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

[Rich]

I have never owned an Ashdown amp, but I have never managed to get a sound I even remotely liked out of one. This may of course be something to do with one or both of the 'you's mentioned by Alex above
The only piece of Ashdown gear I've owned was one of the short-lived Freebass wirelesses, and it was dreadful. So noisy, it was unusable.

[krispn]

I’ve a Spyder 550. It’s not as versatile as the Evo’s but it’s got some good sounds in it. I’ve mine set up for a good solid tone with the p bass. Not been wanting in my regular rig but it’s more of a back up head as I have a main gigging amp. I believe it’s got the CTM tone stack but with the ABM power section.

I like the look of the Doom but it does appear to be a tarted up EVO 600. If they have done some tweaks internally I’d be keen to learn more too.

Edited November 9, 2017 by krispn

[Merton]

I would love a Spyder 550 head, I think they would tick all the boxes for me

[krispn]

The Spyder is a good amp but I’ve a feeling Al Krow wants a more flexible EQ.

If that is the case the latest EVO looks like you’d be hard pressed to find so many eq bands to play with. Set the basic low mid and treble with the circular pots and the use the sliders to reinforce/compensate for the room.

Edited November 9, 2017 by krispn

[dmccombe7]

Had a MAG 300 15" combo with an added 2x122 deep a few yrs back but i found the tone uninspiring.
It had no character.
Tried a few in various studios and found same.
Seemed well built and maybe it was just the fact i couldn't really get my head round the various tone sliders etc.

Think i should maybe try the newer ABM EVO range as they are very popular and players i've heard using them seem to get a pretty nice tone.
Have to admit i do like the look of Geezers amp.

Any idea what they cost as couldn't find one anywhere ?

Dave

[Al Krow]

Think i should maybe try the newer ABM EVO range as they are very popular and players i've heard using them seem to get a pretty nice tone.
Have to admit i do like the look of Geezers amp. Any idea what they cost as couldn't find one anywhere? Dave

Hey Dave - I think they are coming out at the end of Nov, so not long now. Price £1,099. However, I'm really not sure apart from a much more attractive design, what we're getting for the extra £400?

Edited March 6, 2018 by Al Krow

[Fred Leicester]

I’ve had 2 ABM500 Evo 3s and they’ve both been fantastic. Have run them through a combo of 1 or 2 Hartke 4.5XLs and have never struggled to get a variety of tones etc.

The Ashdowns do seem to have a lot of bottom end, but I’ve found by backing off the lows and boosting the low mids on the EQ that it’s not “wooly” - but of course the bass itself will have an effect on that (I’ve used my Precision with flats and my Stingray through this setup for years, and have “settings” for each of them, so it’s nothing which causes any problem).

Of course it comes down to personal preference too, but I’d recommend the Ashdowns I’ve tried/owned.

*edited to add - it also has “heft”. ;-)

Edited November 1, 2017 by Fred Leicester

[EliasMooseblaster]

Have you seen this on the FS section, speaking of the ABM series?

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/314239-ashdown-abm600-evo-iv-new-condition-cover-rack-kit/page__fromsearch__1

[krispn]

£1099 I believe U.K. built too.

[scrumpymike]

Hey Al, I think the subject has already been comprehensively covered. Just chipping in to say that my experience of Ashdown's after-sales support has been exemplary. They picked up on a casual comment (not really a criticism) I posted re the somewhat noisy fan on the RM500 EVO I recently bought from Lozz and offered to replace it FOC. That's now been done to my complete satisfaction. As already advised, I'd recommend you try this amp and the AMB 600 (not tried one myself). The blacker-than-black newbie looks awesome but I'd need some persuading to spend the extra cash - mind you, I'm generally open to persuasion

Edited November 1, 2017 by scrumpymike

[Mudpup]

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1509543729' post='3399774']
Have you seen this on the FS section, speaking of the ABM series?

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/314239-ashdown-abm600-evo-iv-new-condition-cover-rack-kit/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.u...__fromsearch__1[/url]
[/quote]

Total bargain and a gent to deal with.....

[BassBod]

The isolated (transformer?) outputs are an unusual feature - presumably designed so you can do many different multi-amp hook ups without earth loop and noise problems. Assuming it works, that's a great option if you're making that much noise and is hard to do cheap.

Over the years I've tried a few amp links (pre-power, bi-amp etc) and often you get hums and buzzes, even from gear that's made to work together (thanks SWR).

[Al Krow]

[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1509618517' post='3400282']
The isolated (transformer?) outputs are an unusual feature - presumably designed so you can do many different multi-amp hook ups without earth loop and noise problems. Assuming it works, that's a great option if you're making that much noise and is hard to do cheap.

