Ashdown Engineering

[quote name='Samfordia' timestamp='1445350997' post='2890797'] Just curious how that works exactly. Does the buyer have to pay for the cab to be returned? [/quote] Nope just return to an Ashdown Dealer who will send it back to us.

[quote name='bassix' timestamp='1444670933' post='2884972'] Thanks for the information, when I tried in the shop the staff said that it could be pushed more than other gear at the input to maybe 1-2 O'Clock which I duly did at practice. I had the volume maxed and the input at 3 O'Clock with the "Shape" button unpressed to get heard against a guitarist and drummer. Admittedly this was at 8 Ohm so I wasn't getting full welly from the amp but I thought (perhaps incorrectly) pushing it any further would be unwise for the long-term health of the amp. Perhaps this is an educational issue but to be fair I like to have headroom to move into if required and there wasn't that at 8ohm. [/quote] You didn't have enough headroom because you didn't have the input up high enough and subsequently not enough signal to the power amp...

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1445103919' post='2888854'] Ashdown makes this: [url="http://ashdownmusic.com/products/1/Bass-Amplification/1/Custom-Shop/110/Drophead15C110/"]http://ashdownmusic....Drophead15C110/[/url] but I personally don't rate their gear in the slightest, so didn't look into it much further... [/quote] Seems a bit harsh? Whilst we can't be all things to all people you've tried a representative product from every range we make and didn't like any of it? We make/have made a lot of different stuff from £60-£3500...

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1445349621' post='2890768'] Oh and the Foundation cabs look bombproof and sound pretty damn fine too! [/quote] Hence why i 'think' they are the first ever cabs from any company ever to have a LIFETIME warranty for both the cabinet and speakers, if you manage to blow a speaker in 10 years time or whenever we will replace it free of charge, the speakers really are that good.

PS as Merton suggests we can make a Slimline NEO ABM 410....

Hey Fisheth, Ok main differences in regular ABM vs UK ABM cabs are this; [b]ABM EVO 4....[/b] Made in our China Facility Quality Asian Ply ABM Blueline Drivers that are built in China to our design and specs Steel recessed grab handles Rubber Feet 5 year warranty(1 year on speakers) [b]ABM Foundation(UK)[/b] Made in Essex UK to order Custom designed SICA drivers made in Italy FSC Approved 18mm Baltic Marine Quality Birch Ply Construction Kick back and wheels Steel recessed side handles Integral top mounted handle Rubber mounted steel shock proof grill with Allen key bolts Lifetime Warranty for both cabinet and speakers Hope this helps..... Any other questions just shout!

[quote name='bassix' timestamp='1444391293' post='2882819'] The chap at the shop said that you could but I was having it a 3 O'Clock to make it heard which felt too much to me. The problem with it is the gigs I play I generally bring a head and plug into someone else's cab, the thought that it wouldn't be sufficient based on someone else's cab was too much for me. I'm sure at 4 Ohm it'd be fine but I couldn't guarantee I'd be getting that. [/quote] Hi Bassix, Bit of confusion here it appears so I thought I should try to help. So firstly to clarify - 'pushing the input volume more than i would have liked' can you expand a little more on this? What was it causing the worry about turning the input volume up? A bit more info on the input gain on the Rootmaster.... If you ever played or saw the old MAG amps they had Passive and an Active inputs so as such unless you had a freakily high output bass or very low output bass most users would have the input level around halfway, However the Rootmaster is very different as there is a single input jack as opposed to the passive/active inputs on the old MAG. Therefore this means that the single input control on the RM has to cover the entire spectrum of what was covered by the pair of inputs on the old MAG. Therefore the input gain is designed so that if you are using an ultra low output bass, take a vintage P bass for example you will need the input gain almost all the way up! If you are using a monster 24v active bass the input gain will be set right down low almost off, then the vast majoity of regular out basses will most likely sit between halfway and 3/4. This is how the amp is designed and you should have been able to hear the front end clipping if you were driving it too hard and if you were lacking volume I would hazard a guess you weren't. The RM amps can run with the input all the way up all day long with no problem but you should hear and see on the VU if the input was too high. Hope this helps.

