BruceBass3901

Popped in to see what the general opinion of these basses was and I'm seeing what I expected. Tempted to give one a go. Saw this point and will say that the Stadium Elite strings from Bass Centre have been my absolute favourites on any bass for quite some time now. Sound a little zingy when they first go on, but settle in really nicely.

I'm always in awe of this rig. Love the look of the anniversary edition with the Barefaced.

Another vote for Hotcovers

Mine came with the smooth pots and had apparently already been installed before I even contacted Ashdown to check, so not sure which is actually 'standard' now.

I found the same with my EVO IV. Couple of outside events had my going up a little more, particularly as I was usually running the NEO 210 cab. With the ABM 610, it rarely had to get turned up beyond 11.

I moved from the EVO III to the EVO IV and found that the IV was a much fuller sounding amp, with a lot more flexibility, power and general presence. The lack of floor coupling could have also been a factor though. The step up from the EVO IV to the EVO V is smaller in terms of general character than the step from the EVO III to the EVO IV, but I would say that the step up in headroom and overall power/volume is considerable. I would also say that the EVO V has taken a little more getting used to than the EVO IV. I found the EVO IV to be a very natural 'plug and play' get what you want sort of amp, but the EVO V has taken a little more taming and fiddling to get the sound I want. The sounds are all there, they just take some coaxing out. To be fair to the EVO V though, I have less time on it so far, and have also changed my cab as well, so it could just be about getting this one to play nice with the 610 rather than the NEO 210 I used with the EVO IV for a long time. Overall, the EVO IV is a phenomenal sounding amp, and unless you really need the headroom and power of the EVO V, it can do everything you could ever want and sound brilliant every time.

Beautifully. It is certainly a powerful beast, and I have yet to need to tap into what it is really capable of. With my 610, I've not had to have the output up above 9 o'clock for some decent sized rooms. Our regular soundguys have said that it is more than capable of holding it's own without much if any PA support and sounds stellar out front. Very happy with it, but there is far more power on tap than most would need.

I usually refer to the two additional sliders as 'grunt' and 'sizzle' as they just let things get that little more dialled in than the previous version of the ABM EQ section.

I used a MAG for a while and never really had any complaints with it. It's a bit less flexible than the ABM series, as you would expect with a less comprehensive EQ and fewer general features, but it's pretty solid. General sound is a bit darker than the other Ashdown amps I have played, which may lend itself a little to lower tunings. Which version is it? There is a 300 and a 600 watt version I believe, and although Ashdown are normally pretty conservative with their ratings, I did find that the 300 watt version was a bit low output into a single 8 ohm cab. Into a 4 ohm load, both versions are pretty solid but the 600 will obviously have more headroom that may be necessary for lower tunings at volume.

Thank you very much! And definitely contact Ashdown if you are considering something custom; they are very accommodating and keen to take on such requests. I'm definitely interested to try a preamp in the bass, but for now the passive flavour is keeping me more than happy. Maybe one day! And you are not the first one to be surprised by the type of band I'm in. The first CDs I was given by my parents after I won a Sony Discman were a Best of 2Tone compilation and the soundtrack to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I've subsequently been in a glam/hair/sleaze band, pit bands for am-dram productions (including Rocky Horror) and a couple of Ska bands, so truly my musical direction was defined young 😂

I can totally understand that the polished front is less legible. I know the ins and outs of the amp well enough that it isn't an issue for me.

That is a beast of my own creation! Somewhere between a Jazz and a Jaguar body shape wise; essentially a Jazz with the lower horn snubbed a little. Ash body, maple neck, DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups running a passive V/V/T setup for now, but with the last knob being a series/parallel switch. It spends about 90% of it's life running is series though. It may get an East preamp at some point though, and already has the battery box installed on the back in case it took my fancy later on. It has seen me through every Ska gig (and quite possible by extension every ACTUAL gig) I have played over the last 8 years or so, which is quite a few!

It wasn't too much extra (can't recall the actual figure I'm afraid), but this was a treat to myself for a milestone birthday so worth a little bit on top to have something a bit special. It matches my custom CTM 300 which was from family for a previous milestone. It could be said that I have a slight problem with chrome!

So my custom ABM EVO V landed a little while ago, but this weekend finally saw it leave the house for a gig. This thing is everything that I expected; slightly different character to the EVO IV, in much the same way the EVO IV was different to the EVO III, and still needs some tweaks to the EQ as everything is interactive as per the previous ABMs. Suits my ABM 610 perfectly. Great sound, stacks of headroom, the intelligent cooling is a nice touch, not as b*stard heavy as my old ABM 900 EVO III. Smiles all round!

After the first gig out with it this weekend, I can finally post a picture of my current setup, including my new custom ABM EVO V! This thing is absolutely killer, and sounds particularly good through a big cab like the ABM 610. Definitely a little different to the EVO IV, in a similar way the EVO IV was different to the EVO III. Still working on the EQ, as is typical for the ABM as everything is quite interactive. Loving it so far!