alexa3020

I recently had my amp die on me at a gig, Luckily there was another amp, that I plugged into my cab (with a different cable), and all was fine. The amp that died was an Ashdown ABM 600. I sent it to Ashdown, and Dave Green at Ashdown said the power amp had blown & that it was something external that caused tit to blow - I.E the Cable or the Cab. I did a resistance test with a multimeter for the cable and as far as I can see everything is ok. I'm not sure how I test the cab, but given that the other amp I plugged in that night was fine, I'm inclined to think the cab is ok. My ABM was plugged in with a speakon when it died, and the other amp was with a 1/4 inch - might be important. Anyway, the ABM is fixed, but I'm worried about plugging in to my cab in case it blows again. Is there any way to test the cab to know its electrically sound?

I'd personally go second hand. Id consider all the main players really Ashdown, ampeg, markbass. I like the trace elf at the same price point new, but I dont know if that would have enough power for you

No, the BQ had a dial for a compressor. I think it was called Thrust? My feeling was that the compressed sound was something to do with stuff happening in the background. It actually put me off class d heads. But actually its the amp that was the problem.

I had the BQ500 for a short while. I really didnt like it. At higher volumes the notes sounded really compressed and unnatural. The RH450 was quite a highly regarded amp. I never used one but Id go for that over the bq.

Snap - well almost So, I've just tested the cables, and nothing measurable across the wired terminals. I'm not sure how to test the speaker, I plugged the speakon cable in to the back of the cab, then measured across the terminals of the speakon cable and got a reading. I tested some 1/4 jack cables and different cabs & I always get a reading across the terminals when a cable is plugged in - so i guess thats normal. Pretty worried about gigging it now. Will give the head a run at volume with a different cab I think.

Cambridge

I'm pleased to report I have been the beneficiary of Ashdown's excellent customer service and the amp is on its way to me fixed - big thanks to Dave Green. The problem doesn't appear to be with the amp. so that leaves the cab or speaker cables as the most likely culprit. So I am a bit concerned now that I could easily blow it again if plugging in to the same setup. Dave said it could be a short in the speakon cable. I think I can test this with a multi meter, but probably need to watch a tutorial/seek help on this to know what I'm doing. Alternatively it could be the cab. I've no idea what I'd need to test to verify its ok. Will probably make a post in the repairs forum for some advice. Mind you, the cab was used after the head blew with a mag head and a different speaker cable. So I guess the Speakon is the more likely.

Bad news, the fuse blows every time its powered up. I have contacted Dave Green at Ashdown. The amp itself is pretty much mint and has done maybe 25 gigs, is not used for practice and stored in a bag at home. Lets see what happens

Playing through my ABM 600 last night, eq set great and a nice bit of grit and harmonics through the valve drive. it really was sounding lovely. Then all of a sudden nothing, no light on the vu, no sound and no power. Tried swapping power cables but no joy. I can only assume its the fuse next to the kettle lead input that has blown. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it just a bog standard fuse I need to get? Should I be worried if it is that fuse has gone? Im normally really prepared at gigs, but its never occurred to me to bring spare fuses. Luckily the sound guy had a mag 300 head available. I used to have mag 300 210 combo - I found it pretty gutless, but I paired it with my Genz Benz 212 and it sounded superb with power on tap. just goes to show how important a decent cab is.

Russ bought an ABM cab from me. Really good person to deal with. immediate payment and excellent comms throughout.

incidentally i just bought a fosi audio bt20a bluetooth amp to power some old tannoy hifi speakers - it was cheap on prime day. it uses the 3116 chip. i have to say its pretty good as a 'hifi' amp. To my ears that setup easily beats the Q acoustics m20 active speakers that i was tempted to buy.

Hartke HA5500 - as good as any amp I've owned Ashdown ABM 600 - on par with the Hartke Trace Elliott Elf - I love this amp, plug in with EQ set at noon and you're good to go. Plenty of volume too when paired with the right cab The best sounding amp I've heard live is an svt. I have had limited playing time with one, but I was a bit underwhelmed when using one. Probably a bit of a learning curve when you're not used to tube power sections