flatwound Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Being an English forum I thought it would be the right place to ask this question....what are [b][i]your [/i][/b]opinions on the Ashdown Gear, both Amps and Cabs ?? Hoping to hear from those who own and use Ashdown, and/or have owned and used Ashdown products. I have arranged finance to buy myself an ABM 500 EVOIII Amp and an ABM 1x15" Cab and a 1x 4x10 Cab...Chris from Ashdown in the UK reckons that although some bits are now made in China,.......its still good gear. !...?? Opinions both positive and negative are appreciated Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clockworkwar Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 It is good gear, I use English Ashdown and it sounds great and the quality is there. The chinese stuff still sounds great, but the reliability has been a problem. I haven't heard many problems with the ABM range though, they seem to put those together pretty well. What you need to do is goto a music shop and play with them, see if you like them and then buy them. You may want to look on this forum though to find UK made ABM as the 'real' Ashdown is in those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I like Ashdown kit. Does the job for a decent price. I find their EQ controls to be pointlessly convoluted though - either sliders or knobs please, not both all mixed together! I was using an Ashdown 410 until recently, but the weight eventually put me off. I'm not as young as I was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatbass787 Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I love Ashdown and their gear, wouldnt think of using anything else. I had a UK made ABM rig but upgraded to a Klystron rig a couple of years back - great tone, very versatile and very well made with awesome bottom end. A friend of mine actually bought a new chinese ABM rig not long ago and loves it, it sounds great and again is very well put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryPotter Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I have the Chinese ABM Evo III 2X10 combo and I love it, it was a toss up between that and an Ampeg 2X10 combo at the time. In a confined space the Ampeg sounded wonderful but in a more open environment the Ashdown simply blew the doors off of it. I use mine every week for over a year now and it's been fine reliability wise, that includes trips in my car (with hard sports suspension on the wonderful british roads). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Thought Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 The two biggests criticisms directed at Ashdown that I've come across are their reliability, and the 'wooliness' of their sound. I saw a whole thread on Talkbass a while ago of people recounting their tales of woe regarding their Ashdowns and what had gone wrong with them. As usual, though, I wouldn't be surprised if there were a shed load more people who were perfectly happy with theirs, that you don't hear about. I've also seen a lot of threads where people praise Ashdown's customer service if anything does go wrong. As far as the 'wooliness' is concerned, I had a MAG300 4x10 and I was pretty happy with the sound I was getting-no wooliness at all. To those who accuse them of wooliness, I refer you to Mr. Jean-Jacques Burnel of the Stranglers, an Ashdown endorsee for a number of years, who by no stretch of the imagination can be described as sounding woolly! I'm not a fan of their slider/rotary EQ either, but I think on the whole ABM stuff is fairly well-regarded and used by a lot of people-from what I can gather the UK built stuff is the better bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 (edited) I had an ABM EVOII rig [2x10 500w combo + 2x10 cab] until recently. I only changed 'cos I wanted something lighter with far less knobs. That rotary / slider combination did me head in a bit, but I am from Portsmouth. Edited March 13, 2009 by johnnylager Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Some people love it; some don't. Its never impressed me. Ashdown like to push the old 15's and 10's stack idea because their 2x10 and 4x10 cabs dont go very low according to the published frequency response, but the 4x10 is 5dB louder than the 1x15 so you probably wont notice much difference. If you like how it sounds though, buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 [quote name='Deep Thought' post='433335' date='Mar 13 2009, 11:24 AM']To those who accuse them of wooliness, I refer you to Mr. Jean-Jacques Burnel of the Stranglers, an Ashdown endorsee for a number of years, who by no stretch of the imagination can be described as sounding woolly![/quote] Given JJ's history of violence you wouldn't want to say it to his face either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmansky Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 i have a uk made abm evo11 500w head and imo its superb.the sliders do take a bit of getting used to i must admit.i use a abm 2x10 cab and/or 4x10 abm cab with the head and they go together very well indeed.both cabs are made in the prc but thats not an issue.personally i would go for a 1x15 compact cab as the normal 1x15 does sound a bit wooly.you will not beat ashdowns after sale service either they are always very helpful.go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foal30 Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I've had a Klystron Magnifier and ABM cabs for 10 years I like woolly these are bass amps none of this hi-fi stuff no issues with reliability. Given the hours I've played through this set up and the little upkeep required of them it's been a real bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Each to their own with everything, but i've never been a fan of Ashdown. Tried a few out, I prefer Trace/Ampeg/Orange. I think its how it looks, and they are a bit 'woolly'. They must do something right as they are very popular! