Tell me your Ashdown horror stories

[JAUQO III-X]

I'll have to disagree strongly. In the mid-2000s when I first started gigging on bass (coming from guitar) the Ashdown reliability stories were everywhere on here and elsewhere, and heard in person, as well. Just like with some of the Carvin series heads/combos at the time (some say still). If you can run a search on "brand X reliability" or "brand X problem" or whatever via Google or here on TB and get a page of hits in just the past six month, especially with similar issues across the threads, there is a problem. I don't care if your particular amp has run for a million years.

Some of the Carvin guys are the same way. I like Carvin's hi-fi clean tone. But there are more than a few stories here and on Carvin.com of (assumed) thermal shutdowns and reactions to dirty power rendering their BX line useless at times. Their CS is excellent and I'm glad they're assembled in the USA, but it is what it is.

It ain't personal. It's sharing info. You guys act like amp brands are a religion. Geez.

I can't think of one brand of amp that has not had issues here or there, I'm not here to name brands but it happens. Ashdown and Carvin are not the only brands that can go on your list.

A lot of time what people turn into reliability issues ends up being user error.

I use Ashdown and it works for me and has worked for me live, studio, all kinds of road conditions and I have yet to run unto a serious problem other than a amp being dropped once and that caused a problem that was not too serious but that's the life experience of that particular amp, a amp that I still use.

Oh, the bulb in my vu meter did go out once and that was after owning the amp for about 10 years, probably was time for a new bulb anyway.


As far as religion goes, I'm not tied to any, especially the religion of an amp but having been playing and endorsing Ashdown amps for 15 years I have no issues at all with the brand or any reliability issues.

 

[Phlipper]

I can't think of one brand of amp that has not had issues here or there, I'm not here to name brands but it happens. Ashdown and Carvin are not the only brands that can go on your list.

No, never said so. Just the two biggest examples, but always with a concomitant wail of FOUL! from the faithful. Their fans are possibly more obtuse and just louder, I suppose.

A lot of time what people turn into reliability issues ends up being user error.

Again ... I'll have to strongly disagree. Most of the Ashdown issues mid-2000 were combos with no extension cab. How does one eff that up? These weren't beginners, either. With Carvin how did so many experienced players using full Carvin stacks or combos cause so many thermal shutdowns and protect mode faults? Ludicrous.

I use Ashdown and it works for me and has worked for me live, studio, all kinds of road conditions and I have yet to run unto a serious problem other than a amp being dropped once and that caused a problem that was not too serious but that's the life experience of that particular amp, a amp that I still use.

That's great. I hear the same from Carvin guys. But that does not negate all the reports of issues across certain models, which as stated, are usually two or three specific behaviors that many are experiencing. And that points to a design flaw or a bad component, usually.

I'm a big Peavey fan. I love their Classic line for guitar and have played Peavey bass amps from redline Basic 112s to ancient TNT 130 combos. But when I went amp shopping for a bass rig in January and spent hours on here and google researching the latest info (money was tight, I had to choose wisely) ... I only felt 100% safe buying an older Peavey Max or Firebass. Their Tour series heads don't have the rep many other MIC heads do, but there was some smoke, so I'm not fully sold on them yet. Right now the only amps I'm comfortable with 100% are older Peaveys and GK RB series. And yes, they were made by man so they can eff up, too.

YMMV. But don't pee on my shoes and tell me it's raining. I've been gigging since I was 15 and I am 50 yo in July, and I spent my first few years out of college (AAS IET, BSCS) as a QA Engineer and Manager in various mfg industries from precision metal fab to plastic molding to transformer winding. As someone else posts in a sig line ... "Don't hand me a corncob pipe and tell me it's a unicorn. This ain't my first rodeo."

 

[Phlipper]

Right now the only amps I'm comfortable with 100% are older Peaveys and GK RB series

I should say that I meant IN MY PRICE RANGE at the time. If I'd been able to find a used Genz or Aggie or EBS I'd have been all over a micro from those guys.

