Is this superfly a good deal?

[Commando Jack]

Hi,

I've been looking a new rig, which will be my first giggable rig for small to medium venues. I was initially after a reasonably powerful combo, but since rummaging around on this site, I'm now on the fence about getting separates instead! So it's open season here.

A friend of mine recommended [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/"]this site[/url], and said he got a 'great' deal on an Ashdown superfly [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/Ashdown_Bass_Amplifiers/Ashdown_Superfly_1000_Bass_Guitar_Head_Amplifier"]here.[/url]

Are these amps any good, and for this price are they worth it? I was under the impression that it's a discontinued amp and seems to have divided opinion in the forum. I'm also thinking along the lines of a Peavey Tour series amp, or the little giants (I like the idea of light lol) and of course to be awkward I'm still looking at combos, for instance [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/Hartke_Bass_Amplifiers/Hartke_Hydrive_210c_Bass_Guitar_Combo_Amplifier"]this[/url] is is the cheapest i've seen the Hartke 210C.

I'm drowning a bit in advice, so would appreciate some much more direct advice. Being in Belfast, there isn't a great amount of bass amps lying around the music shops these days, save Bairds (highly recommended for the local guys btw!), and even their selection isn't huge, so trying amps out is hard to do from where I am, unless of course the guys local to me can point me in the right direction?

Like I said, any advice at this point is gonna be well appreciated!

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='Commando Jack' post='668698' date='Nov 28 2009, 04:00 PM']Hi,

I've been looking a new rig, which will be my first giggable rig for small to medium venues. I was initially after a reasonably powerful combo, but since rummaging around on this site, I'm now on the fence about getting separates instead! So it's open season here.

A friend of mine recommended [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/"]this site[/url], and said he got a 'great' deal on an Ashdown superfly [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/Ashdown_Bass_Amplifiers/Ashdown_Superfly_1000_Bass_Guitar_Head_Amplifier"]here.[/url][/quote]I like my Superfly, but I wouldn't pay that price for one. Mine was $199 US two years ago. I wouldn't pay more than that now. If you go for one you'll need two 4 ohm cabs to get the most from it. I'd use a pair of 2x10 or 2x12.

[Moos3h]

I think there's some Superfly users on here, but I have to say that I had one and thought it was a total stinker of an amp, lacking in Power, sounded lifeless and had an awful lot of operating noise.

I'd look elsewhere, were it me. Go second hand and keep an eye out in the Classifieds here, always good gear floating around!

Cheers,
James

[warwickhunt]

tbh you've found the 1000w version of the Superfly NEW @ £229... that's a pretty good deal for a new 1000w amp (regardless of the fact that it is 500w per channel into 4 ohms). The fact you can take it back for a full refund if it suffers from the dreaded Ashdown 'kettle hum' noise is a major bonus!

[The_D]

I have one (500W version) and I always championed there cause when it came to the Superfly debate on here. There are a lot of turnips out there and I seemed to have been lucky.

Sadly it is now reduced to a practice amp for house use as it started cutting out as the CPU board has cheap connecters on it. Tried a DIY fix and also took it into a shop to have it repaired but still cuts out sometimes so just cant trust it at a gig.

I should add mines started going wrong after 2-3 years solid gigging everyweekend and 1-2 practices every week. It served me well for £200.

I would listen to Moos3h and keep an eye on the classifieds on here. You should be able to snap up a bargain if you have £230 to spend.

Edited November 29, 2009 by The_D

[Musky]

I haven't used a superfly myself, but if you do a search of the forum you'll find a lot of people have had problems with reliability. I think most people recommend removing the amp from its outer casing as that seems to help prevent overheating, which was speculated to be the root of the problem.

The Little Giants which replaced it don't appear to have reliability problems, but some people have found them to be a bit quiet for the wattage.

[BigRedX]

I couldn't really recommend the Superfly. Mine was OK if rather bland tone-wise for the first year and then after being used at an all-day rehearsal it started producing the high-pitched whine (which is now present most of the time from switch on) and has more recently developed a problem where it won't power up for no apparent reason. Waiting a minute or so and trying again normally gets it going eventually.

Mine was bought as a light-weight small foot-print alternative to my main (and much bulkier) amp but the problems mean that I can't even consider it for rehearsals any more. Also with all the problems it suffers from I couldn't sell it no matter how cheap in good conscience, so it will most likely end up being binned. I'd avoid.

[lemmywinks]

Mine had to go back to be fixed twice within the first month of having it. It arrived with a faulty output and later started cutting out quite regularly. I used it for occaisional practice and it wasn't reliable enough for that really

I did the trick of taking it out if it's casing and it's been fine since, i'm actually starting to like it again! Taking the extra casing off improves the ventilation, weight and IMO appearance, just make sure you budget for a set of rubber feet and 8 corner protectors, those corners are sharp!

As said, the tone is best described as decent, it's a bit underpowered and is most likely poorly built.


Tbh i wouldn't buy another, there's a Hartke i flagged in the eBay section for £175. Much more reliable i think

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='Moos3h' post='668818' date='Nov 28 2009, 11:54 PM']I think there's some Superfly users on here, but I have to say that I had one and thought it was a total stinker of an amp, lacking in Power, sounded lifeless and had an awful lot of operating noise.

