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poll - Ashdown vs Ampeg ?

Which is better ?

  • Ashdown ABM500 evoII

    Votes: 58 79.5%

  • Ampeg SVT3pro

    Votes: 15 20.5%
  • Total voters
    73
#21
the ABM series are their top line, the mini- cabs are top line, but smaller and lighter, and the MAGs are mid line. I have only tried the Mini- series cabs, and I really like them in conjunction with the ABM heads. Some folks have had problems (sound-wise) with other makes of amplifiers, but with the ABM heads the reviews have been stellar.

The Ashdowns are very reliable. Most problems occur when they are damaged during shipping. Ashdown has had problems packaging them adequately.

Make sure you test drive it at the shop, and you should have no problems. I have heard good things about their service, but I have not had to avail myself of it yet. I do however have an authorized service tech in my neighborhood who I will turn to if needed.
 
#22
Bluebomber said:
Im weighing the same options right now. And im definatley leaning toward Ashdowns, but i have a few concerns.

Ive heard some bad things about their reliability and their customer support. Im in USA and ive heard their customer support is awful here, but pretty good over in Europe. Have you guy had any problems?
Click to expand...

I bought my ABM 500 used in Canada so I didn't have a warrenty...So this situation might be different than someone with a warrenty but...The VU meter about 4 months after I bought it. My repair guy ordered another meter from Britain, and then the meter broke again. I am in the process of finding out if they will replace the broken meter. Their service seemed really good for response time and mailing out the part and stuff...Apparently they told the repair man that there was a certain generation of Ashdowns that had very unreliable meters and would break out on the road on people. They started using a different brand of meters on the later models.
 
#24
rosiewolfnote said:
I am very happy with my ABM-500. In fact, I use it over my 70's Ampeg SVT! Does anyone have info about the ABM-900? It is hard to get info in Canada on Ashdown here as no one distributes it here. Are they easy to find? What is the approximate price difference between them and the ABM-500?
Click to expand...


what info do you want on the 900. i own it, so let me know.
 
#27
For those who are debating between the ABM 500 EVOII and SVT III Pro, I had the pleasure of owning both at the same time. When time came for me to sell one, I let the Ampeg go. Both heads are awsome, and I don't think its quite fair to compare the SVT III to the ABM 500. With that said, I would say the 300 is closer in price. Comparing the two side by side the 500 blew the Ampeg away in terms of volume, and(in my opinion) the ability to cover both modern and vintage tones. The SVT has a really sweet tone though, I just found it lacking in the loudness area and it was a little too clean for my taste. Actually, I think the ABM gets closer to cranked SVT tone than the III Pro.
 

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