Ashdown ABM Overdrive

[CaptainWampum]

So I've been looking to put a little fur in my signal, and when I say a little, I mean just a little. I was looking for a really mild overdrive pedal when I realized that my Ashdown EVO head (original, not II or III) has a tube built in, presumably for this specific purpose. When I bought the amp I was looking for a clean signal, so I never really thought about it, but when I messed with the grind knob, I have not found a way to get anything I would qualify as actual tube breakup from it. It certainly changes the tone in some way, maybe even making it a little more "grindy", but no overdrive/distortion. And yes, I tried cranking the input and driving the amp as hard as I could, no luck. I popped it open and took a look but the tube was unmarked so I don't know what kind it is. Anyway, I was just trying to find out if this was normal or not and if anyone else has had a similar experience.

If I should be getting some kind of distortion (with the grind knob cranked I might add) could it be that I need a new tube? If so, what do you recommend? If not, I'll probably look into something like a VT bass pedal or an English Muff'n (any opinions on those pedals would be nice too) to satisfy my yearn for overdrive. Thanks for your help, I don't have a lot of experience with natural overdrive so I'm kind of stumbling in the dark on this one.

[eyeballkid]

with an active bass, the drive knob up, and a rather high input you SHOULD be getting some overdrive breakup.. with a passive bass, probably not.. youll probably just get tube warmth. If youre playing an active, disengage the active pad button that limits the input. If those dont work for ya, perhaps a new 12ax7, and look for a brand with a good earlier breakup profile. (check the reviews @ thetubestore)...

[CaptainWampum]

Yeah, it's a passive P-bass, so I'll probably be checking out some kind of mild overdrive pedal. Thanks a ton(e) for your help.

[Bassman1953]

If you crank up the tone knobs, and the Tube knob is fully engaged, you will find yourself in distortion heaven..

[eyeballkid]

do ya mean that he should raise the EQ knobs and sliders up proportionately across the board to give it a hotter input?

[Bassman1953]

Exactly, but not necessarily all the same amount, just experiment until the desired effect and tone is reached.

[Checker1o1]

If not, the ebs valve drive has a sweet overdrive that's way fat.

[4-string]

I don't like or use distortion at all, but even I found the dirt on the ABM very nice sounding. Not over the top overdrive of course, just a great sound. Mine was an EVOII, FWIW.