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OFFICIAL ASHDOWN CLUB

#641
Oatis said:
I have a recent ABM 600 evo 4 that has gone silent . Does anyone care to recommend a repair/tech in Birmingham, Atlanta, or Nashville ? Are there fuses I could check ? -thanks in advance-Oatis -The lights come on but NO hiss or hum through the speakers.
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The preamp section has about 4 Jfets in the area of the far right side that if any one of them are to flake out it will mute the head. It's not something that you can inspect visually. I had an EVO III with the same problem and wound up replacing 3 of them until I hit on the right one. They only cost about .10 but you have to clip the center lead, effectively destroying it, to troubleshoot.
A signal generator, AF monitor, and O'scope come in handy. If you're not a tech, best to take it to a qualified repair center.
The schematics vary on these from generation to generation, and even some series within the same generation.
 
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#643
CoR Bass said:
If you can get a good deal on the II I don't think you'll be missing out on too much over the IV. The IV has extra EQ and a built in compressor. I had one for a little while, but got rid of it and just kept my II. Been really happy with it. But you really can't go wrong with either.
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Thanks!!
$375 for the II, $500 for the IV (guessing all the IVs are the same...).

Actually, the II is gone. Never mind. But I really appreciate the recommendation as I'll know for next time.
 
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#644
Hey guys! I am considering buying a 1x12 cab to pair with my RM 500. My main option is the Orange OBC 112. However, I am also thinking about the Ashdown RM 112 cab (which is a 100 bucks cheaper). Any experience with the RM 112? I love ABM cabs but never tried the RM.
 
#645
javi_bassist said:
Hey guys! I am considering buying a 1x12 cab to pair with my RM 500. My main option is the Orange OBC 112. However, I am also thinking about the Ashdown RM 112 cab (which is a 100 bucks cheaper). Any experience with the RM 112? I love ABM cabs but never tried the RM.
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If you're talking about the newer RM EVO cabs like this, they are great.
Ashdown RM C112T 500 EVO Rootmaster 500W 1x12 Bass Cab

I went from the ABM to the RM EVOs for the weight and haven't been disappointed. I still think the ABMs edge them out a bit, but in no way is the difference big enough for me to want to go back to double the weight. I have 2 410s that are 44lbs each and 2 210s that are 30lbs each. I use the RM500 and the ABM EVO II with them. I don't have any experience with the Orange though.
 
#646
Ok, so I had to buy "an emergency" cab. I have some shows coming up for a festival and I don't feel comfortable taking my Mesa Boogie (someone tried to stole a friend's guitar last year and almost did).

So I just bought an Ashdown RM mag 210 (the old RM) for 150 bucks. If I hadn't bought a bass three weeks ago I'd have gotten something better. I know the old RM don't have a good reputiation, but I guess I will find out for myself. For the price I think it is a bargain.

Do any of you guys have any experience with them?
 
#647
So, I am going to make my impressions about the cab RM 210T (Mag).

It is increbly portable. The handle is nice and it is light. I really like it. I could take my bass, my bag and the cab (the head was in my bag) in just one trip. Awesome

It sounds much better than expected. I'd prefer to have an on/off switch for the tweeter, but it's fine. I tend to turn down the highs. It's not the best sounding cab, but it is very nice. Especially for the price. It doesn't have that much bottom end, more low-mid oriented, but for 150 bucks, it is awesome. It does the job. I am very happy with the purchase.

The amp was just a monitor for me since the sound guy took the sound out of my pedalboard. But with the output at 10-11, it was perfectly audible in a big stage (I move a lot during a show).

A funny thing about the show: my bass teacher happened to be in the opening band. We talked and he ended up using my amp (he usually uses an EBS Reidmar with EBS 4x10). He was very pleased after the show. He told me that the singer of his band loved the amp and he liked the tone.

The pic is before I packed everything. For the show I took the RM500 and the cab (I left the Spyder at home). And sorry for the crappy pic...my phone can't adjust the light properly

RM.jpg
 
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#648
The other day I went to a store in my city which doesn't have a lot of bass related stuff, but they had some Dr Green pedals I wanted to check out, so I went there. I talked to the salesman because they had some Orange and Ashdown cabs and amps. He told me that bass players complain a lot that the don't have bass related gear (they only have like 6 basses in a very big store. But they had a lot of Ashdown gear I must admit) but they have a lot of Ashdown amps and that people don't want it. I wonder why it is. There are a lot of people who have trust issues because of reliability, but I have toured with Ashdown gear (and often, really old Ashdown gear) and I never had any problem (I know it's just my experience). But I don't know why people don't really like Ashdown. I understand that they have their own sound, but Trace Elliot was very respected.

On the other hand, I thought they had an Ashdown ABM EVOI and asked for it. It was not an ABM, but a Klystron 400. They ask me 520 bucks...what do you guys think?
 
#650
boristhespider7 said:
How does it compare to the ABM? I've always been interested in the Spyder, but they are pretty rare to find now. Does it have the passive "Fenderish" EQ?
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The Spyder series is dual tube and has passive EQ. It has a very tube-like tone, very warm and creamy. Not familiar with an ABM so wouldn't be able to compare.
 
