Ashdown MAG 810 Deep, nay or yay?

[Alex Spencer]

I've currently got a Warwick WCA 210 Pro which is doing me just fine at the moment, although I'm looking to make the (ridiculously large) leap to a 810. I'm sure many people would agree that going out and splashing a grand on an Ampeg would be lovely, but also financially crippling. So here begins the search for the perfect compromise.

I've been looking at the budget models mostly and the Ashdown MAG 810 being the one that seems to have the best options about it. For around £330 it seem like a bit of a steal, but it's therefore got me thinking "what's wrong with it?". So I was wondering if anyone has had any experience or has any advice? I'd be selling off my Warwick and using that money as a basis and then saving on top of that, so as you can see money is tight. Advice?

Thanks in advance!

[AttitudeCastle]

Have you searched for it on here? There are a few big threads on it on here

Andy67 did a review i believe, also where have you seen it for that price? Or was that second hand? Just for curiosity sake!

Edited March 3, 2012 by AttitudeCastle

[chrismuzz]

I tried an older MAG 4x10 with the blue speakers and the front porting and I thought it sounded ace. The newer ones were so cold and lifeless (and thats coming from a markbass user!) Definitely worth trying one out if you can though man, Ashdown stuff is very popular for more reasons than just the price

[Alex Spencer]

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1330814885' post='1563467']
Have you searched for it on here? There are a few big threads on it on here

Andy67 did a review i believe, also where have you seen it for that price? Or was that second hand? Just for curiosity sake!
[/quote]

I went back a couple of pages but couldn't see anything. Thanks for the heads up though, I'll go hunting! They're up on Thomann.de/gb for £332, on DV247.com for £399 too, both new.

[Alex Spencer]

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1330814934' post='1563469'] I tried an older MAG 4x10 with the blue speakers and the front porting and I thought it sounded ace. The newer ones were so cold and lifeless (and thats coming from a markbass user!) Definitely worth trying one out if you can though man, Ashdown stuff is very popular for more reasons than just the price [/quote]

There seems to be a fair bit of hype about the blue speakers, partly while I'm intrigued! Trying one out is always going to be a problem when looking for 810's. Not many music shops have the spare to have them out in a store front unless I want to travel to GAK, and even then they might not stock them!

When I was growing up a lot of other bassists seemed to use Ashdown Amps, mainly combo's though, so I never got an idea of how the speakers sounded without the Ashdown circuitry. I heard rumours a while ago about their reliability not being too great, I'm not sure if anyone else has heard the same?

Thanks for the input, by the way!

[AttitudeCastle]

[quote name='Alex Spencer' timestamp='1330815208' post='1563475']
I went back a couple of pages but couldn't see anything. Thanks for the heads up though, I'll go hunting! They're up on Thomann.de/gb for £332, on DV247.com for £399 too, both new.
[/quote]

Just saw it on Thomann!

Andy's review is really good, i'm sure he wouldn't mind if you pinged him a PM!

[chrismuzz]

Only heard rumours myself too, although I've never spoken to anybody who's actually had any Ashdown gear die on them. They get used by rehearsal studios a lot round these parts because they're quality cheap gear, and because the UK distributor isn't far away... Maybe its only the studio ones that get abused that are the ones that end up failing?

[Alex Spencer]

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1330815734' post='1563483']
Just saw it on Thomann!

Andy's review is really good, i'm sure he wouldn't mind if you pinged him a PM!
[/quote]

Just read it. He seems to think it was a good investment! I commented on the tread but I might give him a cheeky PM, see if he's still got it/would still rate it, etc. I'm not liking the sound of the comment saying they're made of chipboard though!

[JTUK]

Here is an alternative

SWR610 Goliath snr cab. Anything less than £500 looks ok..if in VGN.

Lot of cab for the money in terms of quality and way better than Ashdown, IMO.
You will need to get used to the SWR sound which if you can..will really tighten up your playing/sound..

