Peavey max 115 or Ashdown Mag 300?

[mldavis]

Hi guys,

Currently saving to purchase a new amp which would be suitable for small gigs in the future, and the two amps mentioned above keep coming up which would be around my price range.

Can get the max 115 for around £235, and the Mag for about the same s/h. What I want to know though is, which one is the better amp?

Thanks

Martin

 

[eukatheude]

I have a combo with the Mag 300 on it. I like the tone and it has some nice features, but i don't like the way the EQ works - YMMV. I'd say try it out, it's a good amp. Still, the price seems a bit steep, i paid 250€ for mine - a combo.

 

[deathsdj]

I currently use a Peavey TNT 115 and an Ashdown Touring 220, also with a 15" speaker. They are both really great amps in totally different ways and they really don't sound anything alike. The Peavey is just as you would expect. Solid, powerful, a lot of features and a basic clean sound that is great for a lot of kinds of music and perfect to run pedals on to sculpt your sound. The Ashdown is punchy, bright, and with it's tube preamp it has a very satisfying growl. It has a nice EQ, several sound changing switches, and is smaller and lighter than the Peavey by quite a bit.

Honestly I love them both, even moreso when used together (with a Peavey Basic 112 on top running my highs). If forced to only keep one I would keep the Peavey because it is more versatile in my opinion, but I'm happy I can keep them both. If I didn't want to use pedals or anything but a bass and a cord I would probably choose the Ashdown because it really does sound good and the tube preamp gets that tube growl going on real nice.

I know these are not the exact amps you are thinking about but they are similar so I thought I would share my thoughts. I think the Peavey is probably the tougher of the two, I can see it outlasting the Ashdown... Hell it will probably outlast me!

Good luck!

Cheers!

MJW

 

[mldavis]

Thanks for the reply and advice!

I've been looking at the TNT 115 which can be bought new for around £250. Just been looking at video reviews of it on YouTube, looks and sounds a good amp and would be ideal if I eventually start gigging!

 

[chaosMK]

Is the MAG you are looking at just a head? I generally go for heads over combos just for flexibility. If I was on a budget and needed something I'd get a combo but then I'd be thinking about getting a "rig."

I can't speak for the Peavey but I owned a MAG 300 for a while and it was fine. Not the most golden tone ever designed but good enough and loud enough (I used it through 2 1x15's or 1x15/2x10). I used a Sansamp with it to get a little more modern sounding and to cut through the wool a bit.

 

[bobbybass85]

I've had an Ashdown Mag combo/stack for about 6 years now and I still love the thing. Flexible, reliable. Can't complain.

FWIW I've never been a fan of the Peavey stuff that wasn't all-tube. I worked in a store where the TNT's and MAX amps were THE amps we carried and I never cared for them.