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Why does my rig sound so dead?

E

Electricblue

Feb 1, 2011
1,204
49
Norfolk
#1
My rig (Ashdown Mag300 head, Ashdown Mag410, Ashdown Mag115) sounds really dead and uninspiring, no matter how I EQ the thing.

My Jazz has new DR rounds, and sounds nice and clear when recorded direct into my PC, so it must be the amp.

I've disconnected the tweeter due to using it as a guitar cab too, but it was really muddy to start with, just with added finger noise. All my cables are of good quality as well.

Any thoughts?
 
#5
Wow, I don't have one of these amps, but I have never run an amp at max input setting. Hardly ever go above half (5 on scale of 10) but usually around 3. Dont see why this would give you the problem you described though.
 
#7
What's the VU meter indicating while you play? Sounds odd to have the input turned up all the way.

Are you plugged into the correct input? Plugging a passive bass in to the active input of this amp would definitely cause a problem. The active input has a much too low of an input impedance for passive basses. It could also explain why you need the input control all the way up.

- John
 
#12
Have you tried A/B'ing it with another bass? Active/passive? Have you tried different cables? (both instrument and speaker cables) Are you using the correct speaker cables from amp to cabs, or are you using instrument cables as speaker cables?

There are many, many possibilities. You'll have to chase it down somehow. I am not familiar with your amp head, does it have tubes? You could have a capacitor going bad or it is a tube head, you could have a power tube going bad.

I would also try spraying some contact cleaner or some deoxit into the inputs/outputs. That might help as well.

All of these things are hit or miss. Hopefully you can track it down.

Good luck.
 
#14
Right.

Bass = Two jazz pickups, one master volume, one master tone, series/parallel switch. All fully on, usually in parallel.

Amp = Passive input, turned all the way up, flat EQ.

My speaker cables are nearly 2cm thick, I doubt they are instrument cables :smug:

The setup sounds just as dead when I plug straight into the effects return.
 
#15
Ok, so far we get that when the EQ is flat, the bass sounds flat lol.

So am I reading correctly that you

A) have used your cab as a guitar cab?

B) have the Pre(gain, whatever you wanna call it) at max, so what about your post?

C) are you saying it plain doesn't sound good, or are you saying it's quiet?
 
#17
Right.

Bass = Two jazz pickups, one master volume, one master tone, series/parallel switch. All fully on, usually in parallel.

Amp = Passive input, turned all the way up, flat EQ.

My speaker cables are nearly 2cm thick, I doubt they are instrument cables :smug:

The setup sounds just as dead when I plug straight into the effects return.
 

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