[Alex Spencer]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1330818132' post='1563509']
Here is an alternative

SWR610 Goliath snr cab. Anything less than £500 looks ok..if in VGN.

Lot of cab for the money in terms of quality and way better than Ashdown, IMO.
You will need to get used to the SWR sound which if you can..will really tighten up your playing/sound..
[/quote]

Haven't seen these before, thanks for the suggestion. After a quick google they seem quite hard to get a hold of, you know of any going? Would be nice to check them out.

[xgsjx]

Why do you want an 8x10?
If you like the sound of your current rig, I'd get another Warwick WCA 210 Pro & stack em vertically.

[Alex Spencer]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1330819909' post='1563534']
Why do you want an 8x10?
If you like the sound of your current rig, I'd get another Warwick WCA 210 Pro & stack em vertically.
[/quote]

To quote Ampeg: "Why eight 10” speakers? We learned early on that 10” speakers work much more efficiently than fifteens or eighteens—and if you put eight 10” speakers together, you can move a huge column of air. You’d need five 18” or six 15” speakers to move as much air as the SVT-810E. And they simply wouldn’t be able to respond to transient peaks as quickly as our tens. " I don't claim to know much about wiring, but I remember my lecturer holding a discussion about 810 cabinets and saying how the parallel/series/parallel wiring makes a difference, i'd assume to do with the alignment.

All that being said, you do hold a very valid point. Money has some element to play. I'm starting with no money whatsoever, and selling this cab is a good platform to save upon to get the 810. Also, and this will sound very lame, but it's partially an aesthetic thing. Even though it gives a strong tone, it does look a little weedy on stage. Originally I wanted to add a Warwick WCA 411 Pro to my setup, but It's hard to defer from the the classic 810 look and sound.

I would say it's fair to disagree with me, personally preference really.

Edited March 4, 2012 by Alex Spencer

[discreet]

[quote name='Alex Spencer' timestamp='1330821676' post='1563555']
...it's partially an aesthetic thing. Even though it gives a strong tone, it does look a little weedy on stage...
[/quote]

Back in the day I toured an SVT CL and 8X10 (both flightcased), but I've got over all that now and only ever use a 1X12... if you like your tone, then that's the only thing that really counts. Plus, I had a tech and roadies at the time... hauling an 8X10 will get old real quick, trust me.

Edited March 4, 2012 by discreet

[Alex Spencer]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1330822070' post='1563558']
...hauling an 8X10 will get old real quick, trust me.
[/quote]

Haha, I don't doubt that! Pain for the sake of art maybe? Of course I know you're right, but a young desiring mind is a hard thing to convince! It'll undoubtedly be one of those things where I learn from my mistakes later on down the line and think "If only i'd listened to discreet on basschat.co.uk!"

[discreet]

Ah yes, youth is wasted on the young, the price of wisdom is age, and so on and so forth.
Go for it. I never listened to a single word of advice when I was a kid. Never did me any harm *cough*

[xgsjx]

[quote name='Alex Spencer' timestamp='1330821676' post='1563555']
To quote Ampeg: "Why eight 10” speakers? We learned early on that 10” speakers work much more efficiently than fifteens or eighteens—and if you put eight 10” speakers together, you can move a huge column of air. You’d need five 18” or six 15” speakers to move as much air as the SVT-810E. And they simply wouldn’t be able to respond to transient peaks as quickly as our tens. " I don't claim to know much about wiring, but I remember my lecturer holding a discussion about 810 cabinets and saying how the parallel/series/parallel wiring makes a difference, i'd assume to do with the alignment.

All that being said, you do hold a very valid point. Money has some element to play. I'm starting with no money whatsoever, and selling this cab is a good platform to save upon to get the 810. Also, and this will sound very lame, but it's partially an aesthetic thing. Even though it gives a strong tone, it does look a little weedy on stage. Originally I wanted to add a Warwick WCA 411 Pro to my setup, but It's hard to defer from the the classic 810 look and sound.

