lowhand_mike

got to say this bass is amazing for the money took it to practice on monday and used it straight off. firstly it just felt right, maybe i got a good'un but what ever it just felt nice. the neck has a lovely finish and is a little thicker than my ibanez but i just was SO easy to play, the strings are a little lighter than i usually use and i was a little worried about depth of tone from them. HELL no, this bass has a massive tone to it, so much so i had to back it down on the gain as i've never seen the VU on my ashdown move so much. it has a lovely growl, almost dirty but nice. I do have to say i have never played a jazz before so i dont have anything to compare it to but i cant recommend this bass highly enough, will be using it at gigs, if my daughter lets me that is. and i got comments on the tone from the rest of the band. not bad for a 100 quid bass. just thought id give an update. oh my daughter likes it too, we just need to find a bit more time to practice.

i was under the impression that the speakers were different between the mag and abm, may very well be wrong though. as for what to get it is indeed up to you, and you probably need to try the rig up quite loud as low volumes dont give you a real idea though that can be hard to do in a shop. also try and get the cabs close to a wall. go for what you like the sound of but do try the 2x10s stacked on their side so the tens line up vertically,and try them the normal way round to. as for between the abm and mag if you can try them both with your combo and see what you prefer. other than that i'm just jealous.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='365584' date='Dec 29 2008, 04:59 PM']As you have the cabs the highly directional high frequency output of the tweeter is passing you by around mid-calf. Barring your having a very odd genetic defect the 4x10 should be on top, so that you might hear those high frequencies.[/quote] yeah i thought that but in a much more simple minded way, "er the 15 should be on the bottom..." bring the mids and top end up to you, where as the lows are less directional. and maybe the 15 would benifit from the coupling with the ground more than the top of the 4x10 cab. but what ever, sweet rig, and if you like the sound then ignore everything i just said. but then maybe....

not good enough (for me) but more than adequate for our band. i have had compliments but take them with a pinch of salt as i am highly critical of myself, as theres always room for improvement, and thats the fun of it. finding you can now do something you couldn't before is ace. my technical knowledge isnt great and i know very few scales, at least by their name and use but probably use quite a few of them in the songs we do just couldnt tell you what they are but i do tend to end up telling the others how to do stuff, except the drummer cos i know nothing about them bangy things. i'm fairly lucky that our guitarist and drummer are pretty good, just shame about the other 2. the bands only as good as it worst part.

[quote name='aceuggy' post='361002' date='Dec 22 2008, 02:25 PM']A bit late now as you've already bought it, but for what it's worth I bought the P bass version of this not so long ago. The bass is fine in fact very good, but I felt that the amp let it down.[/quote] i'm not expecting much from the amp, just enough to get some sound to work with and i have my ashdown should we require any more volume but i doubt it. also i've wanted to have a play on a jazz for a while now so we both kinda get a xmas prezzie out of this

right, it turned up at the weekend. i'll give a full review once she's got it and i've had a proper play on it. but first impressions it all comes in a mahoosive box, which i was a little concerned about what with the amp being in there and all(also keeping that hidden for the next few days will be fun). but fear not the packaging is top notch, nothing can move in there. there are in fact 3 bass guitar boxes in there, one is empty, one (in the middle) has the bass and the last one houses the gig bag. then theres the accessories box that is shaped to lock in with the angle of the guitar boxes and then the amp on top of that, very neat. now the main thing, the bass. i only got about 10 minutes to have a look and very quick noodle but first impressions were above what i expected. the fit all looked good with no big gaps or anything. the finish is really nice, ,satin type neck and good gloss finish on the body. neck has a really nice feel. one thing i did notice is that with the quick noodle i had unplugged the bass seems to have a nice growl to it, must be the size of body or summint. for a bass this cheap i expected alot less and i'm over the moon (i think it will be making a few live appearances) i guess all will be revealed when we plug it in so more on that in a couple of days. thanks again, just hope shes as happy as me.

well i've ordered one and hopefully it will be here for the weekend, if i get a chance to try it before it gets wrapped then i'll let you know what its like. cheers people

yeah paul i went through all this about 2 years ago and it did me head in. i was convinced by the traditional 2x10 and 1x15 route but i have decided to go for an extra 2x10 cab (when funds permit). you could then get into the fun of speaker placement, like having the 10's all in a vertical line by turning your combo and cab on their side then stacking them , without going into all the tech behind it it does sound better IMHO. but its not obviously wrong to go down the 1x15 route if it sounds good to you. you could indeed go for a 4x10 and it should sound good and shift more air but there are theories that would contradict that in phase cancellation and dead spots in the room etc. but dont worry about that for now or you'll never buy anything

cheers guys thanks russ but i think she would prefer red, its just a little more girly and i'm not paying for it lol. i did see those pink bass kicking around on the net but i figured this would be better quality. any more info? but i figure this would be the best i can get for her.

ok my daughter wants a bass for xmas, she is only 8 but has been messing around on my Ibanez and now wants her own. so i had a look and thought a bass starter pack would "do" for now but then i saw this [url="http://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/productSquierAffinityJBass-121-27.html"]http://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/productSquie...ass-121-27.html[/url] and thought that it would be pretty good and i might be able to nick it for a couple of gigs. so any suggestions or comments cheers Mike

hmm think ours would be dizzy miss lizzy into wipe out. by the end of that my fore arms are knackered

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='352625' date='Dec 12 2008, 12:17 PM'] I'm sorry.. I'll be good... [/quote] judging by your previous posts i doubt it nice bass by the way, never really given Dean's a thought before.

