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Ashdown on the way...

ishouldbeking

ishouldbeking

Feb 5, 2007
2,090
32
#1
I bit the bullet and ordered a new Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II for a stellar price. Suffice it to say that i'm *very excited*. It arrives tuesday. :hyper:

I've played with them a bit, mostly at Guitar Center (which has to be the worst place to play with anything, what with the incessant "shredding"), and I played my friend's thru his old SWR cab, and I always liked what I heard. I'm wondering if anyone has any EQ advice, or tips and tricks that could make my transition to the "Ashdown sound" a quick and painless one. Any particular settings you guys like? Anything I should definitely avoid or watch out for?

I gotta say, the one thing I'm really excited about is how much simpler the controls are compared to my GK 2001RB... and yet the Ashdown's 7 bands of EQ have (so-far, at least when I was messing around) been easier to dial in then the GK's 4 band EQ + contour + presence +additional buttons + multiple power stages.

Also note that I'm currently playing a P-bass (with a pick, i know, i'm evil) and will be running the head thru my GK cab (410rbh) for the moment until I can summon the funds to get something more suitable and less obnoxious to move around, which should hopefully be in January. Thanks! :bassist:
 
#2
The great thing to me about my ABM500 is that I hardly have to use th EQ at all! With a Jazz Bass plugged into it the sound is right there. I only use the EQ for the changes in the room. I've had many many different amps through the years and this one is honestly my favorite. Enjoy! I know you will...
 
#3
Am I right in my assumption of how the Ashdown EQ works: you set your basic tone with the 3 EQ knobs and then use the sliders to fine tune (allowing you to cut/add out boominess with the lowest one, cut/add body with the mid-low, cut/add honk with the mid-high, and roll off or boost harshness with the hi slider)?

I haven't tested that theory out, but that seemed to be how it was used when I was messing around with it.
 
#5
Make sure you boost the input (especially with a passive bass) or you will lose punch and volume. I used to roll off the bass control and boost the160hz slider, leaving everything else flat. Oh yeah, do not engage the scoop or it will suck out all the punch.

Congrats on the score!
 
#6
Congrats!. The ABM’s flat eq is very much on the warm/fat side to my ear, but I often go for a comparatively clear/cutting tone with the knobs like this:

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Shape engaged (button not pressed in). Warwick Corvette$$ switched to single coils (in Humbucker mode it's very fat, too fat for our music anyway).

BTW, I use a Warwick NeoPro15 for most gigs with this amp. It fits in the boot of my 3-series saloon and I can carry it with one hand.
 
#8
leelove said:
Nice one. Enjoy... I know they dont get the best press round here but I love mine. Looks great and sounds even better. Plenty loud, tight, beaty n meaty even through just my one MAG 410t cab.
Click to expand...

Yeah I wasn't even considering an ashdown after reading all the nasty threads... until 2 of my friends switched over around the same time (one from SWR, the other from an Orange AD200B), and they both sound quite a bit better than they ever had before, both in different styles. Once I tried it out I was sold. Surprisingly, when i started asking about them on here everyone was very encouraging and very few people seem to think the reliability problems are still an issue with their current run.

Arrives tomorrow. And we have a gig tomorrow... my band has a rule that we're never allowed to play on gear that hasn't been thoroughly tested at rehearsal first, but man, I'm tempted.
 
#9
here is the setup that adam clayton from u2 uses...hope it helps.
adamsamp.jpg
 

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