New Ashdown RBM Range

[Chienmortbb]

New RBM Range Webpage

 

Ant thoughts? 

[Geddys nose]

Look great,Like the cab sim option, hope they sell well. Got to support UK businesses.

 

The after sales is the best in the Business, a lot of firms could learn this detail.

[Lozz196]

I’m not in a gigging band, if I do stand in for someone I use the provided rig, and I use the studios amps when rehearsing.

 

But still want one! Love that the amp is now Ashdown blue, looks much better than the silver & black earlier versions.

Edited Thursday at 13:29 by Lozz196

[BassAdder60]

Isn’t it just a U.K. built RM800 EVO III in blue ?? 
 

I don’t understand why as the black one is a perfectly decent amp already 

[ASW]

17 minutes ago, BassAdder60 said:

Isn’t it just a U.K. built RM800 EVO III in blue ?? 
 

I don’t understand why as the black one is a perfectly decent amp already 

 

No it's not. It's also "a bold step forward in tone, reliability, and performance". 

 

Are the Chinese built ones unreliable and do they sound bad then? I've only just bought one. 😬

 

I think it's good that they are being manufactured in the UK, but not clear on if this is replacing the Chinese ones or is just an option if you prefer to support UK manufacture. 

[DGBass]

I think Ashdown are doing good things of late with more of their range being built in-house in the UK and probably to order. They also appear to be standardising the appearance of their most popular ranges with the ice blue look that was previously reserved for ABM. If I could be tangential for a moment, The New UK built RBM was recently preceded by a PBM ( portable bass magnifier ) also in ice blue, also made in the UK, and which is I think a replacement for the Ashdown Ant. If being UK built makes their amps even more reliable, and with longer service lives, then it can only be a good thing IMHO. My own rack mount ABM 600 which was a UK custom shop order a few years ago still makes me smile every time I use it knowing it was made here in the UK, and that legendary support if needed is just a phone call away.( it hasn't needed any)  I'm also still using a twenty eight year old ABM 400 that still has the majority of its original component parts and which still works perfectly. It was made at a time all their stuff was UK made, so maybe there is something to that?  I more than likely won't be around in twenty eight years time to see if folks are still gigging UK built RBM's regularly but I suspect there will still be a few Ashdown amps from this era knocking around that Ashdown will still be able to offer some support for whether Chinese made or UK made. 🙂  

[skej21]

The fact they’ve released a stripped back version of the UK RBM 500 (the UK OBM 500) for £499 is pretty amazing and knocks spots off everything else in the market for lightweight, quality, 500w class D amps at the price IMO!
 

When the established companies like Aguilar are moving the TH500 v2 for twice the price and almost half the warranty (3 vs Ashdown’s 5 years), it shows just how much of a gap there is for these releases. Well-played Ashdown!

 

https://ashdownmusic.com/products/uk-obm-500?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=21de654dd&pr_rec_pid=15226954744194&pr_ref_pid=4471249535069&pr_seq=uniform

[Beedster]

Love everything about Ashdown 👍

[Lozz196]

Just got an email re their new SBM range, lightweight powerful combos. 

[spyder]

50 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Just got an email re their new SBM range, lightweight powerful combos. 

Please share.

[Lozz196]

https://ashdownmusic.com/blogs/news/introducing-the-uk-sbm-series

 

Sadly both of the 500 watt combos (115 & 210) are 250 watts as standalone, 500 with ext speaker. They’re also 16kg-ish so as much as it pains me the Rumble 800 still more practical for my needs. 

Edited Saturday at 12:49 by Lozz196

[spyder]

I like the idea of the 200w combo. It could easily replaced my studio 110.

 

UK-SBM-112-200 - Portable Power with a 12" Voice

Delivering 200 watts through a Sica 12" speaker, this compact combo offers balanced tone and articulate response for rehearsal rooms, modest gig spaces, and home recording setups, while remaining easy to transport.

[Pea Turgh]

I love that they’ve got a strong family visual identity.  I like the look of the OBM500, but damn, look at the cab covering and cloth combo on the SBM112!  Want…

Edited Saturday at 17:39 by Pea Turgh
Added pic because it’s lush

[Merton]

On 22/01/2026 at 13:45, BassAdder60 said:

Isn’t it just a U.K. built RM800 EVO III in blue ?? 
 

I don’t understand why as the black one is a perfectly decent amp already 

Yes

[Mediocre Polymath]

I'm tempted by the PBM. I have some informal gigs coming up where it would be really handy to have a gig-bag-sized amp. It's pricier than others like the TE Elf or the Warwick Gnome, but I should probably put my money where my mouth is and support UK businesses trying to actually make stuff. 

 

It also looks like it could be used to hammer in nails or defend against bear attacks, which might be handy.

[jezzaboy]

 

[Lozz196]

47 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

 

It also looks like it could be used to hammer in nails or defend against bear attacks, which might be handy.

Your gigs sound like my kinda thing!

[Russ]

On 24/01/2026 at 12:23, Pea Turgh said:

I love that they’ve got a strong family visual identity.  I like the look of the OBM500, but damn, look at the cab covering and cloth combo on the SBM112!  Want…

It's pretty, but whoever decided to use a cloth grille obviously doesn't have cats and are unaware that speaker cabs with cloth grilles are excellent scratching posts.  I wish they offered a metal grille as an option, especially if they're making them in-house now. 

 

I recently bought a new RM800 EVO III - the input gain control is borked and I'm going to have to send it off to get replaced. First time I've ever had a piece of Ashdown gear be unreliable, and I've been using them on and off (mostly on) for 24 years now. I should have held out for the new UK-made one!