[quote name='Absolute-beginner' post='351737' date='Dec 11 2008, 01:23 PM']sorry SK8, I didnt understand any of that.[/quote] basically, the 414 cab is a 4x10 and runs at 4ohms, the head will only put out its full power when running at 4ohms. standard cabs usually run at 8 ohms so less power is sent out (for a 300watt head you would get about 200 watts at 8ohms) but you can have 2 8 ohm cabs which would mean together they run the head at 4ohms and thus you would get the full 300 watts.

yeah sounds like a dirty pot. usually you get that more on a bass pot but its possible on the amp. give ashdown a shout, email or phone "crackly pot, talk to me..." or servisol and some gentle twisting of the pot to work it in. hope its sorted

had my 2x10 combo for nearly 2 years now and its brilliant. we've done a quite a few gigs together with loud drummer and 2 guitards and most of them i have done without going through the PA and with no volume problems. yes it is heavy but then thats peace of mind for road worthyness. also heres a review i did for it after 6months and my opinion hasn't changed apart from the fact that i can now say it has been very reliable and survived having a whole bottle of fog fluid emptied into the back of it. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5855"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5855[/url] the extra cab will give you the full watage but for practice and most gig work the combo is plenty good enough. the only time i have needed the extra cab i just DI'd into the PA and that covered it, onstage volume is plenty on its own. if you like the tone you cant go wrong. as for the funder i am assuming you mean the rumble and i looked at that as well but it was a little more and you couldnt hook up another cab. if you like the mag tone then go for it.

hi geoff, i've had a good trawl through some searches and nothing is yeilding any results. they dont state wether they are alnico or ceramic, just true USA seymors. the closest i have got is a japanise catalogue but i dont speak japanise so i'm stuck there. heres the link anyway (look in the 2007 catalogue) [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/archive/catalog/"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/archive/catalog/[/url] i'll keep having a look but it might be worth dropping ibanez an email anyway. mike

good call, the SR 500 range are superb basses for feel weight playability and sound choices. the BTB have a different pickup and eq to the SR500's MK1 pickup and MK1-4 eq.

+1 for the SR 500 or 505 (no surprise there then) i think there are a few metal bands that use these anyway. they can get from a P type grunt to a jazzy tone. the treble pot can add alot of attack. certainly worth the cash and feel alot more expensive than they are.

[quote name='LWTAIT' post='344300' date='Dec 3 2008, 04:20 PM']+1, the SR505 is a brilliant bass. and also a +1 to what fraktal said, i've not read great things about the SR300, but haven't had chance to play it yet. i'd definatly hold out for a 505 or go for a rockbass, which i have read great things about.[/quote] the sr 500 are worth the little extra, and i found compared to the rockbass's that i tried the SR 500's had more tone to them, more substantial. the rockbass just felt a little thin and wet.\

[quote name='bassmansky' post='337535' date='Nov 26 2008, 06:11 PM']steady on thats too many positive comments on ashdown gear!not usually known on here! [/quote] most people only talk if its bad, think they have sorted their consistancy issues now.

very nice, very tight. thats what i want my lot to get like but with the singer as it is it aint gonna happen. like that bass tone, is that a sadowski?

hmm, i didnt notice any problems when i tried it and i was sat down too and played around on it for about half hour, though i was trying to get my head around the 6 strings being a 4ster meself as well.

+3 for the Sm58. the beta is worth the extra though all our mics are now 58's with a couple of betas for the main vocalists

i had ashdown recommended to me just as i restarted 2 years ago. glad i had as my mag 2x10 combo has been great for the last year and a half. still going strong and you cant beat the sound. i would imagine the new valve version to be a similar sound to the abm but with more omph and that valvey edge. seems like a great package on paper. and when you think of the price a say Hiwatt goes for they are in the same area. we'll just have to wait and see what its like.

i'll chuck in my 2peneth i have the 4, but i have played the 6. like lwtait and others have said broad sounds to be had here, construction is ace. wood is lovely and you can get some really nice grain on some of these. the neck is a dream with the satin(?) finish its not sticky at all and with playing (had mine about a year and a half now) just gets smoother and faster. initial factory setup is pretty good though i have lowered mine a bit. it not heavy so its good for long spells standing playing. for the money i don't think you'll get anything as good or versatile. dolphin have 2 at their gateshead branch according to their site [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage/product_id/15909"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage/product_id/15909[/url]