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 [quote name='Musicman20' post='435431' date='Mar 15 2009, 07:19 PM']They must do something right as they are very popular![/quote] Simples - value for money. I got a new cab, good enough for doing decent paying gigs for ~£100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protium Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 (edited) Not a fan of the Ashdown 15" cabs, but the 2x10" and 4x10" are great Edited March 15, 2009 by Protium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinman Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Yeah - good value for money. My MAG went bang however. I believe there was a batch of MAGs with dodgy mains transformers. As a manufactuer they are not "wooly" per se - it's not the heads - it's their 15" cabs. Go and try but in my opinion avoid the 15". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protium Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Might also be worth noting the heads that do go bang die pretty soon after delivery and are repaired/replaced under warranty - in the long run generally are very reliable Plus built with real components - none of this unfixable surface mount lightweight digital bollocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh3184 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 (edited) yeah, I seem to remember there was a thread here about how great their customer support was! Edited March 16, 2009 by josh3184 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I got good support from them, mailed yesterday with my query, got a reply today telling me how to self fix it, as they are long past warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmansky Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 i mailed them yesterday as well and had a reply at 9.15 this morning.russell the tech guy is very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clockworkwar Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 [quote name='bassmansky' post='436693' date='Mar 16 2009, 09:53 PM']i mailed them yesterday as well and had a reply at 9.15 this morning.russell the tech guy is very helpful.[/quote] I still waiting for replies to three emails about a replacement fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pookus Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm very happy with my Ashdown gear. I have an ABM900 head and 8x10 cab, which has never let me down and it all gets plenty of use. I use it for both live and recording and get loads of positive remarks about the sound. I don't mind the controls but then I've found my sound with this rig and generally leave the settings alone. Also the 1x15 will work fine in conjunction with the 4x10 - you won't get any wooliness there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protium Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 [quote name='Clockworkwar' post='436851' date='Mar 17 2009, 07:36 AM']I still waiting for replies to three emails about a replacement fan [/quote] Have you heard of the telephone? 01245 441155 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmansky Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 [quote name='Clockworkwar' post='436851' date='Mar 17 2009, 07:36 AM']I still waiting for replies to three emails about a replacement fan [/quote] have you emailed them this week?if you have thats unusual that they have not replyed.ring them and ask for tech support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Bolton Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I use Ashdown gear which I think is Chinese made, and I've had no issue with at all except one: the handles on the sides of the new ABM cabs are curved, which means it wont sit on it's end, which means it takes more of the very limited space in my flat, but that's it. I love the Ashdown sound, really nice and smooth, their stuffs excellently priced too. I was in Reverb in Glasgow today and they'd reduced an ABM 810 to £499. A look at their list of artists shows that their stuff is suitable for all types of music, from rock and metal, to funk and pop. The MAG heads are really good too, but the casing is crap. I'm tempted to buy a MAG 300 and get my brother who's sh*t-hot with woodwork to help me build a new chassis for it. Actually, I do agree with the complaints about the mix of knobs and sliders, it seems a bit pointless to have both, and I prefer the MAG EQ. Does anyone know, if I move the rubber feet on the 210 to the end of the cab to be able to stand it vertically, will I be running the risk of drilling through anything important inside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 [quote name='thinman' post='436592' date='Mar 16 2009, 08:17 PM']Yeah - good value for money. My MAG went bang however. I believe there was a batch of MAGs with dodgy mains transformers. As a manufactuer they are not "wooly" per se - it's not the heads - it's their 15" cabs. Go and try but in my opinion avoid the 15".[/quote] I have played through a MAG 4x10 a few times. Still "woolly". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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