What's my new Bass combo ?

[Brent Cain NZ]

Hey fellow bass players. Greetings from NZ. I have been playing bass ( often badly ) for the best part of 40 years & am still active in a rock trio, acoustic duo & also do some busking. Currently I am using a Peavey Max 115 which fits all these roles, has a ton of volume but is maybe a bit limited tonally. I like to keep things very simple so there are no pedals in my lineup & I switch between fingers & pick depending on which lineup I am playing with. I am looking for a lighter combo of equal power & have narrowed it down to the Ashdown Studio 15 or the Rumble 500.
I tried the Rumble 200, great tone but I felt it lacked the raw power of the Peavey. The Rumble 500 V3 has a fantastic reputation but I like the 15 inch option in the Ashdown. I would love to hear what some of my fellow bass players think of the Ashdown. Many thanks. Take care.

 

[bhendrix]

I've no experience with the Ashdown and I can't recall much chatter on Ashdown combos on TB - BUT, for me, there is nothing lighter, louder and more bang for the buck than the Rumbles! You just can't go wrong imho!

 

[CallMeAl]

I’d like to hear some feedback on the Ashdown too. There’s an Ashdown cabinet in my local classifieds I’m very curious about.

As for the Rumbles, I had a chance to demo the 200 and 500 side by side. I thought I would like the 200 better, but I walked away preferring the 500. Plenty of rich, warm bottom end, with just a little more punch and clarity. And the 500 has “raw power” in spades!

the big difference I notice is the 500 has the extension out, and the Ashdown doesn’t. Might be smart should the need arise, that would probably tip the scales for me. But the Ashdown is about 10 lbs lighter!

 

[pappabass]

I am in the same boat, need to lighten my load. Been doing the cab/amp thing for a while. 12" cab for smaller stuff & 15" cab for a little more sound. I have been looking at a Traynor SB115. What I have read is they are a better deal & better sound than the rumble 200. But does not have a speaker out, but more watts. I have tested the rumble 200 & 500 side by side also, but just cant drink the rumble kool aide. The biggest thing for me is the rumble cloth speaker grill. I can see it getting tore or picked. The SB115 has a metal one. I play out 1-3 times per month, 1 small joint and a 'usually no drummer' outside gig. I just cant pull the trigger.

 

[bhendrix]

the big difference I notice is the 500 has the extension out, and the Ashdown doesn’t. Might be smart should the need arise, that would probably tip the scales for me.

I play with a loud guitarist and drummer and although the 500c holds it's own very well by itself, the extra volume and fullness added by an extension cab is a huge plus for flexibility!

The biggest thing for me is the rumble cloth speaker grill. I can see it getting tore or picked.

Unless you are loading in and out almost nightly, I wouldn't give that a second thought. And if you're moving it around that much, get a nice speaker cover. The cloth speaker grill is very substantial and I can't see it getting damaged unless some freak accident or self inflicted. Plus, I'm old school and love the old school vibe!
And by the way, GO DAWGS!

 

[mikewalker]

These are awesome little amps:
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[jeff7bass]

It's good that all of the 300w in the Ashdown go into the internal speaker. Here's some reviews. All good except for one and he sounds like a troll quite frankly.
Ashdown Studio 15 1x15" 300-watt Bass Combo Amp Reviews Reviews | Sweetwater

 

[bhendrix]

It's good that all of the 300w in the Ashdown go into the internal speaker. Here's some reviews. All good except for one and he sounds like a troll quite frankly.
Ashdown Studio 15 1x15" 300-watt Bass Combo Amp Reviews Reviews | Sweetwater

That's a lot of amp to weigh only 25 lbs! I'd be interested to hear some reviews from TBers.

 

[pappabass]

These are awesome little amps:
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Do you have one of these? I had the kb15 on my list

 

[jeff7bass]

Do you have one of these? I had the kb15 on my list

Expensive however. Might as well move up to the GK Legacy 800/212 combo.

 

[vvvmmm]

Expensive however. Might as well move up to the GK Legacy 800/212 combo.

Did you notice the Hartke link is New Zealand?

 

[FirewalZ]

Hey fellow bass players. Greetings from NZ. I have been playing bass ( often badly ) for the best part of 40 years & am still active in a rock trio, acoustic duo & also do some busking. Currently I am using a Peavey Max 115 which fits all these roles, has a ton of volume but is maybe a bit limited tonally. I like to keep things very simple so there are no pedals in my lineup & I switch between fingers & pick depending on which lineup I am playing with. I am looking for a lighter combo of equal power & have narrowed it down to the Ashdown Studio 15 or the Rumble 500.
I tried the Rumble 200, great tone but I felt it lacked the raw power of the Peavey. The Rumble 500 V3 has a fantastic reputation but I like the 15 inch option in the Ashdown. I would love to hear what some of my fellow bass players think of the Ashdown. Many thanks. Take care.

I do not know what your budget is...but IMO GK is producing some of the best combo's. They have a few product lines to choose from and many options within each line. Plenty of power, lightweight and sound great.

 

[CallMeAl]

I am in the same boat, need to lighten my load. Been doing the cab/amp thing for a while. 12" cab for smaller stuff & 15" cab for a little more sound. I have been looking at a Traynor SB115. What I have read is they are a better deal & better sound than the rumble 200. But does not have a speaker out, but more watts. I have tested the rumble 200 & 500 side by side also, but just cant drink the rumble kool aide. The biggest thing for me is the rumble cloth speaker grill. I can see it getting tore or picked. The SB115 has a metal one. I play out 1-3 times per month, 1 small joint and a 'usually no drummer' outside gig. I just cant pull the trigger.

I’ve been running 2 x 100 Rumble combos for a while. I wouldn’t say I was unhappy with my Rumbles- but I was curious to try something with a little more clarity, but still warm. Traynor came up more than a few times, but couldn’t find one anywhere to demo. GK MB was at the top of the list, I was *this* close to getting one. Ended up with a Markbass and I’ve been very happy with it so far. Still curious about Traynor though!

 

[nilorius]

Sorry, but Fender Rumble 500 v3 will not give You 500w rms, maybe 350w.

 

[Bassamatic]

A club we often play has a Rumble 200 for backline and I have been very impressed with it, more so after learning how to EQ it for my bass and music. A very good buy, I think. I still prefer my MarkBass CMD 121P - it is smaller, louder and sounds better, but is a lot higher cost.

 

[dave64o]

I played at an open mic earlier this year where the bass amp the house band provided was a Rumble 500. I never used one before and had no real expectations other than it being a modestly priced amp so I assumed it probably had moderately nice sound.

I was quite surprised by how good it sounded. There was plenty of volume, I loved the tone, and it handled several different bass players playing different basses and different styles equally well. The tone and volume throughout the entire bar sounded really good.

Don't know about the Ashdown, but I'm quite impressed by the Rumble.

 

[pappabass]

Still curious about Traynor though!

yeah me too, no dealer here where I live though. Found a dealer in GA that carries them. Will have to buy by others opinions,,,

 

[Nuage420]

I went from a Max 115 to a markbass 103 and couldn't be happier

 

[pappabass]

I play with a loud guitarist and drummer and although the 500c holds it's own very well by itself, the extra volume and fullness added by an extension cab is a huge plus for flexibility!
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GO DAWGS!

OOOHHHHHH!!!!

 

[bhendrix]

Sorry, but Fender Rumble 500 v3 will not give You 500w rms, maybe 350w.

That's correct - 350 at 8 ohms, but add an 8 ohm cab and then you're getting the full 500 watts - 250 to each cab!