Ashdown MiBass C110 220w combo - thoughts?

[TRBboy]

Hey folks,

Kind of looking for a practice amp, which could also be used for rehearsals/small gigs possibly, and wondered if anyone had tried one of these little Ashdown MiBass 220w 10" combos? I'd be interested to know your thoughts! Will it handle a low B reasonably well? What is the sound like generally? Is there reasonable bottom end response for such a small unit?

If anyone has any alternative suggestions, please let me know! I'd like headphone out and aux in, and compact/lightweight, but with good sound and volume.

Thanks!

[Naetharu]

Hi,

I've not tried the combo but I have the Mi-Bass head and 112 cab - the sound is pretty nice. Once you get the gain up to the right level it has a nice deep tone that seems fine to me for practice / rehearsal. For gigging I'm tempted to pick up a Fender Rumble 500 as I do think the Ashdown lacks the bottom end a little but its certainly not bad.

[eude]

Hey mate,
I've got the Mibass 2.0 head and 2 x Mi10 cabs, so I've replicated the setup you're asking about a fair ol' bit.
It's a pretty capable amp, and the 1x10 cab does really well considering the size and it's all very nicely put together.
It's not as good as my old Ibanez Promethean P5110 I had, but that thing was crazy good. If you can get hold of one of those I'd shoot for that first.
I play 5 string bass most of the time and the setup handles low B just fine.
At volume, things tend to start to sound a little nasal, but if you cut the mids a bit, push the bass and turn up a bit more it sorts itself right out.
It's a great practice setup and I'd be pretty confident with the single 1x10 set up at small gigs, assuming the drummer isn't nuts and your guitard doesn't insist on bringing along a 100W Marshall and a 4x12...
Perfect for an acoustic gig.

Hope that helps!
Eude

[TRBboy]

Awesome, thanks for the replies guys, very helpful!

I like the idea that the amp is removable too, I could use it as a backup then too in conjunction with my Vanderkley cab.

Eude, that's kind of everything I wanted to hear! If the 1x12" was around used, I think that would be better, but hopefully the 1x10" would suffice.

Thanks again!

[TRBboy]

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1435674067' post='2811268']
Hi,

I've not tried the combo but I have the Mi-Bass head and 112 cab - the sound is pretty nice. Once you get the gain up to the right level it has a nice deep tone that seems fine to me for practice / rehearsal. For gigging I'm tempted to pick up a Fender Rumble 500 as I do think the Ashdown lacks the bottom end a little but its certainly not bad.
[/quote]

Thanks man .

Might be worth you looking at just adding another 12 to your current setup? Will probably give you more bottom end than the two 10's that are in the Rumble 500.

[eude]

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1435674067' post='2811268']
Hi,

I've not tried the combo but I have the Mi-Bass head and 112 cab - the sound is pretty nice. Once you get the gain up to the right level it has a nice deep tone that seems fine to me for practice / rehearsal. For gigging I'm tempted to pick up a Fender Rumble 500 as I do think the Ashdown lacks the bottom end a little but its certainly not bad.
[/quote]

Might be worth trying to turn the lower frequencies up more than you would usually, it certainly makes a massive difference on my setup with the Mi10 cabs.

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1435691852' post='2811568']
Awesome, thanks for the replies guys, very helpful!

I like the idea that the amp is removable too, I could use it as a backup then too in conjunction with my Vanderkley cab.

Eude, that's kind of everything I wanted to hear! If the 1x12" was around used, I think that would be better, but hopefully the 1x10" would suffice.

Thanks again!
[/quote]

Not a problem mate, the MiBass set up, as usual for poor Ashdown, is pretty underrated.
The MiBass 2.0 head is very basic compared to some, but it does sound nice, and if you're into it, you can actually push the gain stage for a pretty nice overdriven sound (it's designed to do that by the way). It actually sounds amazing with my ACG Skelf Guitar, it's a really nice creamy distortion.
If you were in or near London you'd be more than welcome to come and have a go with my little rig, but it might be a bit of a push from the West Mids...

Eude

[Nicko]

I'm usually a fan of Ashdown but was seriously disappointed with the MiBass head paired with either a Mi10 or Mi12 cab. Seemed to lack the usual Asdown character to me.

[Jenny_Innie]

I love the sound of Ashdown amps - but I've never been that sold on their speakers. Lots of pros seem to use them though - so maybe it's just me.

MiBass 220 and 550 heads are good.

[eude]

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1435853950' post='2813101']
I'm usually a fan of Ashdown but was seriously disappointed with the MiBass head paired with either a Mi10 or Mi12 cab. Seemed to lack the usual Asdown character to me.
[/quote]

I think the MiBass range was aimed to get more of a hifi, or transparent kinda sound. I can't hear the signature Ashdown tone, it just seems to make my bass louder

Eude

[voodoobassman]

I use one of these as an alternative to carrying my bigger 2x10 Ashdown combo. Originally I got it for home use but have used it at rehearsals and at a couple of bigger gigs where I DI'd it into the house PA using it as a monitor. It was great in all these circumstances. Big sound even with my 5 stringers. You do have to watch the gain as the meter goes red and distorts very easily, especially the low B. A good buy.