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Advice please Ashdown ABM Evo ii or iii or iv


Golder7
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Hi all,

 

I'm looking for some advice on getting a used Ashdown ABM 500/600 head. I've played through a 500 Evo ii  many years ago, and an Evo (I) c110 combo so I know the Ashdown tone/thunder is what I'm after. 

 

I'm looking for used (budget constraints) the majority of which appear to be the 500 Evo ii or 500 Evo iii, with he occasionally 600 Evo iv popping up.

 

I know the differences in terms of power, buttons and aesthetics, but I'm really interested to know people's thoughts on the difference in sound/reliability between the three?

 

I'll be using it with an older Ashdown ABM 410T cab so hoping that'll help bring out the best. I'm currently using an Ampeg PF 500 which is great, but doesn't have the kick/growl I'm after. 

 

Lastly, I'd be really interested to know your thoughts on what you think is a reasonable price for each of these three used, to give me an idea of what I'll need. 

 

Thanks in advance guys,

Steve

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If one comes along get the 600 EVO IV. I’ve  played through and owned a good few Ashdown amps, all have been great but the 600 for me tops them all. It has more eq options and can obtain a much sharper sound as a result, plus that weight to the sound that we all love.  In the past I’ve changed amps pretty much every few months, I’ve had my 600 for over 2 years and never thought of moving it on. They turn up at around the £400 mark and worth every penny imo.

Re reliability, well Ashdown are UK based and apparently can fix all ABMs at their HQ. They’re a good company to deal with and their gear is known for its reliability and durability on the road.

Edited by Lozz196
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I've just had an ABM EVO II serviced and repaired at Ashdown HQ for very little money in the grand scheme.

ABMs are awesome amps, however I think the IIIs were assembled overseas, whereas the IIs and IVs are UK made? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Happy hunting!

Eude

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I have owned a evo 3 and still own a evo 2. Great amps. I haven`t used a 600 but Guitarguitar had one s/h a few weeks ago for around £350. I payed £325 for my evo 2 from GG but it was s/h and I am very happy with it. I had an issue with it (but it was 10 years old and I don`t think the courier was very gentle with it) and Ashdown could not have been any more helpful and sorted the issue in a few days.

I have seen the 500`s go from £220 to £280 ish.

The 600 has more eq options but for me the 500 has enough. But I would go with the Lozz man opinions on the 600.

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6 hours ago, eude said:

I've just had an ABM EVO II serviced and repaired at Ashdown HQ for very little money in the grand scheme.

ABMs are awesome amps, however I think the IIIs were assembled overseas, whereas the IIs and IVs are UK made? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Happy hunting!

Eude

I think some of the IIs were assembled overseas but having owned both UK and Chinese built ABMs I don’t think there’s enough of a difference to worry. The big difference is from the III to the IV, the power amp has been redesigned as has the valve drive section, not to mention the 9 rather than 7 band EQ. I own a gorgeous EVO from 1999 which I adore, but the drive  you can get from a IV is totally different. The valve drive in the earlier Evos just gives an extra girth - like the old 90s Trace Elliot pres, whereas I feel the VI gives you some more grit and phatness.

If you can stretch to an EVO IV I say do it :)

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Thank you all for your comments, really appreciated. I'm going to keep an eye out for an Evo iv I think! Though if a 500 Evo ii or ii comes up for a reasonable price I may just go for it ;)

 

To those who have had a head serviced by ashdown, do you have a rough idea of the cost?

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13 minutes ago, Golder7 said:

Thank you all for your comments, really appreciated. I'm going to keep an eye out for an Evo iv I think! Though if a 500 Evo ii or ii comes up for a reasonable price I may just go for it ;)

 

To those who have had a head serviced by ashdown, do you have a rough idea of the cost?

Cost me less than £100 to have my ABM which wasn't working, diagnosed, repaired, serviced and cleaned up. Bargain really, given the age of it. Fantastic communication before and during having the work carried out too.

I think they can pretty much repair any ABM head on site, of any age.

Eude

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Great thanks for the help guys.

 

I've managed to secure an EVO III 500 for a great price! I'll be picking it up on Wednesday, very excited. 

 

One thing I am interested in is the FS-4 footswitch. It's quite expensive at £49... Are there any cheaper alternatives anyone is aware of?

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33 minutes ago, Golder7 said:

One thing I am interested in is the FS-4 footswitch. It's quite expensive at £49... Are there any cheaper alternatives anyone is aware of?

I think they're a standard foot switch type of arrangement, so if you can find something with the same number of switches and the same connectors for less, you should be fine.

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