ashdown, ampeg, ashdown, ampeg

[colonelporridge]

I currently have warwick 5.2 and a galien krueger backline 410.
I want to upgrade my amp and was thinking of an svt 4 pro.
But for the same price as just the ampeg head i could pick up an ashdown evo iii and an ashdown abm 410 thus also up-grading the cab. Its a tough choice as i need a set up for various styles of music and it also needs to hold its own in the studio. I need this up grade urgently. Any advice?

[s_mcsleazy]

ashdown

be diffrent

[jmattbassplaya]

I like the 4Pro a lot, but a lot of people say it's not that powerful.

I used a Ashdown MAG300 for a long while, and, although it was a nice head, I found it really one dimensional tone wise. Of course, this doesn't mean all their heads are.

[prd004]

To me the Ashdowns sound over-compressed.

I love Ampeg, but I haven't heard or tried the Pro-IV. but for what it's worth I've had a Pro-III since 1994 that's been my main amp, never let me down, and still going strong!

[tbird36go]

The 4pro is in no way underpowerd. People just don't know how to hook it to their speakers. It's all in the manual on ampegs web site. I'm pushing past 2 guitarst both with 4X12 cabs & 120 watt tube heads & I've only got the volume knob a quarter of the way up. Trust me you can't go wrong with the 4pro. It can handle any cab in any configuration. The main problem people have is that they run the amp in bridge mono mode without rewiring the speakon cable. You have to do that before you run it in bridge mono or you will only be using 1/2 power not full 1200 watts RMS. & let me tell you full the 1200W 4pro is no joke! Theirs even an Ampeg video that shows you how to do it & it's real easy took me 2 minutes with a screwdriver. here is the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH0kVA-ZvPQ I've even got an extra mono/bridge speakon I'll sell you.

[AlPBass]

Hopefully I'm not subconsciously biased, having played Ampeg for the last few years, but I did once start checking out Ashdown gear because it seemed to me to be an "upgraded Ampeg", but after having tried some in stores and rehearsal studios, i've realized that it's more like a "needlessly elaborate Ampeg". More or less the same type of sound, and the EQ, for a 7-band, isn't all that handy as it just makes minor adjustments to only one overall sound. The Valve Drive seems to blur the sound more than add tube grind, the compressor and octaver aren't the greatest either. Basically, in my experience with the brand, Ashdown has lots of bells and whistles that could potentially make it superior to Ampeg, but pretty much none of them are all that useful, so Ampeg is still the winner between the two.