Ashdown Spyder 550

badboy1984 · #1 01-28-2011, 04:05 PM

Just traded my Little Mark 250 for this baby today. altho this is heavy but i like the tone and the hybrid config. I always like the Ashdown ABM and now i can use the all valve preamp on the 427 and use the ABM poweramp.

Use the amp to drive my Ampeg SVT410HE and SVT15E. Sound very warm and in the face tone. Crack the gain up and it still sounded warm with abit of a brit which i like, i never like the full distort sound anyway.

Just need to buy a rack case to keep the baby protected and easy portable too.

Zakk007 · #2 01-30-2011, 04:25 PM

Nice good GAS, havent had chance to try one of these yet but heard good things!

badboy1984 · #3 01-31-2011, 12:56 AM

They are very clean valve pre amp to my ear. Is not like when you crack it up you can overdrive the tone. Could be a good thing for some but if you like the ampeg valve tone or that orange valve tone then this amp is not for those guys.

this hybrid amp is different animal. It only give you that little bit of the brit when crack up but still retain very clean and warm tone.

EQ is passive so adjust one EQ will effect the other, kinda like the musicman bass preamp on the bass. I never like massive fiddle on the EQ anyway, so cut a little and boost a little and i get the tone easily.

This thing is loud, i have to turn the volume on the amp and the bass itself to make everyone happy lol.

This is a made in UK one and the quality is been great so far.

JAUQO III-X · #4 02-12-2011, 08:17 PM

I have one and I'm digging it.

It definitely has it own thing happening. It's tubey sounding but not over the top with it. And it can get very loud(in a good way) if that's your thing.

My setting are pretty much

Active bass in the low input.

Mid - 12:00
Bass - 12:00
Treble -12:00

Mid Shift - Down
Bass Shift - Up
Bright - Down
Pre Post - Down

I'm an Ashdown endorser.

walbassist · #5 12-22-2011, 03:30 PM

I just picked one of these up hoping to get that lovely overdriven sound when pushing the gain up, but none of my basses (active and passive) get any grit from the amp at all, even with the gain full up. Lovely clean sound, but I can't get any overdrive like the guy does in the Ashdown demo video.