Their fans are possibly more obtuse and just louder, I suppose.

I dunno what I was thinking? Ampeg fans are far, far worse. Ashdown and Carvin can't hold a candle.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

No, never said so. Just the two biggest examples, but always with a concomitant wail of FOUL! from the faithful. Their fans are possibly more obtuse and just louder, I suppose.



Again ... I'll have to strongly disagree. Most of the Ashdown issues mid-2000 were combos with no extension cab. How does one eff that up? These weren't beginners, either. With Carvin how did so many experienced players using full Carvin stacks or combos cause so many thermal shutdowns and protect mode faults? Ludicrous.



That's great. I hear the same from Carvin guys. But that does not negate all the reports of issues across certain models, which as stated, are usually two or three specific behaviors that many are experiencing. And that points to a design flaw or a bad component, usually.

I'm a big Peavey fan. I love their Classic line for guitar and have played Peavey bass amps from redline Basic 112s to ancient TNT 130 combos. But when I went amp shopping for a bass rig in January and spent hours on here and google researching the latest info (money was tight, I had to choose wisely) ... I only felt 100% safe buying an older Peavey Max or Firebass. Their Tour series heads don't have the rep many other MIC heads do, but there was some smoke, so I'm not fully sold on them yet. Right now the only amps I'm comfortable with 100% are older Peaveys and GK RB series. And yes, they were made by man so they can eff up, too.

YMMV. But don't pee on my shoes and tell me it's raining. I've been gigging since I was 15 and I am 50 yo in July, and I spent my first few years out of college (AAS IET, BSCS) as a QA Engineer and Manager in various mfg industries from precision metal fab to plastic molding to transformer winding. As someone else posts in a sig line ... "Don't hand me a corncob pipe and tell me it's a unicorn. This ain't my first rodeo."

You like Peavey and that's fine. Again Ashdown works for me and I'm sure a few more players.


Can you name one amp brand that has not had their moment or season of issues of some kind?

 

[Phlipper]

You like Peavey and that's fine. Again Ashdown works for me and I'm sure a few more players.


Can you name one amp brand that has not had their moment or season of issues of some kind?

Wow. You didn't even read what you quoted, did you? The part where I wrote about not being comfortable with the newer PV Tour series ... where there's smoke, etc. ... about only being comfortable with the RB series in GK for now ... about anything made by man liable to go boobies up ... go back and read it.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

Wow. You didn't even read what you quoted, did you? The part where I wrote about not being comfortable with the newer PV Tour series ... where there's smoke, etc. ... about only being comfortable with the RB series in GK for now ... about anything made by man liable to go boobies up ... go back and read it.

I did read it.

 

[eyeballkid]

Phlipper: chill a little, man.. Jauqo is one even handed fella. Yeah youve heard of problems, and he's had his experience. No need to get hyped on it. We can discuss all this without getting upset about it.

as for Ashdown quality issues.. I THINK those were mostly relegated to the MAG line and that probelmatic Superfly for the most part. I do know one or two ABM failures that got sorted out rather quickly from what I understand. As a rule for me, I ALWAYS look at the flagship lines of any manufacturer and not the entry level lines because those are normally made with less quality components, less durable, and often outsourced with lesser quality control and not, in my opinion, normally representative of the quality of a company (although they should be!). Im not tied to Ashdown at all.. Ive got a Sunn, two Fenders, and a Morgan as well. Plus Ive had TONS of other stuff. I just am in LOVE with my ABM EVO II!! I hope it never ever dies!

If I had a crap experience with my Ashdown, you BET Id let people know.... but I havent.

 

[Phlipper]

Sorry if I came off a little strong. Wasn't my intention. I'm sure 99% of the guys here are good peeps and would love to hoist a beer or two with 'em (if I drank alcohol ... make mine a Coke). Mea culpa.

