In 1995 Ashdown built 100 EA iAmp500/UK (the correct model designation) heads in England, which featured EA's proprietary "front end" and Ashdown's ABM-500II power section. They were offered in carpeted headcases or with bolt on rackears and in a 1X10 or 2X8 VL Series cabs (VERY rare and had no affiliation with Ashdown). I personally have spoken with Mark Gooday, the owner of Ashdown, and since the engineering costs exceeded Ashdowns initial profitability of only 100 units, he stated that Ashdown was very disappointed that the partnership did not continue. From personal experience, I own 5 of the 100 including #002 & #003, they are pretty much bullet proof and IMHO sound warmer than the current EA amps (which I agree are still GREAT). You can find the original owners manual in the Tech Section of EA's current website,
Euphonic Audio -- EAAmps.com . To me there is no greater rig than an iAmp500/UK w/2 VL-208 cabs, SIMPLY AWE INSPIRING TONE!