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Ashdown BTA400

W

Wild Steve

Dec 19, 2010
198
8
#1
I bought one of these a little while ago after ditching an Aguilar DB751 and Ampeg SVT VR, so obviously I preferred the BTA. Thought I'd share a few observations as there's very little info on them anywhere I can see.

It probably looks as good as any amp out there!
It's probably as heavy as any amp out there!

It runs a fair bit quiter than the Ampeg, but not as quiet as the Aguilar.

Operationally I think it's excellent. The dials are large and really smooth, the knobs are strong and precise. The VU meter is nice for setting your input level. Also nice to have a tuner permanently plugged in.

Tone-wise I'm still working on it (with my limited experience). By comparison the Ampeg had a clarity and punch to it that was very distinctive but probably not me. The Aggie I find clear and punchy but in just a bit of a sterile way. Hoping to get a Bergantino NV610 to see how that goes with it - very well I'd hope?

The Ampeg had a buzz that would just not go away and that just made me feel it was going to be unreliable (rightly or wrongly the thought was just there), the switches and overall feel was also a little cheap.

I felt the Aggie felt a bit cheap too - small rubber knobs and dials.

On the whole, I think it's been a good choice, though I do wonder if the DB751 would have been more sensible - it seemed like it would be very reliable and loud as heel, plus a fraction of the weight of the tube heads. ONly time will tell I suppose.

Hope this helps someone, or at least means that a result comes up when someone searches for info on the BTA heads!

Steve
 
#2
Thanks for posting! Sliderbass has one of these as well. Definitely one of the coolest looking heads out there. I dig to look of all the Ashdown gear. Would love to hear some clips.
 
#4
They have the new CL cabs too, including sealed 610 and 810 with that same cool-looking red grill. They're big though, typical 810, whereas the Berg seems to be regarded as as good as any 810 out ther but almost half the weight.
Steve
 
#7
Smurf-o-Deth said:
Dammit, are the new cabs available anywhere,
Click to expand...

I have no clue in regards to availability in the states.


Smurf-o-Deth said:
or is it strictly by endorsee hook-up right now?
Click to expand...


I got the only one that was available in the states after playing through it at this past winter NAMM.

Because it's a short 610 I didn't know that it had six 10's in it until I further inquired.
 
#8
Smurf-o-Deth said:
Dammit, are the new cabs available anywhere, or is it strictly by endorsee hook-up right now?
Click to expand...

When I spoke to Ashdown here in the UK they told me the big CL cabs were special order and would take about 3 weeks to deliver.
They also have the VS series which includes a 412 but I was told that they might be pushed a bit by the BTA heads (even though they're rated 600W).
Steve
 
#10
Wild Steve said:
When I spoke to Ashdown here in the UK they told me the big CL cabs were special order and would take about 3 weeks to deliver.
They also have the VS series which includes a 412 but I was told that they might be pushed a bit by the BTA heads (even though they're rated 600W).
Steve
Click to expand...
typical, but at least they were honest with you when you asked them.
 
#12
Here's an example of nice little things that just seem to work well - my little tuner permanently hooked in with a little patch cable. Of course this works in mute or even standby mode, just nice to have it always available.
Also came with this beefy footage included - a nice surprise.
Steve
 
#14
Sorry but I'm just not experienced enough to comment properly on the tone - plus I'm using pretty cheap cabs.
What I would say though is that it had the same sort of feel as the SVT VR, but without that cutting attack the SVT has.
Steve
 
#16
I'm curious if anyone has directly compared these to the Ashdown ABM series heads. As far as I can tell they use the exact same preamp and offer the same features, the only noticeable difference being the SS power section vs the massive tubes, and probably a magical (heavy) transformer in the BTA.

Safe to assume the BTA sounds tubier (better?), but is it $2000 better?
 
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#17
One of the things that has helped me not destroy my finances and buy one of these bad boys is the fact that it uses their ABM preamp which is nice enough, but never blew me away. I have no doubt it slays with that massive tube power section, and damn, it sure looks sexy! Wondering how the 427 sounds - it appears to have a different preamp.
 
#18
ishouldbeking said:
I'm curious if anyone has directly compared these to the Ashdown ABM series heads. As far as I can tell they use the exact same preamp and offer the same features, the only noticeable difference being the SS power section vs the massive tubes, and probably a magical (heavy) transformer in the BTA.

Safe to assume the BTA sounds tubier (better?), but is it $2000 better?
Click to expand...

Not sure if you still frequent the forums or have the same curiosity, I just stumbled on this thread myself. I don't think I've ever broken down my thoughts completely on owning and gigging both. I've had the ABM for 11 years and the BTA for 4.

I do have both, or at least an ABM500 (Evo III, I believe) and a BTA300.

They can achieve very much the same tone in many regards, with a few heavy caveats. When not pushing the power amp and with the tube blend in the pre switched off, they are very similar at lower volumes in regards to achieving similar punch, transient, and tone. This is with sealed cabs.

