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Why no love for Ashdown?

Starter amp for your
Any thoughts - first hand experiences preferably - on their current combo line? I'm looking for a starter amp for my son, would prefer a 1x15" setup and Ashdown came up on my short list of theoretical purchases although I have yet to test one myself.

TIA
First amp? Look to Fender Rumble, hands down. look around on TB for more info, but there are a lot of pros using those amps. the Rumble 200 with single 15 is a great amp.
 
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I have a small 30 watt combo called the Perfect 10. I like it. I use it for practice. It sounds pretty good overall and is nice and sturdy, but I have been a bit frustrated at its lack of tonal versatility. I can't quite get what I want out of it tonewise, but again, my Ashdown is a small little thing. Nothing fancy. Overall I am very pleased with it, but it's not the greatest thing since sliced bread.
 
Doesnt/Didn't Nate Mendel endorse Ashdown?

I've played a few and there's practically always some heads for sale used in the area around here... Their stuff just never sang to me. It works but it doesn't impress upon me the urge to run out and buy one, or even to think about it again after the jam is over. If one of their old micro heads came along at a cheap price, I'd probably grab it just because but that's it.
 
1. They are no longer the new kid on the block.
2. GC doesn't sell Ashdown
3. Few big touring acts in the USA use Ashdown.

Here in the USA, #2 is a huge issue. Last time I went to GC the choice was Ampeg, Markbass, GK, Peavey and Fender. Since GC drove almost every store out of business, finding anything else in a local store is unlikely.

Few big touring acts?? Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Black Sabbath, McCartney, U2??? Doesn't get much bigger
 
I was loving mine at church today. So was the sound guy!
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I have a pair of the 210 cabs that were made in the UK. The serial numbers are hand written on chrome plates in the back (not sure if this was the norm or if these were early cabs). I have been using them for years and I am now running them with a GK MB200. I love mine. Even with that little GK head they are deep and punchy. I play primarily in worship service and in a 400 seat sanctuary I am usually being told that I'm too loud.
 
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I had an ABM300 Evo II which I should have never sold. It was a great amp but still pretty heavy for it's size. Minor issue; the mute didn't completely mute the signal. You could still hear the bass. I would love to try out one of the new ABM series heads but since I'm not gigging currently having that much horsepower around would be silly. :)
Brent
 
Errm, real knowledgeable bloke, right?? A bit more water with your whiskey mate!
Considering the fact I've been "endorsing/endorsed by/using" (Better? :) ) by Peavey, Eden, and played Professionally for 39 years with Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Henry McCullough, Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce,
Peter Green, John Mayall, Etc., and been on 22 albums (some reissued) since 1995. Played in Spain 7 days a week, 4 sets a night for 3 years (Using Trace Elliot, I might add!) I have a degree in Computer Science, working on a Master's in Audio Production and synthesis, and lived in the U.K. for almost 20 years...

Yeah, I think I'm qualified to post knowledgeable commentary regarding a bloody amp fer' chrissakes! Ha!!

I could go on... but I have a sense of humor. ;)

I'll state my OPINION again "mate" ;) , I view Ashdown in the same light as Hartke. All of this stuff sounds great in a practice room usually (Where I mostly see the crap, because they got it cheap and don't care if the kids rehearse with it and destroy it), or if you have an endorsement
and can blow the crap up and get more for free like Jack Bruce (told to me by Pete Brown and Malcolm), but my personal experience is from roadwork... In and out of the Van. The stuff the average "punter" gets from Ashdown I find questionable for my uses. Also, sometimes professional musos speak about gear in different tones when cornered by a peer. Ashdown, among the cats I confer and hang with, isn't even worth considering. I like Hartke, but I've blown up several of their heads at festivals. (That's where I first used Glockenklang) I like to buy gear once and not buy it again if possible.
People like bells and whistles, I believe... (VU meter maybe? GREAT marketing ploy!)

In terms of sound and reliability, give me Ampeg, Gallien Krueger (800) or anything comparable... Most people I know request a Hartke cab and a GK head for rented gear... There's a reason for that.
I've also noticed (and heard) that some pianists prefer Yamaha when on the road, because the sound is the most consistent.

If you like the gear, go for it... but, IMO, British bass amps are second tier gear. That is, "production" line British bass gear... and unfortunately, I can't say much on the "alleged" American gear either these days. I haven't decided how I feel yet about the newer stuff...

And I like Stout or Guinness... and for shopping, give me Sainsbury's! :)
 
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That said, speaking as an ashdown fan it seems difficult to get info on this side of the pond as to understand where the good stuff starts and their budget line ends, which has kept me away from trying other stuff. It might just be a lack of marketing in the US but I feel like other companies that have been discussed already do a better job of seperating entry level from pro line


This is exactly what I'm attempting to convey... Well said... Kudos...
 
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When Ashdown first hit the big box stores, I was head over heels to pick some stuff up that nobody else owned around my area. I started with the MAG line. Had a 410 and a 115. The stuff just wasn't cutting it. Instead though, I sought out the ABM line and it's higher quality. As good as it was, it just wasn't special. I had (or had played) unique looking gear, but the sound was all wrong for what I was playing. I think their EVO heads were awesome sounding by themselves, but inside of a band they lost their uniqueness and were unidentifiable from other stuff I was playing and trying out at the time.
 
Weird to hear so many people say that even the ABM gear was not suiting their needs. To my ears it is the simplest purest tone on the market. Definitely more "vintage" sounding but pure (they even have the bypass switch so you can hear your exact bass tone direct into the amp without the pre)

I suspect a lot of people really enjoy the "baked in" tone a lot of other amps have to offer where as I am the opposite.

To each his own! Happy playing brothers and sisters!