My second Ashdown , good this time !!

Makatak · #1 06-01-2011, 02:37 AM

Had a Little Giant , had heating problems etc so got rid of it.... Just picked up a Mag 600 EVOII secondhand but nearly new , man what an amp , warm tone , quiet operation , nice compressor , portable , might become my main amp me thinks . Big thumbs up Ashdown !!

Chopshonky · #2 06-01-2011, 03:00 AM

Ashdown sound acceptably good in the solid state domain, they don't do a proper tube head. and iffy solder-work is often more prone to failure than other top brands as are their cheaper components, capacitors etc.

Their cabs and heads are often gimmicky - they make tube looking head housings that are just empty for the tube look (why?) and the additional "bass ports" at the bottom of their cabs must really just be to get the name plate 4 inches higher up on the stage than other amps.

That rant over. I do think their stuff sounds OK on almost any setting, their EQ's are perfectly ranged and it's virtually impossible to dial in a dreadful tone. So for ease of use they are at the top, they look great so that's top, and hey they sound good too so despite the rant... I'm not dead set against them.... I just think that they're poised to secure a real lasting reputation as a top amp which they are jeopardizing with non roadworthy-component-failures and gimmicky-construction-features. they give their amps away for free to any band with a record deal which gives them allot more exposure than is actually warranted. Ampeg, EBS, Orange, SUNN, and a few uncool looking boutique brands blow the Ashdown's quality control out of the water sound great too.

Enjoy your Ashdown, but don't shake it

Makatak · #3 06-01-2011, 03:17 AM

Thanks for that , I baby my gear anyways so no harm of shaking [ I picked it up for about 200US anyway so if it goes tits up no big loss ] .
Just out of interest do your comments apply to the Mark King signature 500 or is that in a different league , they seem to be reasonably priced on the used market as well . Thanks

BruceBass3901 · #4 06-01-2011, 03:18 AM

Glad your liking the amp

I love my Ashdown EB combo (which is soon to become a sperate head and cab) and have tried playing through Orange, Trace Elliot, TC Electronic and Aguilar amps and have found them all lacking that roundness and warmth that the Ashdown seems to be able to churn out

And Chopshonky, I believe they do make tube amps... The 427 Small Block, the Little B*stard and BTA series are all tube amps. Then there are the Spyder 330 and 550 heads which have a dual tube preamp with a solid state power amp section taken from the MAG and AMP series respectively. I'm not looking to start an arguement or put you down, I'm just saying that as far as I know, they do make tube amps, for the aid of anybody else who reads this therad

Chopshonky · #5 06-01-2011, 05:22 AM

hi again! following your post I looked up the BTA which actually looks pretty good from the spec. thank you for tempering my rant it did need a balanced view. I was on the war path since they've given us 5 amps over the last 2 years 3 of them have failed within the first 2 months due to various components or wiring defects. and when we said we didn't want those EVO III 500's they were pushing just a solid tube head please, the rep told me they didn't 'currently' have a tube head out over 250 watts. and gave me more EVO series solid-states in tube-head housings. So yes you are absolutely right they do apparently make a proper tube head, which I haven't tried. but I will still be wary of the quality control. and as I say in the earlier post they do boast some very strong qualities, I am a chronic advocate of the devil

Thanks for the slap *boink*

AshdownMad · #6 06-01-2011, 05:25 AM

The Ashdown all tube heads have only come out recently... This was an old thread

Edit: Typo's everywhere

Chopshonky · #7 06-01-2011, 05:31 AM

P.S. Makatak you may not shake your Ashdown but you live in christchurch NZ so the planet does the shaking for you - test it after any tremor over 4.0 and report back please

Sliderbass · #8 06-01-2011, 05:44 AM

I went through three ABM 500 EVO III's before I got one that worked properly. I will say that ashdown was great to deal with and covered shipping on all the amps and on both ends.

My BTA-400 is a beast! And HEAVY! but amazing.

bassguppy · #9 06-01-2011, 07:10 AM

I've owned 2 RPM-1's, an ABM500 II, and an ABM C115 Combo & never had a problem (both British and Chinese). If you dig what Ashdown gives it's awesome.

I'm Ashdown free right now but would go back without hesitation.