At any volumes < a small coffee gig, or </= a "loud" practice, there become very noticeable difference in the feel of the amps, and the more the power tubes are pushed, the more slam and eventual power tube distortion you get. Much like an SVT.

That slam is awesome, so is the PT distortion. Both are desirable to me, especially for both recording and live playing. The feel and slam are much less notable in FoH, and possibly mix and recording, I could imagine.

I've always been a big fan of punch and hard attack from my bass amps. One reason I love my ABM, it was similar to the M6 & 9 carbines from Mesa. Tons of attack. When I first got the BTA, I was a little bummed at initially when I set everything the way I had for my ABM and the attack just didn't punch as much on the E string, was much more vintage like. Loved the slam and PT grit, but missed that aggressive attack.

Then I thought, why don't I try taking out the preamp tube. Disengaged it, and boom, there was the punch!

So to kinda wrap up and provide the tldr; if you really like tube slam, PT grit, and that general tube warmth and you don't mind the weight of a tube amp and like the ABM, it's worth it 100%. I play in everything from heavy psych, sludge punk, stoner rock and metal, all the way to jazz, folk, and blues. The 300 has enough volume for me, but the 400 would be recommended for those that prefer a cleaner tone in loud situations.


PS: I prefer and mostly play with sealed cabs. The BTA does much better through sealed cabs on the low end than the ported cabs I tried (Ampeg 610hlf, cant remember others). The ABM had that over the BTA 300 when playing really loud. Not that it's bad, just that I didn't like it as much as the ABM at real loud volume with a ported cab.

The ABM I have is slightly louder overall and of course a bit (not needed in my cases) louder clean than my 300.

Whew, sorry about that, I can be long winded for sure. Anyway, that's kinda been my thoughts for some time between the two and I'd personally be satisfied either way, even though the slam and grit is so satisfying.
 
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#19
Novarocker said:
Not sure if you still frequent the forums or have the same curiosity, I just stumbled on this thread myself. I don't think I've ever broken down my thoughts completely on owning and gigging both. I've had the ABM for 11 years and the BTA for 4.

I do have both, or at least an ABM500 (Evo III, I believe) and a BTA300.

They can achieve very much the same tone in many regards, with a few heavy caveats. When not pushing the power amp and with the tube blend in the pre switched off, they are very similar at lower volumes in regards to achieving similar punch, transient, and tone. This is with sealed cabs.

At any volumes < a small coffee gig, or </= a "loud" practice, there become very noticeable difference in the feel of the amps, and the more the power tubes are pushed, the more slam and eventual power tube distortion you get. Much like an SVT.

That slam is awesome, so is the PT distortion. Both are desirable to me, especially for both recording and live playing. The feel and slam are much less notable in FoH, and possibly mix and recording, I could imagine.

I've always been a big fan of punch and hard attack from my bass amps. One reason I love my ABM, it was similar to the M6 & 9 carbines from Mesa. Tons of attack. When I first got the BTA, I was a little bummed at initially when I set everything the way I had for my ABM and the attack just didn't punch as much on the E string, was much more vintage like. Loved the slam and PT grit, but missed that aggressive attack.

Then I thought, why don't I try taking out the preamp tube. Disengaged it, and boom, there was the punch!

So to kinda wrap up and provide the tldr; if you really like tube slam, PT grit, and that general tube warmth and you don't mind the weight of a tube amp and like the ABM, it's worth it 100%. I play in everything from heavy psych, sludge punk, stoner rock and metal, all the way to jazz, folk, and blues. The 300 has enough volume for me, but the 400 would be recommended for those that prefer a cleaner tone in loud situations.


PS: I prefer and mostly play with sealed cabs. The BTA does much better through sealed cabs on the low end than the ported cabs I tried (Ampeg 610hlf, cant remember others). The ABM had that over the BTA 300 when playing really loud. Not that it's bad, just that I didn't like it as much as the ABM at real loud volume with a ported cab.

The ABM I have is slightly louder overall and of course a bit (not needed in my cases) louder clean than my 300.

Whew, sorry about that, I can be long winded for sure. Anyway, that's kinda been my thoughts for some time between the two and I'd personally be satisfied either way, even though the slam and grit is so satisfying.
Click to expand...
Love the necrothread resuscitation and the great comparison. 14 years later, thanks for the reply! I'm no longer playing in bands and my ABM is long retired - my Walkabout is really all I need these days - but I still pop by the forum every now and again to lurk. Always fun to read posts like this, makes me miss playing at full volume!
 
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#20
ishouldbeking said:
Love the necrothread resuscitation and the great comparison. 14 years later, thanks for the reply! I'm no longer playing in bands and my ABM is long retired - my Walkabout is really all I need these days - but I still pop by the forum every now and again to lurk. Always fun to read posts like this, makes me miss playing at full volume!
Click to expand...

I feel ya on that! Glad I get some home to myself time to turn it up.

I'm on a semi hiatus myself, great to hear you still pop in. I've been teasing a walkabout myself.
 

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