Ashdown CTM 15 vs Ampeg pf20t

[klattman]

I should qualify that I’m talking about the new ctm15, which has a preamp tube. With the power section maxed and the gain at 0, it still can break up. And it can certainly get gnarly if that’s what you want It’s voiced very differently than the lb302n Both are cool I think Ashdown just likes to try new things all the time, which can be fun or frustrating, depending on how you look at it .

The little stubby is probably my favorite for sound but I use the lb302n most because I practice silently a lot and I don’t need a seperate load box.

 

[Joseph Lavallo]

So I received the CTM 15 yesterday. This version of the CTM 15 is a re issue compared to the 10 y/o one with the white knobs.

First impressions:
1. Definately need a compressor to tame the low string and even out the high. I had a $20 Donner comp laying around (great cheap comp pedal by yhe way).

2. 3 band Eq does add to the sound not as much as say the ampeg micro vr head i have. I tend to run my mid boosted at 2 oclock and it gets my tone where I like it.

3. Volume/loudness. I would compare this to a 200 watt solid state amp possibly a little more. Definately loud enough to backline stage volume if you have stage wedges in front.

4. As far as OD, with the gain knob off and only using the volume knob you get a warm touch of OD not distortion but saturated grit like 60s 70s classic rock.

As soon as you raise the gain to number 2 on the dial (this is barley turned up) you have Geddy Lee style OD. At 5 or 6 think Geezer intro to NIB (especially on a p bass). At 9 or 10 o'clock you get full distortion like modern metal. It sounds really good with an active bass. It slaps good too. With a decent comp you won't need any pre amp pedal.

5. As far as "tubey" goodness. Certain notes have like a sag or almost wha quality to them. Again think Geezer and JPJ.

I think if you play a lot of rock, metal, punk, prog or indie it will shine. Maybe good on some pop or slap and funk in the context of rock.

 

[TBird1958]

Gentlemen, let's steer the conversation back to civility please, this is a good thread with valid points being made.

Thank you.

 

[induction]

So I received the CTM 15 yesterday. This version of the CTM 15 is a re issue compared to the 10 y/o one with the white knobs.

First impressions:
1. Definately need a compressor to tame the low string and even out the high. I had a $20 Donner comp laying around (great cheap comp pedal by yhe way).

2. 3 band Eq does add to the sound not as much as say the ampeg micro vr head i have. I tend to run my mid boosted at 2 oclock and it gets my tone where I like it.

3. Volume/loudness. I would compare this to a 200 watt solid state amp possibly a little more. Definately loud enough to backline stage volume if you have stage wedges in front.

4. As far as OD, with the gain knob off and only using the volume knob you get a warm touch of OD not distortion but saturated grit like 60s 70s classic rock.

As soon as you raise the gain to number 2 on the dial (this is barley turned up) you have Geddy Lee style OD. At 5 or 6 think Geezer intro to NIB (especially on a p bass). At 9 or 10 o'clock you get full distortion like modern metal. It sounds really good with an active bass. It slaps good too. With a decent comp you won't need any pre amp pedal.

5. As far as "tubey" goodness. Certain notes have like a sag or almost wha quality to them. Again think Geezer and JPJ.

I think if you play a lot of rock, metal, punk, prog or indie it will shine. Maybe good on some pop or slap and funk in the context of rock.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing all this.

Also, to follow up on my own question:

Is the overdrive/break-up coming from the EL84 power stage tubes, or is something pushing the ECC83 preamp tube to give the the overdrive?

I just emailed Ashdown to ask wether the overdrive is coming from the power stage tubes getting pushed, or whether something is pushing the preamp tube.

Dave from Ashdown responded: the CTM 15 overdrive comes from the preamp.

One thing I think I hear in demos of high gain settings of the amp is: the sound seems different from some demos of fuzz pedals I have listened to. It sounds more grindy and crunchy in a way I prefer, without being harsh in a way I am not looking for. Maybe this is because of the sum of all the parts: preamp tube, power tubes, and transformer. Or maybe my strong interest in an all tube amp is influencing my judgement!

The saturated grit sound when the gain knob off is a good way to describe the sound I hear in Philip Conrad's demo showing this setting. I am very interested in the sag quality, so this is good to know.

Still ruminating over the decision, but the CTM-15 is more and more appealing.

 

[induction]

Got a CTM-15!

Right away, noticed the sound has a different attack and duration of full volume before decay. Not sure if this is a result of tubey-ness or circuit design, but it sounds good.

With gain off, EQ does something noticeable, though maybe narrow bands to my ears.

Adding gain reduces low frequencies, maxing out the bass knob does not get enough back for me. Boosting bass with an EQ pedal gives me enough lows when adding gain on the amp.

The drive responds similarly on all strings. Often with overdrive pedals my ADG sound good but E is fizzy. With this amp, gain around 1-2 oclock, the drive was grindy and crunchy for all strings without getting fizzy. This is for a passive p and a passive j, both with flats.

Have not tried turning up the volume beyond around 9 oclock yet. Only played through it at night it starts to shake walls at this volume.

 

[klattman]

On the CTM I usually go full volume to get the power tubes going and use almost no gain. I don’t notice much low end loss, but plenty or mid high boost with the gain up .

It’s a fun little beast. Not as versatile but it does its own thing really well.

The EQ is all passive in most of these ashdowns so I start with all the eq cranked and pull back what I don’t want Gets me there quicker that way.

 

[Joseph Lavallo]

Now that I have a little more time with it, I really like this head. It definately needs a decent compressor. I picked up an Ampeg opto comp. I would recommend the opto comp. It's very simple and does not color the sound. The tone gets puncher and it tames the lows real well. Now I'm looking for a light single 12 cab and I will definately gig with it. Very pleased.

 

[induction]

On the CTM I usually go full volume to get the power tubes going and use almost no gain. I don’t notice much low end loss, but plenty or mid high boost with the gain up .

It’s a fun little beast. Not as versatile but it does its own thing really well.

The EQ is all passive in most of these ashdowns so I start with all the eq cranked and pull back what I don’t want Gets me there quicker that way.

After your post I got the idea to try the DI into my interface and monitor the interface with headphones. Then, gain on the head off, volume on the head maxed, and used the levels on the interface to get the volume down to something not painful. Got a slightly different breakup sound this way. Nice!

 

[Joseph Lavallo]

Do you know if the di is pre or post eq?

 

[induction]

Do you know if the di is pre or post eq?

DI is post EQ.