Ashdown knockers

[skej21]

I recently bought an Ashdown little Giant 350 on here to use for lessons and home practice... I think it's alright for what I paid but ashdown are just a good budget amp and don't claim to be anything else. Does it sound close to my LMIII or TH500? Of course not. There's a considerable difference in quality but that's reflected in the cost and it serves a purpose at a good price which is enough for my need.

[grandad]

Ashdowns I've previously owned:

Superfly 2 x 250W - a versatile amp & fun to play with.
Little green giant - carried as a light-weight back-up for a couple of years - ok, but I doubt the claimed 350W?
Mag 300 - ok, didn't like slider tone controls & i/p mcm looks cool but is not as useful as a peak led meter.
ABM 115 - incredible lows, incredible weight.
I just didn't bond with them.
Excellent after-sales service.

[Pow_22]

My only ever issue with the numeorus Ashdown's ive used is not the tone (yes its more 'vintage' sounding than most but not necessary muddy) its the claimed power. Ive used everything from a MkI MAG 300 head with 410 and 115 cabs, Spyder 330 head with 410 4ohm cab, 2x10 MAG combo, 300 ABM head etc etc and all have seemed way under powered. As a comparison - my old Hartke ha3500 head through a MAG 410 cab was MILES louder than both an ABM 500 and a MAG 600

[aende]

My Ashdown LG1000 blew up the other week - age I guess. However, Ashdown do not have anymore spare modules for this amp, so, technically it can not be repaired......

Bugger....

[burno70]

I've tried a couple of Ashdown combo's at gigs over the years and had mixed thoughts. One was really nice, the other was definately muddy and no EQ tweaking seemed to resolve it. However, I tried a Little Bastard out the other day and just had to buy one - it sounded fecking superb. Cannot wait til tomorrow, when it arrives - feel like a kid at Christmas!

Wonder what it would be like with my Super 12T?

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='burno70' timestamp='1370604390' post='2103288']
Wonder what it would be like with my Super 12T?
[/quote]

Mine sounds mint with my Super 15.

[burno70]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1370607487' post='2103351']
Mine sounds mint with my Super 15.
[/quote]

Got the Little Bastard today - brilliant, brilliant amp, genuinely blown away by it. Got band praccy tomorrow and dying to try it with the super 12T but I remember speaking with Alex about amp recommendations and I thought he said a full valve amp wouldn't work well with the cab - unless I'm completely mistaken as this was over a year ago. Any thoughts as to why this might be? Would there be any danger of harming either amp or cab? (Sorry to the OP for the derail)

[BassTractor]

[quote name='burno70' timestamp='1370732274' post='2105052']
Got the Little Bastard today - brilliant, brilliant amp, genuinely blown away by it. Got band praccy tomorrow and dying to try it with the super 12T but I remember speaking with Alex about amp recommendations and I thought he said a full valve amp wouldn't work well with the cab - unless I'm completely mistaken as this was over a year ago. Any thoughts as to why this might be? Would there be any danger of harming either amp or cab? (Sorry to the OP for the derail)
[/quote]


I think this is so good and interesting question, that it would be wise to put it in a new thread. Many people will be done with the thread here.

Personally I hope this is not the case, as I'm dying to try out my Little Bastard with the BFs once they arrive. Fantastic little amp indeed.

best,
bert

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1370732604' post='2105057']
with the BFs once they arrive.
[/quote]

Oh how this would make you the but of jokes in a playground now. Luckily for you, I think we all know what you meant, and we aren't insolent enough to think you meant it by it's modern day usage...

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='burno70' timestamp='1370732274' post='2105052']
Got the Little Bastard today - brilliant, brilliant amp, genuinely blown away by it. Got band praccy tomorrow and dying to try it with the super 12T but I remember speaking with Alex about amp recommendations and I thought he said a full valve amp wouldn't work well with the cab - unless I'm completely mistaken as this was over a year ago. Any thoughts as to why this might be? Would there be any danger of harming either amp or cab? (Sorry to the OP for the derail)
[/quote]

It was the plan from the start when I ordered my S15, maybe its a sensitivity thing, with the low power. could well be fine anyway, stuff breaking tends to sound like breaking.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='burno70' timestamp='1370732274' post='2105052']
Got the Little Bastard today - brilliant, brilliant amp, genuinely blown away by it. Got band praccy tomorrow and dying to try it with the super 12T but I remember speaking with Alex about amp recommendations and I thought he said a full valve amp wouldn't work well with the cab - unless I'm completely mistaken as this was over a year ago. Any thoughts as to why this might be? Would there be any danger of harming either amp or cab? (Sorry to the OP for the derail)
[/quote]
I'm sure Alex will chime in and clear this up, but I wonder if it's about the impedance curve? Ported cabs have spikes in the impedance either side of the porting frequency, and if one of these falls in a region where the signal has a lot of energy, it can be hard on the amp as it is seeing too high an impedance at that frequency. In practice, lots of people drive valve amps hard into ported cabs without problems, but this is why sealed cabinets are often considered ideal for valve amps.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1367948190' post='2071472']
I've played through 3 Ashdowns in my life - admittedly they were at the bottom of the range, but I wasn't impressed at all with either the sound or the build quality. Like most manufacturers, Ashdown will have their fair share of duffers slipping through the net; just look at Ampeg's nose dive during the past few years.