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1425420859' post='2707268'] Usual rules apply, pictures (preferably video footage if at all possible) or it just didn't happen. And if there's any helium or nitrous oxide left over, you know, share it out... [/quote] well obviously!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1425411724' post='2707093'] There's obviously a niche in the market... what about filling the cab with helium? Come on, I have all these great ideas - it's up to the engineers to make them work! [/quote] We will have a bash tomorrow and let you know

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1425398420' post='2706937'] That sounded like it was through gritted teeth,...,surely you'd want everyone to come and "B Social"?! [/quote] Lol not through gritted teeth at all! We're looking forward to it - yup there will be a B-Social there(sadly it will be a pre production one but it won't be too different to what the final production model will be) plus the new ABM EVO 4, Retroglide head and a few other new shiny bits ;-)

Hmm, 4x10 combos by their nature aren't really gonna be lightweight...

Just spat my coffee everywhere laughing reading the headline to this thread, gotta love you lot ;-)

Looking forward to seeing some of you lot there, make sure you come and say hello.

Great work - looks awesome!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1422785453' post='2676646'] Time will tell. No offence to Ashdown, but it's years since they were thought of as a premium brand. [/quote] Comments like this are always interesting. There are many so called 'boutique'/'premium' brands we look and we just think really? Cabinets that consist of off the shelf drivers in an average box with cheap backplates but sell for £1k... Amps that have no bass below 80hz? Amps that claim one power but actually produce way less. Amps that say they're built in one place but in fact they are actually pre assembled in another country all together... Etc Etc. But hey it would be wrong for us to start talking about all that. All of our amps have a 5 year warranty and our new ABM Foundation cabinets actually have a lifetime warranty for the original owner meaning if you blow a speaker in 15 years time we will replace it no questions asked. How many 'premium' brands offer this? This is how confident we are in our products today. We have no contracts with any of our artists and not only do we not give product away for free we also do not 'pay' artists to use our gear(there are a couple of high profile American brands very guilty of this at the moment) Any artist using Ashdown has paid something for it and uses it simply because they want to use it of which we are very fortunate so many great players choose to use our gear. For example - Nate Mendel and his tech spent a week with every bass rig they could get hold of a few weeks before Christmas to test and naturally we were a little concerned, thankfully for us he still preferred his Ashdown set up at the end of it so it starts to grate a little when people start saying things like 'he only uses the gear because he's endorsed' as it is totally untrue.

[quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1422782270' post='2676614'] Full disclosure, I quite like some of Ashdown's products and they have often filled a nice gap in the market (thinking the MAG series here). However, whilst I respect your passion for your product, I take issue with the accusation that anyone that considers the price point to be too high is insane. The product is niche, it's not mass market by it's very nature - you won't sell many till you dump the price into 'I'll give that a go...' territory. You may be happy with this (after all it's not about box shifting) but as a company, I'd suggest being a little more pragmatic in the face of feedback. If a product like this isn't well received on a forum where people choose to spend their time discussing bass guitars, as a company I would be concerned that a significant part of an already slim marketplace isn't digging it. Post meant in good faith - if you chose to write the naysayers off as 'insane' when most of us are commenting on the price point alone (entirely a fair value judgement based on the information available) that's your right, however the internet is littered with the corpses of well-intentioned 'defenses' from companies' official quarters. [/quote] Can totally see and appreciate your points here and and maybe my explanation wasn't too clear when discussing price/features etc and we do certainly always appreciate your guys feedback on here... As it is now that is the price based on whats gone into it we can not get it any cheaper... The only way to make it cheaper would be to remove features/downgrade components which would kind of make it redundant before we've started and what would be the point? Totally understand £599 is not an insignificant amount of money and agree because of that it will not be a product that's for everyone only time will tell but if we don't try to do anything truly new, exciting and different life would be a bit dull eh...

Does the Bergantino come with a lifetime warranty?

[quote name='The Badderer' timestamp='1422128846' post='2669083'] anyone wanting a decent amp / cab will buy something not made by ashdown. [/quote] Ha... Quick you'd better tell; Nate Mendel JJ Burnel Jah Wobble Norman Watt Roy Guy Pratt Pino Palladino Paul McCartney Nick O'Malley James Johnston Bruce Foxten etc etc I'll DM you their email addresses so you can explain ;-)

[quote name='Wooks79' timestamp='1422128633' post='2669080'] Well at least Daniel P. Carter will have got a freebie... [/quote] Nope - he has ordered one though

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1422468986' post='2673114'] I get your point about the older bass cabs etc. But i disagree there is no way tiny full range speakers will do the job, the only small speakers that can do bass are the ones in phil jones stuff and there designed for bass. And full range speakers can do bass but not better than an actual single purpose bass speaker. There is always a trade off. So my view still stands i bet if you put a five string through that the speakers will turn inside out. Ive not found one demo of the product and its frequency response is 60hz - 20khz while that does not paint the whole picture it suggests to me its will struggle to produce correct bass tone. [/quote] The only person who can design small speakers for bass is Phil Jones?!? Do you honestly think we just stuck a pair of off the shelf Hi Fi speakers in this and hoped for the best? As for frequency response you are aware that one 'bass amp' manufacturer actually has nothing below 80hz in any of their amps...

