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Ashdown MAG 300 combo problem...diagnosis?

A

addylewis

Jun 1, 2004
1,994
149
43
sheffield, england
www.myspace.com
#1
Recently my Ashdown has started to overdrive which is unnatural from my past experiences with it... (don't get me wrong I LOVE a bit of overdrive - I TRIED when I first got the thing to get it to overdrive but to no avail...now it IS doing...) I think somethings going somewhere - the EQ was set to usual settings (I admit - slightly boosted freqs rather than cut, but not by a helluva lot...) and the gain was at 12-o'clock with the output at 3 o'clock - apparently the D.I. sounded fine from what people said...I DID however notice the speaker moving more than normal, and someone with a stingray used it the other week and it sounded fuzzy (its used to passive basses) - is it the actual amp or the speaker thats on the way out do you think? :help:
 
#4
My mag300 has developed the exact same problem. Works fine with another cab, so it's not the cab. Dialing any decent volume (Input at 12oclock and Output also set to 12oclock.) causes the amp to distort, particularly playing lower notes.

Anyone have any idea on what the problem might be?
 
#5
sknkh said:
My mag300 has developed the exact same problem. Works fine with another cab, so it's not the cab. Dialing any decent volume (Input at 12oclock and Output also set to 12oclock.) causes the amp to distort, particularly playing lower notes.

Anyone have any idea on what the problem might be?
Click to expand...

How long you had it for? Starting to wonder if maybe its just "broken in"?

If you find it out could u let us know what it was? I'm pretty curious...
 
#6
back off the input gain is my first piece of advice. they distort pretty bad when they input is overloaded.
this can make the sound a little weaker, so if this is the issue you might wanna try working with some kind of subtle compressor in line if you aren't already to help smooth out your signal. this way you can hopefully pump the input as much as you need without clipping it.

course i could be way off.

i generally have my MAG combo's input almost at full (playing passive bass) and don't find issue but i then played through the same model at a shop and found that i couldn't have the input it anywhere near where i would with mine.
some Ashdown inputs are more sensitive it seems.

EDIT: also, you mention it only happens with the passive input. this supports the idea that the input is being overloaded because the passive in is higher gain.
 
#7
I had my 180 blue head similar in that it was sensitive to input, would distory on the E and A very easily,... though by accident I did find out I tended to push the input a bit too far to try and be heard in my band... however my mag 300 head has never had that problem and is very clear sounding on all strings (though I don't believe I have pushed the input past 12 or so)

this is with playing active basses... though I did notice the 2X10 amp I had was very 'overdriven' (probably due to my not knowing how to use the 180 head with it and pumping input at full gain) but my 4X 10 has never had any problems...

also try taking out the eq or putting it on but cut... my EQ was always very sensitive, the difference between 12 oclock and 1 oclock always seemed huge though the 2X10 (which didn't seem to handle it very well!)
 
#8
First, if the problem didn't exist and now it does, something has changed. I would guess a problem with the amp unless something else in the equation has changed. Second, you may be able to get better results by turning down the input and turning up the output to get the volume you need. I run my output up full and use the input as my master volume. This gets the cleanest sound with this amp.
 
#9
addylewis said:
How long you had it for? Starting to wonder if maybe its just "broken in"?

If you find it out could u let us know what it was? I'm pretty curious...
Click to expand...

I've had it for a couple of years now.

Have you also noticed that it's starting to distort now even though it never used to before (using the same bass, eq, input level etc.)? Because that's the case with my one, so it looks like there is definitely something wrong with my one. :hmm:
 
#10
sknkh said:
I've had it for a couple of years now.

Have you also noticed that it's starting to distort now even though it never used to before (using the same bass, eq, input level etc.)? Because that's the case with my one, so it looks like there is definitely something wrong with my one. :hmm:
Click to expand...

Yeah man - It seems to suddenly be driving...I had the input gain much lower than before last time I used it (shouldn't have clipped at all - like 10 o'clock instead of the usual 12-3 o'clock) but it STILL appears to be driving slightly...also have you noticed the UV meter is suddenly a helluva lot more sensitive and moves a lot more/goes a lot higher now at lower volumes?
 
#11
addylewis said:
Recently my Ashdown has started to overdrive which is unnatural from my past experiences with it... (don't get me wrong I LOVE a bit of overdrive - I TRIED when I first got the thing to get it to overdrive but to no avail...now it IS doing...) I think somethings going somewhere - the EQ was set to usual settings (I admit - slightly boosted freqs rather than cut, but not by a helluva lot...) and the gain was at 12-o'clock with the output at 3 o'clock - apparently the D.I. sounded fine from what people said...I DID however notice the speaker moving more than normal, and someone with a stingray used it the other week and it sounded fuzzy (its used to passive basses) - is it the actual amp or the speaker thats on the way out do you think? :help:
Click to expand...
Did you ever di
addylewis said:
Yeah man - It seems to suddenly be driving...I had the input gain much lower than before last time I used it (shouldn't have clipped at all - like 10 o'clock instead of the usual 12-3 o'clock) but it STILL appears to be driving slightly...also have you noticed the UV meter is suddenly a helluva lot more sensitive and moves a lot more/goes a lot higher now at lower volumes?
Click to expand...
Did you ever fix your problem with the amp overdrive, Im having the same issue right now with my Mag 300 head, and the repair tech is scratching his head, he says hes gonna look for a Mag 300 schematic to figure it out.
 
#12
Woah man those messages were old...that band I was gigging with split up in 2011...

I DID get it fixed, but stopped using it because I'd got a nicer amp - last time I plugged it in again a few years ago, it was as if it'd never been fixed...the guy who originally fixed it replaced the PSU, but I need to get it fixed again (the original guy died about 4 years ago I think, so I'm trying to find someone else to do it...)
 

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