 

[eyeballkid]

no worries man... I totally understand the frustrating effects of the "cults" on here. all people want is truth about products and you have to Wade thru oceans of ******** idol worship to find it...
have a coke and a smile!

 

[Marial]

I do recall at one point going into my local shop and trying an Ashdown head at one point in the mid/late 2000s and coming away thinking it felt a lot cheaper than mine. The pots were a little creaky too. It might have been an EVO III, but I don't know where or when it was manufactured. My EVO II combo was made in the UK and it's a tank and while YMMV, it's the sweetest amp I've played through outside of my brother's vintage Acoustic 360/361 rig. Speaking of tanks.... No way I'd gig that thing without roadies...

 

[Kapucheen]

I love my "new to me" ABM EVO c115 300. Sweetest sound in 30 years of playing, especially with the ABM 1x15 extension cab. Only issue I have is an intrusive buzz with nothing plugged in it. I took it to a dealer, they rigged up an ABM 300w and then an ABM 900w head and both made the same buzz through my speaker. Then they rigged my head through an Ampeg cab. Same buzz..... So I decided to live with it. Then went to another dealer in another city, tried an ABM EVO 500w with a 1x15 ABM cab and it was silent apart from fan noise! So I'm happy(ish!) when I can't hear the buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Saving for a new ABM head now....

 

[creis2]

The only Ashdown horror story I know has happened to Ashdown. From what I understand, their "unreliability" comes from a short run of amps that had component problems. This was quickly rectified and these amps are solid. This was many years ago, and the situation has been exaggerated on Talkbass.

Companies like Ampeg are praised like gods around here. I'll admit the SVT Classic head and 810 is an amazing rig, but even Ampeg manages to screw up something they've been mass producing for decades (SLM Era). The SVT-7 has been a horror story for many, and I was one of the unfortunate customers. Ampeg was so horrible to deal with, I just ate the $800 I paid for it and got rid of it.

This is one of the things I dislike about this forum... Ashdown has a short hiccup with production 5+ years ago, they're horrible and unreliable. The Svt-7 is still in production, and no one really knows if the problem is fixed yet. We're up to revision-E and every time they revise the damn amp, people act like Ampeg is amazing. When people mention Ampeg's problems, the defense is "every amp company has issues".

Because of this short hiccup, people go around dissing their products on the forum. Has anyone ever dealt with Ashdown? They are great. I was cleaning up my ABM 500 head one day and noticed one of the PCB's said "400 watts". I emailed Ashdown, they got back to me within hours with a great explanation, how I was reading the preamp PCB, which is interchangeable.

I also needed an amp emblem, I contacted Ashdown and they had me one within days for less than $15. I had a similar experience with Orange, the logo went missing off my 410. They were rude and offensive, and gave me some irrelevant rant on people counterfeiting their products. They basically told me no.

 

[Marial]

I was actually in contact with the head of Ashdown thanks to Jacquo regarding possible speaker replacement in my EVO II. I can't say enough good things about the folks I've dealt with in connection with that company. YMMV.

 

[mellowgerman]

I used an import MAG300 head for over a year, practicing a few times a week and gigging regularly. Even took it on tour last Summer. No issues what so ever. As far as I'm concerned these amps are the best thing you can get in the price range.

I did however purchase a used MAG600 (early, rackmount, MIA) from Guitar Center. It arrived via FedEx and I returned it to a local store the same day. There was something wrong with the preamp, so that I had to crank the pre-gain to around 3 o'clock to get a normal level... using a bass with a Dimarzio Will-Power neck humbucker, which is not by any means a quiet or weak-output pickup.
Still, I wouldn't hold that experience against Ashdown, since this amp was used, over ten years old, and not in the best cosmetic shape either. So who knows what could have happened to it along the way

 

[JimmyM]

The only Ashdown horror story I know has happened to Ashdown. From what I understand, their "unreliability" comes from a short run of amps that had component problems. This was quickly rectified and these amps are solid. This was many years ago, and the situation has been exaggerated on Talkbass.