I would say it's fair to disagree with me, personally preference really.
[/quote]

Ampeg's quote is a bit of a misleading one. Yes, an 8x10 will move more air, but only an advantage to those directly in front of it. Move off axis & the volume drops dramatically due to the cab having the 10s next to one another.

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1330824539' post='1563581']
...only an advantage to those directly in front of it...
[/quote]

Call me unprofessional or un-musicianlike, but as long as I am happy with what I hear and am enjoying the gig, f*** everyone else

[JTUK]

[quote name='Alex Spencer' timestamp='1330818549' post='1563516']
Haven't seen these before, thanks for the suggestion. After a quick google they seem quite hard to get a hold of, you know of any going? Would be nice to check them out.
[/quote]

Think there are or is at least one in the FS forum here.now.

I've seen them for £390 upwards these last 6 months or so. Do a search.

The only issue would be how tired or how hard a life it
has had..but then, I've played through quite a few very tired 8x10's.

[xgsjx]

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1330827235' post='1563593']
Call me unprofessional or un-musicianlike, but [b]as long as I am happy with what I hear and am enjoying the gig[/b], f*** everyone else
[/quote]

That's an important factor to consider. No point in playing through something that you aren't happy with
If you're in a venue using PA support & the band can hear what you're playing, then use whatever you're happy with. It's only you who needs it.

[Adrenochrome]

The MAG cabs [i]are[/i] reliable and decent value for money.
Not the loudest cabs (a higher end 6x10 may be as loud) but plenty of bang for the buck. I've played through MAG 4x10 and 8x10 but only owned a 2x10, which never missed a beat.

[rapscallion]

There was an ABM 8x10 on here a while back for about what you're willing to splash on a MAG. It had been converted by Matamp to run as either 2 4x10s or an 8x10, looked tidy

'Ere:
http://basschat.co.uk/topic/166567-ashdown-abm-evo-8x10-matamp-modified-cab/page__p__1519703__hl__ashdown%20abm__fromsearch__1#entry1519703

[ThomBassmonkey]

Ashdown cabs aren't anything that will blow your mind but if you want an 8x10 and you're on a tight budget you don't really have any options. They do ok, I paired up a 410T with my GK 700RB a while back and they sounded alright (not as good as the 210RBH I had, but then that cost twice as much).

[Delberthot]

Some people are OK with the weight but for me it was rediculously heavy.

I used two of the blue speaker 4x10" MAG cabs and they were capable of stupidly loud volumes but at 35kg each were still too heavy for me.

And regarding whether the blue or the black speakers are better, I contacted Ashdown about this and they told me that they are the same speaker,just in a different colour

[mike257]

If you can add an extra £100 to your budget you'll be able to pick up a used Ampeg SVT610HLF - two speakers shy of what you're looking for but has the classic 'big rig' looks, is surprisingly easy to move around, and sounds fantastic. I traded in a 4x10 and a 15 for mine and never looked back, the bottom end from it is massive.

They seem to go between £450 and £550 so are a little over your MAG budget but will hold their s/h value and (I'd guess) sound even better. Just something worth thinking about.

[Alex Spencer]

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1330850809' post='1563643']
The MAG cabs [i]are[/i] reliable and decent value for money.
Not the loudest cabs (a higher end 6x10 may be as loud) but plenty of bang for the buck. I've played through MAG 4x10 and 8x10 but only owned a 2x10, which never missed a beat.
[/quote]

Thanks, its good to get feedback from someone who actually owns and uses Ashdown! What could you add to the comment about them being really heavy?


[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1330856820' post='1563715']
Some people are OK with the weight but for me it was rediculously heavy.
[/quote]

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1330857468' post='1563728']
If you can add an extra £100 to your budget you'll be able to pick up a used Ampeg SVT610HLF... They seem to go between £450 and £550...
[/quote]

Do you know anyone where they are going for that kind of price? I think I've only seen them go for way more than that. If I could get one for around £450 I'd definitely go for that instead!