Ashdown amp quality went down?

mysticola · #1 05-24-2011, 10:27 AM

Hello,

Some days ago I was in a guitar shop and I was searching for a new amp. I asked the shop keeper what he thought about Ashdown amps and he said that their quality went down, now that they were made in China.
Now I wondered about your opinion...has the quality of the Ashdown amps changed, or is it just some sales-talk from the shop keeper?

Greetings

DwaynieAD · #2 05-24-2011, 10:40 AM

all i can say is they look cool.

last one i played was a year ago, maybe 2, i liked it but didnt find it to be anything special

sounds like sales talk to me tho

BigOldHarry · #3 05-24-2011, 10:45 AM

They farmed their manufacture to China at some point; Sales dropped. It's my understanding that they've now moved manufacture to the US ( it was in the UK; That's where my ABM500 was built).

The MIC amps were not well regarded (big shock). I have to say that I never played one, just my 11 year old ABM. And that I have kept it all this time should indicate what I think of it.

GeneralElectric · #4 05-24-2011, 10:48 AM

I had a Chinese Ashdown. It was a great amp that served me well for a few years. Played tons of shows with it, dropped it, tossed it into trucks and vans, and it probably got rained on at least once. I had zero issues.

I traded it for a bass when I upgraded to a Mesa Boogie 400+ (big upgrade from a MAG300)

JAUQO III-X · #5 05-24-2011, 10:52 AM

All Ashdown amps sre not made in China.

I have my share of UK and MIC Ashdown amps. And I have yet to exsperience any problems at all.

A couple of years ago me and a friend of mine compared my UK built ABM 500 to his MIC ABM 500. And the MIC one sounded very much like the UK built one.

And my friend still has his.

Ashdown is not the only company that have amps made in China.

Ashdown endorser(well over a decade).

funkyebk · #6 05-24-2011, 10:58 AM

... and in the UK. And in Kentucky. Their amps are made all over... always have been (well the Kentucky thing was the last few years). For that matter, so does every one else. It's a global economy.

By any chance was this dealer an authorized Ashdown dealer?

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that he wasn't. And his comments were followed by "you should try X brand amps, they're made in Y and sound great. I've got one right over here" I've heard that line from sales guys time and time again.

From what I can tell the Ashdown line is just as strong if not stronger than it was. I've got an RPM-1 Pre that while I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world, the new models sound great and would be at the top of my list for backups or if I had to replace my current rig.

mysticola · #7 05-24-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funkyebk

And his comments were followed by "you should try X brand amps, they're made in Y and sound great. I've got one right over here" I've heard that line from sales guys time and time again.
.

That's indeed what he said! He was talking about a gallien krueger, wich wasn't bad, but very expensive.
Seems that sales guys are all the same

Downunderwonder · #8 05-24-2011, 11:31 AM

I've heard one good old Ashdown rig and one crappy new Ashdown rig, ymmv.

dbhokie · #9 05-24-2011, 11:39 AM

I was not pleased with the Ashdown I tried a few years ago, but then I am pleased with an old crappy (put back together) Peavey TMax..which I absolutely love, and I know some bassists who absolutely love Ashdown and have all throughout the years, Idk.

Selta · #10 05-24-2011, 11:44 AM

I like the combo amp I had from them (UK) and the MAG410 and MAG115 I had (UK). I have used the newer made in China stuff, and it works well, and seems to stand up to abuse rather well also. I wouldn't knock it just because it's made in China. If you like it, go for it. If you don't, look elsewhere.

edbass · #11 05-24-2011, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

They farmed their manufacture to China at some point; Sales dropped. It's my understanding that they've now moved manufacture to the US ( it was in the UK; That's where my ABM500 was built).

The MIC amps were not well regarded (big shock). I have to say that I never played one, just my 11 year old ABM. And that I have kept it all this time should indicate what I think of it.