Companies like Ampeg are praised like gods around here. I'll admit the SVT Classic head and 810 is an amazing rig, but even Ampeg manages to screw up something they've been mass producing for decades (SLM Era). The SVT-7 has been a horror story for many, and I was one of the unfortunate customers. Ampeg was so horrible to deal with, I just ate the $800 I paid for it and got rid of it.

Ya, if you bought it in that horrid 2007-2008 period, can't blame you for feeling that way. CS is much better now.

This is one of the things I dislike about this forum... Ashdown has a short hiccup with production 5+ years ago, they're horrible and unreliable. The Svt-7 is still in production, and no one really knows if the problem is fixed yet. We're up to revision-E and every time they revise the damn amp, people act like Ampeg is amazing. When people mention Ampeg's problems, the defense is "every amp company has issues".

I know of very few people who are having trouble with 7 Pros with a Rev of C or better. And we're actually up to Rev D, I believe. I think you're exaggerating a little for dramatic effect, but trust me...in that 2007-2008 period, Ampeg did not get away with it scot-free, and it was a good couple years before people started trusting them again, at least it was for me. They pretty much dismantled the entire power structure at LOUD because of it and similar issues with other companies they own.

 

[creis2]

Here's another positive Ashdown story.

I was looking for a specific model that seems to have been discontinued. I messaged Jauqo seeing if he knew of any sellers that still had them. He told me to contact the head of Ashdown.

I totally forgot to do so, but seeing this thread today reminded me to do so. I emailed him at 3:14pm est (7:14pm in London), he got back to me at 3:19pm (7:19pm in London) telling me he's going to do his best to hunt one down for me.

If that isn't awesome, I don't know what is. What other company provides this kind of service? Genz Benz does, but I don't know who else.

 

[Rob Martinez]

I have an Ashdown Little Bastard 30 watt amp and the VS-115 and VS-112 cab. I have not had any problems with them. Great gear!

I did own an Ampeg B200R that rattled, and some of those had an issue when disconnecting the tweeter, the amp would break and not function.

The newer Ampeg PF350 and PF500 have had some issues too, well known issues.

Still, I own an Ampeg B100R which has worked perfectly for a long time, same with the Ampeg B50R I own.

Stuff happens with certain amps or even certain models.

Like airplanes with busted batteries!!

 

[waynobass]

It was a dark and stormy night. The air in the cemetery was especially fetid. But I had a job to do, and that was to bury a man.

I plunged my shovel into the earth to make the initial hole. Suddenly a chill gripped my spine as a crack of thunder split the sky. Something was rising up through the dirt to meet the metal of my spade.

The ground burst open, spraying me with bits of grass, damp soil, and a sticky viscous liquid that could only be blood. As I rubbed my eyes clear of the muck I saw rising against the sky an Ashdown CTM-300 with matching 8x10 cabinet.

More thunder deafened my ears, but this time it came not from the sky but from the behemoth before me. I was lifted backward through the air by a wave of sonic pestilence. It was as if ten Entwistles were playing at once.

When I fell back down, it was into a nearby open grave, and I welcomed the dirt that closed around me, for while it suffocated my breath, it also relieved my mind of the stupefying bass tones assaulting me. As I sank further into the pit, my last words were to curse Ashdown in all its sublime and demonic fury.

 

[grey area]

i had a MAG 410 combo.i did not like the tone although many folks love the ashdown tone.mine used to shut down when it got hot(this happend often as i live in southern spain) but that apart it was a good reliable amp.when it shutdown i needed to switch off and on again and it was running again.

 

[big evil robot]

4 years ago I sold my UK made EVOII, and now I'm really sad about doing something that stupid.
Haunts me to this day...
So there's a ghost, and that makes this a horror story?
oooOOOOoOOooOoOoOOOoooOoOOOooOo

It's probably the only amp I truly regret selling, they have fantastic tone