#651
javi_bassist said:
In my opinion, the Spyder has more tube vibe. I think only valve amps can sound like a valve amp, but the Spyder is closer than the ABM to that feeling. The ABM has a more clean sound. The EQ in the Spyder is passive.

The Spyder is less versatile. I would have liked Ashdown to keep on producing the Spyder. I know that the market is now more into class D amps, but a better Spyder (with a quieter fan) could have been used in studio with awesome results.
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I know this post is from a while back, but my 550 Spyder fans (2) aren't really that loud. Maybe for recording it would be something to deal with, but I've used amps with much more audible fans. (my SWR 400s for one) Having a few different amps, it's characteristic tone is why I like it - erring on the side of a more vintage tone.
 
#656
Not sure if Ashdown owners know the reference of "Spyder 550" and "Little Bastard 550" (I just learned of it myself) - that was the car that James Dean died in in 1954. He called his Porsche 550 Spyder "Little Bastard"

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#657
A little while ago I picked up a used ORIGINal 300. I've been an Eden guy for many yrs and I have decided I'll either sell the Ashdown or keep it but only as a backup or practice head.

I'm also in a band where I'm not on bass, and thought I'd give the bass player first dibs on either the ORIGINal or an EA iAmp 300 I'm also planning to sell. He needs a better amp than his old Carvin 'cause oftentimes my two bands share a bill and I use his amp!

Anyway he plays EUB and I was sure he'd like the iAmp better - and honestly I thought he sounded better with it, it's a real clear sounding amp - but he was more into the Ashdown, and the rest of the band preferred it too.

Not sure why I'm telling y'all all this... here's my issue. As an Eden guy I prefer a mids-forward tone, and the Ashdown has a more bassy tone. When I EQ it I dial down the bass quite a bit, then boost the low mid knob, but never quite get my tone. I looked around and can't find an answer:

Is the bass a shelving knob? What freq does it shelve down from - like 80 Hz, 100 hz, ... seems like it gets into the range of the low mid knob, I think the two knobs cancel each other a bit. Also, does anybody know how wide the low mid EQ is (I think that's the 'q' value), iirc it's centered at 180 Hz.

Apologies for the lengthy post, it's late here... hope I'm making sense, and tia for any replies!
 
#659
JIO said:
Not sure if Ashdown owners know the reference of "Spyder 550" and "Little Bastard 550" (I just learned of it myself) - that was the car that James Dean died in in 1954. He called his Porsche 550 Spyder "Little Bastard"

View attachment 3503751
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"Rumor has it that Dean’s car, which he’d nicknamed the Little Bastard, was cursed. After the accident, the car rolled off the back of a truck and crushed the legs of a mechanic standing nearby. Later, after a used-car dealer sold its parts to buyers all over the country, the strange incidents multiplied: The car’s engine, transmission and tires were all transplanted into cars that were subsequently involved in deadly crashes, and a truck carrying the Spyder’s chassis to a highway-safety exhibition skidded off the road, killing its driver. The remains of the car vanished from the scene of that accident and haven’t been seen since.

Wütherich, whose feelings of guilt after the car accident never abated, tried to commit suicide twice during the 1960s–and in 1967, he stabbed his wife 14 times with a kitchen knife in a failed murder/suicide–and he died in a drunk-driving accident in 1981. Turnupseed died of lung cancer in 1981."

Wutherich was his mechanic that was riding with him that nearly died.

Hmmm; seems cursed.
Was this a good seller for Ashdown?
 
#660
Jim C said:
"Rumor has it that Dean’s car, which he’d nicknamed the Little Bastard, was cursed. After the accident, the car rolled off the back of a truck and crushed the legs of a mechanic standing nearby. Later, after a used-car dealer sold its parts to buyers all over the country, the strange incidents multiplied: The car’s engine, transmission and tires were all transplanted into cars that were subsequently involved in deadly crashes, and a truck carrying the Spyder’s chassis to a highway-safety exhibition skidded off the road, killing its driver. The remains of the car vanished from the scene of that accident and haven’t been seen since.

Wütherich, whose feelings of guilt after the car accident never abated, tried to commit suicide twice during the 1960s–and in 1967, he stabbed his wife 14 times with a kitchen knife in a failed murder/suicide–and he died in a drunk-driving accident in 1981. Turnupseed died of lung cancer in 1981."

Wutherich was his mechanic that was riding with him that nearly died.

Hmmm; seems cursed.
Was this a good seller for Ashdown?
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That is all truly bizarre Jim. I heard something about the curse but had no knowledge of the details. Once I learned of the connection, I wondered what they were thinking. Kind of morbid really - beyond retro/nostalgic alignment. Interestingly enough (even though flirting with apophenia here) my 550 Spyder "crashed" while on stage within months of buying it (demo model) and I just recently had it resurrected (repaired). Luckily it wasn't "life threatening" :). Gotta have fun with such!

FTR - like motorcycle cc designations many times, 550 (watts) was a stretch-to-fit being closer to 500 actual watts (can't recall the exact wattage - 530?) So apparently there was a marketing guy at Ashdown who was a really good salesman.
 
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