I haven't spoken with Ashdown for a while, but I certainly did when the US Series was being implemented and integrated, and unless something has changed in the last several months, the only Ashdown products made in the US were the "US Series" cabinets. I don’t have any insider information but I'm pretty sure the "US Series" experiment bit the dust though, and I'm also pretty sure that the ABM series and the tube stuff is still UK manufactured and the rest is Asian built.
I know the tube amps are UK; always have been. Early on there was talk of them being produced in the US, but only from persons who somehow read that “factoid” into the Ashdown marketing materials (not accidental IMO...

).

It wouldn't be a surprise for me to learn that they have started manufacturing the entire line in Asia; it's pretty hard to be market competitive with a transistor amp built in the UK or US anymore. Lower "revenue per pound", (even more expensive to ship than to build in extreme cases) items like speaker cabs can make more sense to manufacture closer to the end users, like the "US Series" speaker project, but the lower Asian production/importing costs and economy of scale can easily tip the bottom line in favor of Asian production.
For those who really think it matters where their amp was built, it will be marked on the unit, but I think most people are much more interested in buying an amp cheap than in where it was made.

I’ve personally had good luck with the ABM series gear I have used over the years, and like the tone. I still use an ABM RPM-1 to drive my transistor rig on the rare occasions that I use it.

SolomonHelsing · #12 05-24-2011, 12:27 PM

Im pretty sure a good deal of the ashdown line are still made in the UK, from when i ordered my MAG Evo 300II i read alot about the ABM and other series still being made in the UK.

Far as the ones built in china, sure they were built there, but i think whats more important is where they were designed and made into an idea, which was the UK, china is assembling them not designing them. So pretty sure it wouldnt matter one bit.

That being said i love my EVO 300 and wont be trading it for god knows how long,
at least not for another make, but may change to a head and cab unit stead of my combo at somepoint.

JAUQO III-X · #13 05-24-2011, 12:35 PM

All CL is UK made
Ashdown can and will make CL in USA if demand
All valve amps are UK made but the lb30 is also available made in china
JJ Burnel head UK made
Mark king UK made
Black ltd edition ABM 500 UK made
Neo UK made
klystrons amps and combos all UK made, some made USA

Rest offshore. And that includes the new class D Mibass micro head(power section designed by Bang and Olufsen).

Skitch it! · #14 05-24-2011, 12:46 PM

It would be a shame if the quality has gone down, I bought one of the first ABM800's Klystron Bass Magnifier, 35 of 200 made with that name due to a copy-write infringement. I bought it in '96 and have played a lot of work with it and it's had the occasional knock. Never failed, the only work I had done with Ashdown was have it carpet covered and change the input V.U.
Previous to that I fried an Eden WT800 and some Hartke gear.

bassplayerken · #15 05-24-2011, 12:55 PM

I love both of my Ashdown LG1000s. They power my two 21015 custom schroeder cabinets. Think Mesa Powerhouse 1200 with an additional downwards firing 15'. The tone on them is nice and neutral to me so I basically use them as my power amps and EQ while my Lee Jackson BP1000 preamp colors the sound. I get lots of compliments on the power and tone I can dish out of that rig, even after they find out I'm using Ashdown amps.

SolomonHelsing · #16 05-24-2011, 12:58 PM

Alright then, i stand by my evo 300 even more now then, great amp, built in china then, but designed elsewhere, still feel thats more important,

JAUQO III-X · #17 05-24-2011, 01:01 PM

Pretty much all the major bass amp companies are having product outsourced to China.

sevenyearsdown · #18 05-24-2011, 01:05 PM

Everybody has stuff made overseas. I've had a MAG300 and I still have the Perfect 10 mini rig - all MIC I believe. Never a problem.

In fact, the mini rig is built like a tank.

Electricblue · #19 05-24-2011, 01:17 PM

Apparently there was a year that churned out awful stuff. Don't know for sure though.

Jim C · #20 05-24-2011, 08:37 PM

The issue is not so much where it is made, but rather were the same quality components used in all. It would take a factory insider to tell you if the same componenets, PC board quality, OT, etc. were used from country to country. If there were a change in components used in order to meet a price point, it is a certainty that this would not be revealed to the dealer or endorsers.