Help, not sure which amp to buy..(sorry for another one of these threads!)

[bj_rocke]

Hi,,

I'm thinking of either buying a Ampeg SVT 3 or the Ashdown ABM - 500 - RC EVO II.

Which one would you buy????

I'm looking for a rackmount head in this kinda price range.......

Ive always owned Ampeg amps and i currently own a SVT classic, but as everyone knows its bloody heavy!! looking for sumthing lighter for when my backs playing up!! lol, ...... so i know what i'm getting with the SVT 3 but have no experiance with Ashdown.. does the Ashdown sound as good as Ampeg or better???

I play downtuned metal with ESP basses...

cheers for the help guys!

[paul, the]

Remeber Lefty's selling this:
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1354&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1354&hl=[/url]

[Oxblood]

First off, +1 to what paul just said. Lefty's EVO rackmount head is exactly the same amp as a current EVO II, only made with love in Essex.

[quote name='bj_rocke' post='14689' date='Jun 9 2007, 04:58 PM']i know what i'm getting with the SVT 3 but have no experiance with Ashdown.. does the Ashdown sound as good as Ampeg or better???[/quote]
Bad question. Not a case of "as good" or "better", simply different. The ABM is a helluva good amp and can sound very valve-ish, but it's a different animal from an SVT. You need to try one and let your ears decide.

While I'm at it...
Welcome to Basschat, bj ! Whereabouts are you ? It's always worth adding your location to your profile info - that way, your fellow members can give useful advice. You never know: there may be a member who lives in your neck of the woods who could let you try out an ABM. If you're anywhere near me, you're welcome to try out one of my ABM combos. Just send me a PM

Edited June 9, 2007 by Oxblood

[paul, the]

[quote name='Oxblood' post='14704' date='Jun 9 2007, 05:24 PM']First off, +1 to what paul just said. Lefty's EVO rackmount head is exactly the same amp as a current EVO II, only made with love in Essex.
Bad question. Not a case of "as good" or "better", simply different. The ABM is a helluva good amp and can sound very valve-ish, but it's a different animal from an SVT. You need to try one and let your ears decide.

While I'm at it...
Welcome to Basschat, bj ! Whereabouts are you ? It's always worth adding your location to your profile info - that way, your fellow members can give useful advice. You never know: there may be a member who lives in your neck of the woods who could let you try out an ABM. If you're anywhere near me, you're welcome to try out one of my ABM combos. Just send me a PM[/quote]

Try and buy

[Russ]

As someone who's previously owned both, personally, I'd go with the Ampeg.

The ABM is a nice head, plenty of power and lots of adjustability (although I found the sub-harmoniser a bit useless) but, overall, a little clean and characterless for my tastes, even with the valve drive dialled way up. If you're going from an all-valve Ampeg head, you'll notice far more of a difference in character between the ABM and the SVT-3. The SVT-3 has 90% of the all-valve Ampeg tone (including that lovely fizzy midrange and huge low-end punch) for half the cost and a quarter of the weight!

[Muppet]

[quote name='Russ' post='14745' date='Jun 9 2007, 07:01 PM']As someone who's previously owned both, personally, I'd go with the Ampeg.

The ABM is a nice head, plenty of power and lots of adjustability (although I found the sub-harmoniser a bit useless) but, overall, a little clean and characterless for my tastes, even with the valve drive dialled way up. If you're going from an all-valve Ampeg head, you'll notice far more of a difference in character between the ABM and the SVT-3. The SVT-3 has 90% of the all-valve Ampeg tone (including that lovely fizzy midrange and huge low-end punch) for half the cost and a quarter of the weight![/quote]

The best sound I have ever achieved at a gig was through a 3PRO. I hadn't played through an ABM for ages (not since the first EVO came out) until Wednesday night when I did and the sound was very unpleasant to my ears - very muddy with little definition and no true valve sound.

If it's a straight choice then I'd go Ampeg also.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Oxblood' post='14704' date='Jun 9 2007, 05:24 PM']First off, +1 to what paul just said. Lefty's EVO rackmount head is exactly the same amp as a current EVO II, only made with love in Essex.[/quote]

Not quite the same as the EVOII is rated at 575 and the EVO is 500watts.
Just nick picking i guess but lets keep the facts straight.

[Oxblood]

No sweat, Dave. You're welcome to pick my nits anytime!

[largo]

I've never played an Ampeg, but I went through the same dilemma when buying my last amp.
Tried out the Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II RC and decided that I didn't need to try the Ampeg out, as the Ashdown was exactly the sound I was after.
Over on T***Bass there's a lot of posts saying the SVT-3 is underpowered, whereas the Ashdown sounds a lot louder than it's 575W.
The Ashdown was a good couple of hundred quid cheaper than the Ampeg too which helped, www.soundslive.co.uk at £499

Edited June 12, 2007 by largo

[bj_rocke]

[quote name='largo' post='16060' date='Jun 12 2007, 09:45 AM']I've never played an Ampeg, but I went through the same dilemma when buying my last amp.
Tried out the Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II RC and decided that I didn't need to try the Ampeg out, as the Ashdown was exactly the sound I was after.
Over on T***Bass there's a lot of posts saying the SVT-3 is underpowered, whereas the Ashdown sounds a lot louder than it's 575W.
The Ashdown was a good couple of hundred quid cheaper than the Ampeg too which helped, www.soundslive.co.uk at £499[/quote]


Yeah, decided to go with the Ashdown and bought it from Soundslive! i Think its getting delivered tomorrow!

Thanks for all the advice everyone, i decided on the Ashdown simply as I'm keeping my SVT Classic anyway i thought there was no point owning another Ampeg. Plus the Ashdown is alot cheaper if using as a backup/cant be bothered to break my back taking the svt to a small gig amp. lol

I'll post back in a few days and tell you what i think about the differance between my SVT and the Ashdown if anyones intrested!