Ashdown ABM v's MAG

[Guest MoJo]

Although I often get complimented on my tone, I am getting increasingly frustrated with not being able to achieve what I'm looking for live with my Trace Elliot 122H (300w 2x10 + HF horn combo).

I play in a loud, blusey rock band and am looking for a rig that will have pensioners covering their ears with distain and that will knock over small children at the front of the stage.

My meagre income has ruled out my first weapon of choice, the Gallien Krueger 1001RB so my eyes have now turned to the Ashdown range.

My question is, "How large is the gap in terms of sound and component quality between the ABM and MAG range?" Are the drivers in both cabinets the same? (I'm looking at a 4x10).

Other options I'm considering are a Hartke HA3500 / 410XL set-up or adding a 1048H to my current rig.

I would appreciate your thoughts

Mark

[bassmansky]

If you cant get what youre after with the trace then the mag range wont give you anything better imo.obviously the build quality on abm cabs is better,and the 4x10 is 600w compared to 400w for the mag.an abm rig would be ideal for the music you play imo or can you not have an extension cab with your trace?if so how about a te 1x15 c to go with it.those two options sound the best to me.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='bassmansky' post='543776' date='Jul 18 2009, 08:45 AM']can you not have an extension cab with your trace?if so how about a te 1x15 c to go with it.those two options sound the best to me. [/quote]

I have enquired about a 1048H (4x10 + HF horn) that a guy is selling on eBay but he wants to sell it along with his head and 1x15 cab. I had some budget Marshall MB 4x10's a while ago and they were pants. Poor construction and cheap nasty drivers that were very inefficient. Poor bass response and hard to get any real volume out of them. Don't want to go down that road again

[Mr. Foxen]

Seen a few ABM8x10s go for £300 sort of area on Ebay (cause I totally need a second one). I think ABM vs. MAG cabs are a good demonstration of how much more important the cab design is than the driver choice.

[TG Flatline]

Dude I picked up an ABM evo3 earlier this year and, to my ears, it sounds ace. I used it with a Schroeder cab the other night and still have the boner. Use the combo for now and save up to get something you're going to be in love with (like the GK seeing as that's taken your fancy!), definitely worth it in the long run.

Seriously though, you can pick up ABM heads on ebay for naff all. Yes they're PRC made a lot of them, but if you want something for not a lot, it's a good place to start for a head.

Good luck fella!

[Spartacus]

[quote name='bassman2790' post='543752' date='Jul 18 2009, 07:22 AM']My question is, "How large is the gap in terms of sound and component quality between the ABM and MAG range?" Are the drivers in both cabinets the same? (I'm looking at a 4x10).[/quote]

The drivers are the same manufacturer but different models in ABM and MAG. The ABM ones have higher power handling due to uprated speakers and better tweeters. There isnt a lot of difference apart from that except cosmetics.

[Mr.T]

+1 to putting a 1x15 under your combo.... maybe the 1153 cab?

I sold my Trace gear to go lightweight and have been struggling with my sound ever since!

[DirkThrust]

I think you're on the right track already in that you don't have enough speaker cone area to produce the volume you're after. The Trace is a great combo with quite a bright cut-through sound so I think changing your head to GK or Ashdown would be counter productive.

Adding another cab would certainly help. Used Trace and Ashdown ABM 2x10s, 4x10s and 1x15s can be picked up relatively cheaply but you don't need to limit yourself to those two manufacturers unless you want a TE cab to match the appearance of your combo

[Guest MoJo]

Years ago I had the Trace 1215H combo, same amp but with a single 15" driver and hf horn. I bought a 2103H cab to go with it (2x10 + HF horn). When I plugged the 2103 in, I couldn't hear the 15" driver in the combo, unplugging it produced very little reduction in volume, so I'm reluctant to go down the 2x10 + 1x15 route.

[DirkThrust]

[quote name='bassman2790' post='543854' date='Jul 18 2009, 10:54 AM']Years ago I had the Trace 1215H combo, same amp but with a single 15" driver and hf horn. I bought a 2103H cab to go with it (2x10 + HF horn). When I plugged the 2103 in, I couldn't hear the 15" driver in the combo, unplugging it produced very little reduction in volume, so I'm reluctant to go down the 2x10 + 1x15 route.[/quote]

Good point. The speaker experts will tell you that mixing driver sizes without using an active crossover can give mixed results and my experience has always borne this out.

I've used the 2x10 + 1x15 combination from various different manufacturers and was never totally happy with the sound. It was very inconsistent and produced totally unpredictable sounds in different environments.

If I was in your position, rather than going back to square one with a new setup I would try picking up a used 2x10 or 4x10 and see how it sounded, then if you don't like the results you can get your money back by selling it on

[Guest MoJo]

Cheers Andy, I was thinking along the same lines, maybe a 2103H or a 1048H

[Paul S]

I've just moved the other direction from Ashdown to Trace Elliot... I did have an Ashdown MAG C210T -300 EVOII combo with an ABM 1x15 extension cab. Now I have the Trace Elliot AH300-12 head with 1153 and 2103H cabs though I normally just use the 1153 for rehearsals. For my ears this is what I want - the extra oomph from the 15" speaker is just awesome. I suppose at the end of the day it is all down to your personal preference but I have currently hit my noise nirvana

[lojo]

I brought a mag head and cabs when I got back into playing earlier this year, did a gig and it lacked, traded it back in, am now happy with LMII(light) and orange cab (heavy)

I cant comment on the other ashdown gear, but it seems the mag is the buget end and you get what you pay for