I'd look elsewhere, were it me. Go second hand and keep an eye out in the Classifieds here, always good gear floating around!

Cheers,
James[/quote]

I had the same problem.

[WarPig]

Got mine for £40, cant remember where from though That was a good deal

[Commando Jack]

Thanks for the replies guys, it looks like the superfly is out.

For me reliability will be probably be the biggest deciding factor; I couldn't be turning up to a gig with gear that may or may not cut out. I'm not goin to be able to afford backup gear anytime soon!

I'll keep looking I guess, and keep an eye on the classifieds. Be sure to consider postage to Belfast if you're selling!

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='WarPig' post='668979' date='Nov 29 2009, 11:12 AM']Got mine for £40, cant remember where from though That was a good deal [/quote]


RACK EARS!!!!!!!


f***, I am sh*t, be in the post on Monday.

[derrenleepoole]

The Superfly is a good head on paper but is let down by overheating issues, grossly overweight for it's size and build quality issues. You can pick them up for £100 approx these days, so as a backup amp might be worth the investment.

The replacement Little Giant heads while offering better flexibility, are poorly built to be honest. I have one, and while I get a 1000 watts at very little price outlay, it has to be handled with care, so rack mounting it is a must. But to be honest, there's no reason why it shouldn't last if looked after properly though. Saying that, if it does go down or is knicked it's not a massive outlay to replace again. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

Any amp is prone to failure, so in your price range you could get two and keep one for backup

Edited November 29, 2009 by derrenleepoole

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='668989' date='Nov 29 2009, 06:21 AM']The Superfly is a good head on paper but is let down by overheating issues, grossly overweight for it's size and build quality issues.[/quote] For those who do have them ditch the heavy aluminum outer casing and handle. If that case was properly finned it would weigh a third what it does and would slough heat away, but it isn't finned, so all it accomplishes is to double the weight of the amp and retain heat. Rack mount the innards and put a computer fan in the rack and the heat issues, and the long term damage it causes, disappear.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Bill Fitzmaurice

[BigRedX]

For me that pretty much defeats the object of having one. The basic unit fits nicely into the "shortboard" pocket of the Line 6 pod gig bag so I can get my complete secondary rig into an easily carryable form, instead of a bulky 6U rack case that my main rig occupies.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='669143' date='Nov 29 2009, 09:52 AM']For me that pretty much defeats the object of having one. The basic unit fits nicely into the "shortboard" pocket of the Line 6 pod gig bag so I can get my complete secondary rig into an easily carryable form, instead of a bulky 6U rack case that my main rig occupies.[/quote]
Not at all. Strip off that aluminum crap and you end up with a physical package identical to the Little Giant, and half the weight of what it is now.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Bill Fitzmaurice

[BigRedX]

My reading of your previous post implied to me that for safety and reliability having removed the aluminium panels the amp would need rack mounting and fan cooling. Is it OK to use without doing this? Just taking off the panels?

[Moos3h]

Yep, there's a Little Giant chassis lurking in there when you take it out of the ridiculous amount of metal it sits in.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='Moos3h' post='669203' date='Nov 29 2009, 11:21 AM']Yep, there's a Little Giant chassis lurking in there when you take it out of the ridiculous amount of metal it sits in.[/quote]I haven't looked inside mine to be sure but I suspect that one could retro-fit an internal fan as well, to duplicate the Little Giant.

[Moos3h]

Fairly certain that my Superfly (owned for all of 1 day) had an Internal fan by that grille.

Could be wrong!

[xgsjx]

[quote name='Commando Jack' post='668980' date='Nov 29 2009, 11:13 AM']Thanks for the replies guys, it looks like the superfly is out.

For me reliability will be probably be the biggest deciding factor; I couldn't be turning up to a gig with gear that may or may not cut out. I'm not goin to be able to afford backup gear anytime soon!

I'll keep looking I guess, and keep an eye on the classifieds. Be sure to consider postage to Belfast if you're selling![/quote]

Have a look at mark bass. You'll get a s/h LMII for not too much more than that superfly & is a better bit of kit by a long way IMO.
I tried a superfly about 2 years ago & wasn't impressed.

[Moos3h]

Where can you grab a second-hand LM2 for not much more than £229? I'd be tempted with one at that price!

Thanks,
James

[xgsjx]

I've seen a couple for just over £300 since the LMIII came out.
There's a mini cmd 121 for sale on here for £550, that's not much different to what you'd pay for a superfly & a 12" cab, is it?

[Krysbass]

My Superfly 500 is still going strong after almost 2 years of weekly rehearsals and around 1 gig every couple of months. I recently removed the outer casing to improve the cooling and put some adhesive rubber feet under it to help the airflow underneath it, as it's the bottom panel that gets hottest. Sometimes just use a small mains-powered household fan, blowing across the casing if I'm playing in a hot environment.

Mine was one of the run-out models, bought for just £199 so I've no complaints. But since I'm stuck with two 4 ohm 2x10 cabinets, I'll probably go for a Carvin BX500 next.