BruceBass3901 · #10 06-01-2011, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopshonky

hi again! following your post I looked up the BTA which actually looks pretty good from the spec. thank you for tempering my rant it did need a balanced view. I was on the war path since they've given us 5 amps over the last 2 years 3 of them have failed within the first 2 months due to various components or wiring defects. and when we said we didn't want those EVO III 500's they were pushing just a solid tube head please, the rep told me they didn't 'currently' have a tube head out over 250 watts. and gave me more EVO series solid-states in tube-head housings. So yes you are absolutely right they do apparently make a proper tube head, which I haven't tried. but I will still be wary of the quality control. and as I say in the earlier post they do boast some very strong qualities, I am a chronic advocate of the devil

Thanks for the slap *boink*

Sounds like you got the Klystron heads

From what I can gather, they are basically the ABM heads in a different chassis

And you are most welcome

I am an Ashdown junkie, so I couldn't help but put all the info in there

JAUQO III-X · #11 06-01-2011, 10:16 AM

I've been an Ashdown endorser for well over a decade. And I use UK as well as Chinese built product from them.

I have yet to have a problem.

I have heard of people having issues with Ashdown but I have also heard of similar issues with every other brand of bass amps and cabs on the market.

But people seem to get selective memory loss when it comes to things like that

Can any one honestly name a bass amp company that hasn't put out some type of amp(model or series) that didn't have a problem pop up?

Makatak · #12 06-01-2011, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopshonky

P.S. Makatak you may not shake your Ashdown but you live in christchurch NZ so the planet does the shaking for you - test it after any tremor over 4.0 and report back please

Ha Ha well spotted . The guy I bought it off did live near the central city and got the full force of the magnitude 6.3 , obviously the Ashdown survived !! , im just out of town so not feeling them here as much ...however the 7.1 last Sep
was located out this way , the inside of the house was turned upside down , but my 2 Warwick 211pros didnt move an inch ! . Ill keep you posted . [ yet to gig with the amp yet ]

Jeff Scott · #13 06-01-2011, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Makatak

.....Just out of interest do your comments apply to the Mark King signature 500 or is that in a different league.....

I won't give Ashdown a second chance. I bought a new MK500 and returned a few days later after being totally unsuccessful in ridding it of it's beehive sound. I have never played through an amp that buzzed (120,180 Hz) so loud and it only got worse when bypassing the EQ!

s_mcsleazy · #14 06-01-2011, 05:35 PM

meh iffy quality control is the brittish way.

just look at most cars made by brittish leyland

Sliderbass · #15 06-02-2011, 05:32 AM

Every screw in the last TWO ABM's I got were loose! Only the torrid transformer was tight. That's not bad QC, that's ZERO QC! there's no excuse for that!

Zakk007 · #16 06-02-2011, 09:04 AM

Used various Ashdowns over the last 10 years after having a torrid time with some hideously unreliable Ampegs, never had an issue with any Ashdown. I do think things can often be blown out of proportion and as we know people who have had problems are always more likely to shout about it than ones who dont...

Zakk007 · #17 06-02-2011, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

I won't give Ashdown a second chance. I bought a new MK500 and returned a few days later after being totally unsuccessful in ridding it of it's beehive sound. I have never played through an amp that buzzed (120,180 Hz) so loud and it only got worse when bypassing the EQ!

Wow won't give a second chance? Its likely the amp took a bash in transit, after all they come halfway round the world to get to the USA and FedEx people arent the most careful. Seems a shame to write off Ashdown after one experience like that when in all likelihood it wasnt their fault. The MK500(when working properly) is a great amp if you like the old school 12 band graphic sound, its like a good old trace from back in the day but better.

JAUQO III-X · #18 06-02-2011, 09:14 AM

I've been using the MK500 model on and off ever since they were first released.

Killer sound and no problems as far as any issues at all.

4-string · #19 06-02-2011, 12:07 PM

I have owned various Ashdown gear, never had a single issue.

MK-500 is my main amp. Sounds killer, very simplistic, a real workhorse. Love it.

ishouldbeking · #20 06-02-2011, 03:36 PM

My Ashdown ABM 500 has behaved relatively well since I got it. It developed an odd noise at one point, which might have been tied to the preamp tube. Swapped it out and it's been all right since then. The leather handle did tear off after 2 years of gigging, which was annoying. That said, I've seen some of the Ashdown horror stories in person.

One friend is (or was) an endorsee, he's out on the road with a major label / touring band using one of the rackmounted ABM 500's. As he shows up to one of the gigs, he takes the front off his rack case and the Ashdown head literally fell apart. The truck or van must have hit a gnarly bump and the amp literally broke into pieces. None of his other rack gear or any of the other band member's had any issues. He switched to Ampeg shortly thereafter.

Another friend got an Ashdown, partly at my recommendation... I felt bad when his amp started misbehaving live. Eventually it just died, not sure exactly what was happening with it, but it made me nervous about mine.

I've still got my Ashdown, but it's not my main gigging amp anymore.