[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1422137654' post='2669219'] I've nothing against Ashdown and have been very happy with Evo heads and old ABM cabs in the past, but this just seems to be trying to be too many things at once and comes with a terribly unrealistic price tag. I'd give it a go for £200 but not for £600. How did they decide that this was the ideal price point....? [/quote] Hey Muppet. Wow... £200.... The speakers alone are worth more than that... The B Social has taken nearly 2 years of development.... the speakers we have worked with SICA in Italy to produce a very special pair of dual concentric cones that handle bass superbly(it its primarily a bass amp after all) as well as reproducing music to a much higher level than the majority of dedicated music players already out there.(We have a Sonos Play 5 in the office which the B Social destroys) This has been one of the most challenging products that we have ever made from a design and functionality point of view and if it was not up to the task then we would not have launched it. Instead we are so pleased with the final product we just cant wait to get it out there. Cannot quite believe peoples fury at the price! The retail price of any product(with us anyway) is always worked from the cost price of the product and whilst it would be nice to be a bit cheaper the cost of the B Social equates to a selling price of £599. However going back to the people who say this should cost £250 that is just lunacy... Whilst there isn't really a comparable product to compare to if we look at something like a Phil Jones Bass Cub which retails at around £499, It has a tiny bit more power than the B Social but 20w is really neither here nor there and featurewise its just a run of the mill small bass amp. Then the B Social has - - True Stereo Bluetooth streaming - Wireless instrument connection with transmitter bug - USB Stereo record out that if using 2 instruments splits them onto individual tracks simulatiously with no latency - AppTek connectivity for using IOS amp sims and FX, plus direct recording and uploading to Soundcloud etc - 2nd wired input Etc Etc So this isn't worth an extra £100 on something like the Phil Jones? Sorry but when you have been building bass amps for 34 years and spent 2 years on developing a truly groundbreaking product to then read some of these ill informed comments is quite upsetting. Especially when none of you have actually seen, used or heard the product... Having just returned from the NAMM show the B-Social was a huge hit(winning a spot in the top 5 products of NAMM 2015) and not one person who tried it/saw it quibbled about the price in any way. Also for the guy who said it won't handle a 5 string we had numerous 5 strings going through it at NAMM and a couple of 6 strings... All sounded great. How about you actually have a play with one before you decide if its any good, Is that not fair? Also I think most of you are actually missing the point... Yes you could buy a practice amp, a music player, a recording interface etc but if you live in a house/flat where space is limited will your better half want all that in the front room? Whereas the B Social is nice and small and does everything most players could want as well as being a music hub for the family when not being used as an amp... This is not a practice amp with bluetooth which is what some of you seem to think it is, this is a very serious product carefully designed and tested after a huge amount of R&D and a product that ultimately we are immensely proud of.

Sounds like it could be a noisy valve as shouldn't be particularly hissy, fire an email to [email protected] and let's see what we can do

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1416332933' post='2609152'] Whilst you're on the thread Mr Ashdown representative! How similar tonally is the CTM-15 to the CTM-100? I know they are pretty different internally. One thing I didn't like about the CTM-15 was that the gain knob added a lot of treble - I always ran it at minimum or just above zero as a result. Does the CTM-100 act like this too? [/quote] totally different pre amps and power sections so the CTM 15 is tonally very different to the CTM 100/300. the big CTMs are much bassier in general

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1416328352' post='2609101'] Many thanks for the above.. My friend Matt is gooing to look a Mesa/ Boogie in Brum next week so I may well jump in with him.. [/quote] Sounds like a plan!

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1416302262' post='2608740'] I do like these.. It's an itch that hasn't gone away! As a rule I don't particularly get on with the Ashdown but if these are what I think they are under the skin then I'm probably going to love them. Not sure if there's any local tho, Academy of Sound are my dealer and thats nearly all ABM and MAG models.. The 100w model would probably do me nicely.. [/quote] If you fancy a blast down the A50 then Rattle and Drum in Derby have a CTM 100 in stock currently... Or if you go a little further then PMT in Birmingham have CTM 100 and 300 plus a BTA 400...