amp greatly. It's pure ear candy. In terms of tone it's easily the best amp I've ever had.

[burno70]

2 minutes ago, edstraker123 said:

I did wonder about pairing it with a more expensive cab - but so far have managed to resist the temptation !

Nah, don't do it. It's a great pairing with that 1x15 cab. Although if you were gigging  I would see the sense in that - the cab is heavy.

[Merton]

3 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Thanks very much Merton , I’d pretty much convinced myself I need it 😀

Yes you definitely need it!

[edstraker123]

4 minutes ago, burno70 said:

Nah, don't do it. It's a great pairing with that 1x15 cab. Although if you were gigging  I would see the sense in that - the cab is heavy.

Yes I'm not sure how much better (if any) it could be especially at neighbour friendly volume.

[Reggaebass]

9 minutes ago, burno70 said:

Said friend still misses this amp greatly. It's pure ear candy. In terms of tone it's easily the best amp I've ever had.

Very nice    Thanks for your advice guys 👍

[burno70]

1 minute ago, edstraker123 said:

Yes I'm not sure how much better (if any) it could be especially at neighbour friendly volume.

Well I have an awesome Barefaced Super 12 and it's a stonkingly good cab, but I wouldn't go out and buy an upgrade cab for the LB. It might end up sounding better but it's great as is and I don't believe any improvement would justify the spends.

[EliasMooseblaster]

14 hours ago, edstraker123 said:

I did wonder about pairing it with a more expensive cab - but so far have managed to resist the temptation !

Keep the 1x15 for neighbour-friendly volumes; get a good quality 2x12 and you could probably do medium-sized pub gigs.

[jezzaboy]

In early January I bought an almost 10 year old ABM 500. Used it on a gig and it was as good as I remembered. Get to it`s second gig and at soundcheck it started making a very bad noise. I mailed the guys on here and they said send it down. A couple of days later, I got a call to ask if I would be at home on Thursday so TNT could deliver my amp all fixed and ready to go. And all this was done for free! They wouldn`t even take payment for the courier.

Ashdown didn`t have any obligation to repair the amp: I bought an old ABM from a shop down south that looked newish but could have been abused to within an inch of it`s life. These things don`t come with logbooks, mores the pity. And DPD didn`t handle it with kid gloves on the way down to Essex either!

So a big thanks and thumbs up for Ashdown.

[edstraker123]

Well done Ashdown - great service.

[badAss Bassist]

i have played a lot of amp heads and two brands just stand out: Ashdown and Peavey Max. These have great tone shaping and i love how they just make a fantastic tone. I am not talking about the additional effects which i can craft from my pedals/modellers. I don't really like the DG Amps(I am a metal bassist) and feel that their pedals offer a better value than their heads which are mostly one trick pony but that one trick they do it better than everyone else but their clean tone isnt something i dig in.

[BassAdder60]

Ashdown are used professionally which to me says a lot about the brand and support. 
Orange is the same and Ampeg and I suspect others to some degree 

 

I know endorsement deals play a part but Ashdown offer awesome service and you don’t have to be the original owner either