Doesn't mean that every Ashdown amp bad, just 100% of the ones I've tried.
[/quote]

Same here. Ive owned a EB combo, a MAG combo and a ABM head and i can take them or leave them, but my preference would go to the MAG.

The EB was fine but a bit quiet for my band use, the MAG did loads of gigs before it started acting up (distorting even at low volume levels), this was replaced by the ABM head that never really sounded as loud, and had a faulty "mute" button that apparently doesn't mute, it attenuates by design according to Ashdown.

I found the ABM to be quiet (compared to the MAG, both 300watt versions) and woolly, yes, that right, bloody muffled. This was tested with either MAG, Markbass head and ABM going in to the same cab (not all at once of course). It might be that it was deeper rather than muffled, but the result was the same.
I still have my MAG, its at work, and i do use it for playing around on, but its more still with me as im too lazy to get rid of it.

[hollywoodrox]

I bought a perfect 10 mini stack off someone on here earlier in the year and it has never worked properly, it constantly drops out and fizzes intermittently, it took two or three trips to the local guitar shop to get them to hear it in action as the thing would usually behave untill I wanted to practise a song or jam with a friend. I was going to throw about another 80 to 100 to get it repaired but i dont think i will be able to trust it and I actually have grown to hate it now as the money it has cost me to buy, then trips back and forth to the shop in a taxi I could have bought something decent. I am considering selling it as is for £20 or giving it away as it makes me so depressed, fkin thing, I did mention it to the seller but strangely he never replied. funnily enough I do have a tourbus 10 which i bought brand new which works admirably not much use for playing with other people though. not a great idea to buy amps second hand unless you can travel or have a car to go and try them out, when I was checking out cheapish new amps to buy i was looking at a hartke a100 then read loads of posts about them not working and having to be sent back so its new amps too

[stingrayPete1977]

That's basically what happened to mine although I bought it new for about £1200, Ashdown had no interest in fixing it for me, no one else knew what it was and it only happened ever couple of months, once the trust has gone it's gone for good IMO

[BassTractor]

Without being able to diagnose, from your description I'm reminded of sounds I had once. In my case it was quite obviously surface mount components on a badly fixtured print board, and when temperatures changed things started happening.

Might just be an idea, so I thought it best to mention it.

best,
bert

[hollywoodrox]

Ahhh sounds like a nightmare thats a lot of money, you would expect it to be rock solid for that , ok on surface mount components, you would think they would do a (do they call it a soak or sink test.??) Where they leave them on for a few hours at factory to trap these kind of faults, suppose its easier and more cheaper to send them out and wait for folk to send them back, but like you say it destroys trust and builds a negative view of the product, I usually have seen ashdowns in for repair in a local shop, and when the guy phoned an amp tech guru colleague he said, one of your faves another ashdown haha

[Mr. Foxen]

I quite like it when Ashdowns come in for fixing, easy, and when I phone Ashdown they are helpful with the parts if they can still get them.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1372726648' post='2129280']
I quite like it when Ashdowns come in for fixing, easy, and when I phone Ashdown they are helpful with the parts if they can still get them.
[/quote]
In fairness to Ashdown it sounds like their after sales care is better now than it was when I had my problems about five years ago. I set mine up over a weekend, never faltered once, few gigs later I'm racing around mid song setting up my spare had that I bought knowing it would happen at some point!

Edited July 2, 2013 by stingrayPete1977

[martin8708]

Did a gig at the Rythmtree Festival last night and the supplied amp was a Ashdown 2x10 combo with what looked like the Mark King head ( red face with loads of EQ sliders ) , it was pretty beat up so was difficult to establish what it was , but the sound was pretty good , great rock sound with a Precision bass .

I've always wanted to try an Ashdown , sounded good to my ears so I'm quite happy to give them a go .
( thumbs up from me )

[grenadilla]

New MAG 600- I got a new EVO 3 MAG 600 recently for my ABM 610 and it puts out some loud, tight and well-dampened bass with fair highs. I have the bright switch on and the treble and upper mids at 3:00. This head looks a lot better than the rat-fur EVO 1. The compressor and overdrive will be used on a few songs but I would trade the harmonic generator for a chromatic tuner or a 2ohm capability. Nice upgrade Ashdown!