TheGreek Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=4]Anybody know about, what is supposedly a common fault, with the Ashdown Superfly 500 heads turning themselves off? I was talking to somebody today who mentioned this - I hadn't heard about it.[/size][/font] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=4]Is it an easy fix for somebody who knows what they're doing?[/size][/font] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblin Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Yeah they overheat and give up. They've no cooling, and are surrounded by that lovely body. I only ever overheated mine once, and I very quickly realised that you can actually take the amp itself out of that body. I did that, put some rubber feet on it to air circulation and that helped. One of the issues is, is that it's got two 250 watt amps which deliver that at 4ohm - they don't bridge. That means if you stick two 8 ohm cabs into it, you're still pushing it hard for any meaningful level as it's only delivering probably 100 and something watts a channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 Thanks G I emailed Ashdown late last night and [size=5]got a reply!![/size] I've been invited to send the head into their headquarters in Essex where they'll service and repair the head [size=5]Free of charge!! [size=4]Love it when I get proper service especially as I haven't even given them any money - they're just protecting their reputation.[/size][/size] [size=5][size=4]I'll keep you all apprised.[/size][/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 Judging by the number of similar issues I've heard about this amp, they will be well versed in dealing with it! Not being mealy -mouthed here but kudos for their quick response and generous offer. I had a 3 year correspondence( phone and email) with a 'renowned' US Luthier who faithfully promised me he would send me a small inexpensive part ( I even offered to pay all costs) but it never materialised..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1507462303' post='3385557'] Thanks G I emailed Ashdown late last night and [size=5]got a reply!![/size] I've been invited to send the head into their headquarters in Essex where they'll service and repair the head [size=5]Free of charge!! [size=4]Love it when I get proper service especially as I haven't even given them any money - they're just protecting their reputation.[/size][/size] [size=5][size=4]I'll keep you all apprised.[/size][/size] [/quote] Their customer service is second to none imo, Mick. I`ve sent similar queries via e-mail and the response has always been quick and helpful, likewise with telephone enquiries, the help and advice given has been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 IIRC they had problems shortly after launch because of sub standard PCB's made in China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassguy25683 Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 I had one, only one speaker output worked, awful thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 i had one and the power amp section failed on me, first one output started whistling/whine/hum, then the other one followed suit 3 months later, a real shame as the preamp section was excellent! i seem to recall something about a bad batch of boards but i don't know how many batches of boards they had made, top marks to Ashdown for sorting it though! mine had the casing removed as soon as i found out it was possible, really helped with the cooling. If Ashdown were to re-release this amp with a more standard 500w power section i'd be very tempted to get one, if it was slightly smaller and lighter that would be a bonus too. do we have an Ashdown rep as a member on here? Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 I've emailed my contact, Mark Gooday, inviting him to join... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1507476491' post='3385716'] I've emailed my contact, Mark Gooday, inviting him to join... [/quote] I'm a bit rusty, but IIRC Ashdown have an account on Basschat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1507476491' post='3385716'] I've emailed my contact, Mark Gooday, inviting him to join... [/quote] The head honcho, possibly one of the nicest blokes in the business and always happy to answer my stupid questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 [b] [size=4]Ashdown Engineering??[/size][/b] [size=4]Last active today...[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1507484588' post='3385790'] [b] [size=4]Ashdown Engineering??[/size][/b] [size=4]Last active today...[/size] [/quote] Yeah, I thought they had one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 9, 2017 Share Posted October 9, 2017 (edited) [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1507462303' post='3385557'] Thanks G I emailed Ashdown late last night and [size=5]got a reply!![/size] I've been invited to send the head into their headquarters in Essex where they'll service and repair the head [size=5]Free of charge!! [size=4]Love it when I get proper service especially as I haven't even given them any money - they're just protecting their reputation.[/size][/size] [size=5][size=4]I'll keep you all apprised.