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Ashdown MAG 600H Amp Head (Evo II)

U

Urban777

Jun 23, 2009
39
0
#1
Hey, I've been doing research on pricing for the MAG 600 but have only recently begun looking for reviews, the only two reviews I could find though were from Harmony Central (http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Bass+Amp/product/Ashdown/MAG-600+Head/10/1) and both those reviews say how terrible it is, that they break basically the moment you buy them. For instance, if you haven't looked at the link, one person said that his broke during a rehearsel within 10 minutes.

I was just wondering if anyone else was using this amp head, and could give me a slight bit of feed back as to the reliability, it could just be that the only two people who reviewed had unlucky amp heads?

Any help is MUCH appreciated
 
#3
I had an Ashdown combo a few years back, and loved it. I had my eyes on a new Ashdown for a little while, but once I started reading more and more reviews, and it seems like a good amount of people have complained about their reliability. Personally, I don't have any problem rolling the dice on them, but they're based out of the UK, so repairs would be a pain if need be.
 
#6
Actually its been about a year. Something happened out of the blue with the head in one place for a while and not playing very loud. My amp suddenly had this issue where if I play too low it will click, mute, then play again. Idk if its the fuse or not. But uhh help me out dudes if you know whatsup.
 
#8
zepolishbassist said:
Actually its been about a year. Something happened out of the blue with the head in one place for a while and not playing very loud. My amp suddenly had this issue where if I play too low it will click, mute, then play again. Idk if its the fuse or not. But uhh help me out dudes if you know whatsup.
Click to expand...

Try asking Ashdown Tech Support for help. Here is a link to their Help page:
Ashdown Engineering | Technical Service

Good Luck!
 
#9
I've had a MAG600R (not the newer EVOII ones) that I've gigged hard with for about 5 years now. No problems.
It's always been in a road case, give or take a few weekends when it wasn't an option for one reason or another, and I've taken reasonably good care of it...
BUT $#%t still happens...I've showed up to venues with blown PA subs and had to play 5 nights a week at top volume to try to fill a 600 head capacity room with it. It's been through outdoor [DEL]disasters[/DEL] gigs, with NO stage canopy thanks to management, that turned into sudden downpours before I could get the rack closed. It's been through all the weather related wear-and-tear that a touring piece of gear goes through in this country. It's been in van mishaps - again, in a rack case, but just yer garden variety SKB or Gator.
It's never been in for a servicing. I've never changed a fuse on it. I opened the case up a couple of years ago to get a vacuum cleaner in there.
I say all this just to drive home the point that it hasn't been babied, and hasn't been used for low level jams at home...
...And I've had almost Zero Problems with it so far. The only thing I can say is that a few weeks ago the backlight to the VU meter was acting up, and once I had a power cord that didn't fit tightly enough into the amp, and would slide out of place on stage in the middle of the set. Not Good - but a piece of electrical tape fixed that until I got a new one.
Not the most transparent amp out there, but I like that 'vintage modern' warm thing it does, and if you cut the right things on the eq it actually can get bright.
 
#10
ok - here it goes. Stay away from the MAG series. They are cheaply made chinese garbage. I believe its basically a better version and design that Behringer uses for the BX series. Thats my view.
Maybe the 600 is better. Back around 2005 I decided to get new gear. So, I got a MAG 300 - not good. Sound was terrible, ow powered and some noise issues. So retailer sent me another. Same, but worse then BLEW UP! Poof! up in smoke! So, I upped the ante and got the Ashdown MK500. Now that was a killer head! Powerful, awesome and reliable as hell! Of course it was hand made in UK. So, my general opinion is stay away and spend your money on either a better Ashdown or something else.
 
#11
I've had my MAG600 for years.

I LOVE the sound, it's served me very very well over the years. I'm in the consensus that only the people that don't know how to use it think it sounds bad. I've had a couple of other bass players jam with my amp and they make it sound horrible. The only issue I've had with mine is that the bulb for the VU meter went out, but only because I had a massive wave of feedback from my upright.

As always, make decisions for yourself and don't rely on people on the internet. If you buy new, at least you'll have warranty.
 

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