Over the years I've tried a few amp links (pre-power, bi-amp etc) and often you get hums and buzzes, even from gear that's made to work together (thanks SWR).
[/quote]

Sounds interesting - thanks.
Is that just something available on the new Geezer / Doom amp and is, in effect, the key new feature of that amp (and I guess would account for a significant chunk of the £400 price hike over the ABM 600 Evo IVs)?
What sort of situations / set ups would you typically look to use such a feature?

Edited November 2, 2017 by Al Krow

[BassBod]

On the face of it, there are various pre/power amp ins and outs...not very different from the usual line out/in stuff on most good quality amps. But reading some of the blurb...it looks like they've tried to make sure that the connections don't introduce noise. So, its like giving a beefed up ABM to your techs...and seeing what they do to it to make sure it won't hum on that difficult stage in (insert remote location) and will always interface well with other gear.

Probably useful if you are going from big stage to big stage and want a modular set up that gives a very reliable and consistent performance...but not so useful in the Dog and Duck where you just want a loud amp (that looks cool).

[dave74200]

Ashdown make outstanding amps, heralded the world over. Whoever told you to avoid them probably has no idea, or is going on the advice of someone else who has no idea. I find there’s an awful lot of gullibility in the bass world. An example would be; the ABM 500 is sh*t according to Brian, who plays in a god awful blues jam band, has poor technique, doesn’t know what tone will cut through a mix, uses the eq to set a bedroom sound that won’t cut it in a live situation etc.. the same amp is used by Nate Mendel in the biggest band in the world. Many people unfortunately listen to Brian.

[scrumpymike]

[quote name='dave74200' timestamp='1509629560' post='3400424']
Ashdown make outstanding amps, heralded the world over. Whoever told you to avoid them probably has no idea, or is going on the advice of someone else who has no idea. I find there's an awful lot of gullibility in the bass world. An example would be; the ABM 500 is sh*t according to Brian, who plays in a god awful blues jam band, has poor technique, doesn't know what tone will cut through a mix, uses the eq to set a bedroom sound that won't cut it in a live situation etc.. the same amp is used by Nate Mendel in the biggest band in the world. Many people unfortunately listen to Brian.
[/quote]

Good points well made Dave!!

[la bam]

Spot on Dave!

Ive said it a lot, but on its own the ashdowns sound ok. BUT in a band situation they fit perfectly with very little tweeking needed.

The ABM range is so cheap second hand theyre amazing bargains.

Edited November 3, 2017 by la bam

[Jenny_Innie]

I've used lots of Ashdown amps and still own a few - a Superfly, quite a few of the MiBass models (my faves), an ABM 600 and now a DH30. They're great.

I'm not as happy their cabs though. I've been pairing MiBass heads with Barefaced cabs for a while now. Great sound - but not as good with the Ashdown cabs.

[Merton]

[quote name='Jenny_Innie' timestamp='1510148163' post='3404279']
I've used lots of Ashdown amps and still own a few - a Superfly, quite a few of the MiBass models (my faves), an ABM 600 and now a DH30. They're great.

I'm not as happy their cabs though. I've been pairing MiBass heads with Barefaced cabs for a while now. Great sound - but not as good with the Ashdown cabs.
[/quote]

I concur

[scrumpymike]

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1510162743' post='3404407']
I concur
[/quote]

Me too - I've moved away from Ashdown cabs to Barefaced with my RM 500 EVO.

[geoff90guitar]

In simple terms Ashdown ABM sounds better than the Mag, that’s why they cost more.
It seems that Ashdown suits the uncoloured Barefaced cabs.
Try an Ashdown ABM with the old 2x10 and 15 Celestions and it sounds constipated. Put a Trace Elliot SMX on the Celestion cabs and they become alive.
I tried Vander 2 x1x12’s and a single V15 with the Trace and neither worked out. I think they need a lot of modern power. However as they are neo’s the ABM500 might work.

[acidbass]

I love Ashdown amps. Try one and you might agree!

[geoff90guitar]

I’ve tried the Ashdown ABM 300/500 heads and combos which break your back. To me lacking ‘spaciousness’ in sound compared to Trace heads of the time.
However at one point I owned an ABM500 chrome face and it seemed to be slightly better than the normal face, but it still went.

[Painy]

Why should you avoid Ashdown amps?
Because of supply and demand. If you don't want one then it helps keep the used prices nice and low for those of us that love them. Simple!

[Kevin Dean]

I have the a ABM1000 , ABM400 & JJB head all great amps , The ABM has a adjustable filter on the inside that was turned down because it blew Ampeg 8x10s , back up is great .