[/size][/size] [/quote] You lucky bastard! When my Superfly amp developed this problem (mine manifested as an inability to switch on in the first place) alongside the high pitched whining problem, Ashdown simply did not want to know. They fobbed me off with several excuses before stopping answering my emails altogether. In the end I binned the amp as it was too unreliable to use in any circumstances and unsellable in that condition. IMO they have done nothing to protect their reputation. They'd need to be giving me an awful lot of free stuff before I would ever consider using anything that said Ashdown on it again. Edited October 9, 2017 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krysbass Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 I'm still using a Superfly 500 and Little Giant 1000 for all rehearsals and gigs- one is the backup for the other. I spotted early on with both these amps that they run hot, so rigged up a pc cooling fan to a power supply and rest this so that it blows across the underside of the amp casing. Even though the LG1000 has a built in fan; it only seems to kick in when the amp is already far too hot, so the external fan keeps things nice and cool. I did have a problem with my Superfly blowing its internal fuse at switch on, but Ashdown's tech support sent me some slightly uprated fuses with an assurance that this was ok/safe - and the amp has been fine ever since. By the way; my cabs are 4 ohm. Good that Ashdown still seem to be supporting Superfly owners - interested to see how this goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 I sent mine off to Ashdown earlier today - hoping that it'll come back serviced and free of the problems that they used to suffer from... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Now I understand why my Retroglide has a fan, even though it never even thinks about getting warm, let alone hot. I guess the earlier designs proved it was better to be safe than hot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andytoad Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 After reading this thread, I have removed the ugly casing, much happier with a little black box. Could a mini fan be installed inside where the vents are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krysbass Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 [quote name='andytoad' timestamp='1507830812' post='3388287'] After reading this thread, I have removed the ugly casing, much happier with a little black box. Could a mini fan be installed inside where the vents are? [/quote] Ive found that the key to keeping these amps cool is getting enough aiflow to the underside of the casing, so it's well worth attaching some rubber feet. My amps have at least 10mm clearance on the underside. The problem with an internal fan, especially if its running all the time; is that it will be pulling dust into the amp, which will mean opening it up and cleaning it out regularly to avoid that being a cause of overheating. Thats why I soldered a 12 volt pc cooling fan to a plug in power supply and just rest this at 45 degrees against the side of the amp casing so that the airflow blows under the casing. Even after running for 3 hours in a very hot venue, the amp tends to be barely hand hot and I've yet to have any reliability issues ( touching wood!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Heat seems to be a massive issue with some amps and the manufacturers in question seem to have trouble getting a handle on it. IIRC, SWR had some overheating troubles too -- the earlier SM400s used to pack up, and my SM900 nearly reached egg-frying temperatures. For a rackmount amp, it was surprisingly unhappy with being rackmounted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1507546049' post='3386152'] When my Superfly amp developed this problem (mine manifested as an inability to switch on in the first place) alongside the high pitched whining problem, Ashdown simply did not want to know. They fobbed me off with several excuses before stopping answering my emails altogether. [/quote] Strange - that certainly seems to go against the experiences of most on this forum, mine included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I never tried to get mine sorted, I was under the impression that it was a problem that was due to the board design and that all the boards were the same so all you were doing was gaining another few months of operation before it all started again. I bought mine brand new in the full knowledge that it would most likely fail. They were being sold quite cheap at the time as the little giant amps had been released to replace them, I only needed it to last about a year, I think I got 2 years of use before giving it to someone to use as a preamp (the preamp was excellent in these IMHO) Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 (edited) [quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1508070091' post='3389543'] Strange - that certainly seems to go against the experiences of most on this forum, mine included. [/quote] I know. When my Superfly developed its problems, I got in touch with Ashdown expecting a good result from everything I'd read on this site. I certainly didn't expect to be fobbed off with excuses and then ignored when I continued to be politely persistent. Perhaps they had someone different on customer support the week I was talking to them, but what is done is done. I won't make the mistake of buying another Ashdown product again. Edited October 16, 2017 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Adams Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 It is a bit of a concern how quickly they ditch old models in favour of new. But I have no axe to grind here. I have an Electric Blue 130 which I bought from Basschat sales section about 5 years ago and it's good as gold. However, I really would think twice about buying the "latest model" Ashdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 18, 2017 Author Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) I got a message from the Amp Tech at Ashdown this afternoon. Repair completed, [size=4][color=#000000][color=#1F497D]Hi Mick,[/color][/color] [color=#000000][color=#1F497D]Your amp is all sorted and ready to be shipped back to you.. One of the power amps was playing up and shutting down at high[/color][/color] [color=#000000][color=#1F497D]volumes.. \I have replaced it with a brand new one.. Lucky we still had one..[/color][/color][/size] [color=#000000]All FOC...can't ask for more than that...Great service.[/color] Edited October 18, 2017 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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