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Ashdown ABM 500


outsider70
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I'm on the lookout to buy above amp used.
Having heard mixed reports on reliability, particulaly from China, I am keen to pick up a UK made version.

Can anyone tell me what year they ceased production in UK? Or any easy way of distinguishing between them?

I currently use a Gallien Krueger combo + ext cab but it's breaking my back to lift the bugger, hence the move to seperate amp/cabs. However so far the GK has never missed a beat, and given I do about 150 gigs a year without backup, reliability is paramount.

Cheers
Tony

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MB1. :)

The ones assembled in china have all failed from new, as far as i know.Somebody previously mentioned on the Ashdown debate on this forum, that a faulty or badly assembled amp, would fail within its first three months.There are a lot more people that have not had any problems with Ashdowns China assemled amps than those who have me thinks!.Why do i get the feeling ive just wacked a hornets nest with a big stick?????.

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I've got a virtually new ABM500 for sale (still under warranty and in perfect order). The reason I'm selling it is Ibecause 've just bought the rack-mounted version.

Forgive the pun, but there seems to be lots of Chinese Whispers about Ashdown gear at the moment (someone knows someone etc).

I've never had any problems and the gear is heavily used.

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I've had my ABM 500 for about 4 years, and i reckon it was in the shop for at least 6months before that so not sure if its chinese or UK made. I've had ZERO problems with general functionality, like I've mentioned before, I've had to replace the VU meter bulb once and a button that fell off, thats it.......touch wood :)

Si

p.s.
the gear is heavily used, 3 to 4 times a week, and completed a 26 date UK tour in May, being played every night pretty much.

Edited by Sibob
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I'd just like to point out that manufacturing standards vary in China just as much as they do in the UK, there are plenty knocking out poor quality tat but also plenty more whose standards and QC stand up to most international scrutiny.

(Of course, I don't know where Ashdown sit on that scale :))

Edited by G-bitch
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[quote name='outsider70' post='64829' date='Sep 24 2007, 04:10 PM']I'm on the lookout to buy above amp used.
Having heard mixed reports on reliability, particulaly from China, I am keen to pick up a UK made version.

Can anyone tell me what year they ceased production in UK? Or any easy way of distinguishing between them?

I currently use a Gallien Krueger combo + ext cab but it's breaking my back to lift the bugger, hence the move to seperate amp/cabs. However so far the GK has never missed a beat, and given I do about 150 gigs a year without backup, reliability is paramount.

Cheers
Tony[/quote]
Why not get a GK head and cab and save the worry of Ashdown reliability?


I think the early Chinese-made Ashdown units suffered a lot from poor QC and potentially poor component selection - if the subby was given free reign to purchase anything they liked then the quality of components would go downhill incredibly fast for cost reasons. Same happened to Trace when Gibson purchasing took over ("Why should I buy this £3 capacitor when I can get one for £0.50?"). So component quality drops and as will always happen on a new facility manufacturing a new product, unless proper pre-production runs occur (like a few hunderd or a few thousand units depending on overall volume), then there will be teething troubles. Not sure if they're all ironed out yet, but they really should have been and MG @ Ashdown says in interviews he thinks they have been. Hopefully that means their subby factory now meets stricter (i.e. Ashdown UK) QA regs and purchasing principles, so hopefully a Chinese made amp should now be OK....

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