Ashdown 12 Band Graphic EQ DI Pedal

[oakforest5961]

This looks appealing (to me) but it seems to be quite a rarity to find one in stock online. On amazon.co.uk every one of Ashdown's own pedals is there [i]except[/i] this one. And search as I might, I could not find any discussion of it here on Basschat. What's up with it? Supply problems, or is everybody steering clear of it for some reason. Can anybody shed some light on it (or actually have one that they would like to give their opinion on)? Thanks.

[RandomBass]

Anyone? I'm also quite interested in hearing about this one.
Cheers
Geoff

[bartelby]

First 2 places I checked online have them.
http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/pedals_s_detail.asp?stock=13052814123232
http://www.dawsons.co.uk/ashdown-12-band-graphic-eq-pedal

[RandomBass]

Anyone got experience of this one?

[oakforest5961]

A few days after my original post I noticed that, (a) quite a few people had looked at it, but not replied, which I took to mean that there is interest but a lack of owners, and (b) I spotted that Guitar Guitar, an authorised Ashdown dealer, had just got some in. I thought, sod it, there's only one real way to find out about this pedal... It arrived a few days ago on time and well packaged. Cost £125 + £5 p&p.

Since I've only had it a few days, this review is facts (Ashdown don't publish the user manual on their web site) plus some first-impression experience/opinion.

It is "Designed in the UK, Made in China". It is sturdily built and quite large and heavy. It comes with a 9V battery and the battery compartment does not need any tools to get into. It can also be run by a power supply (which is not supplied). It is switched on by plugging into the Input jack, if you are on battery, or by turning on the external power supply; you can tell it is on because the VU meter is illuminated. Plugging in an external power supply disconnects the internal battery.

The equalisation is two-fold: the obvious 12 bands, switched on/off by the right foot switch, and being on is indicated by an led at that side; and then there is a fixed shape that is switched on/off by the left foot switch and being on is indicated by an led at that side. These two equalisations can be used separately or together. The fixed shape is described as, "+8db @ 50Hz & 4kHz, -8db @ 400Hz, filter slope 6db per octave."

There are four knobs.

1. the Input signal knob. This is there to allow for different sorts of basses being plugged in; you adjust the knob until the needle on the 'trade mark' Ashdown meter is at least 0 whilst you play. This is a little more refined than simply active/passive - you can match more precisely the bass in use to the device. (At least, I reckon that that this is the theory behind it. However, see my experience below.)

2. the Shape knob. This adjusts the amount of the pre-shaped signal passing to the output (when the pre-shaped EQ is on, of course).

3. the Graphic Level knob. This adjusts the amount of the graphic EQ'd signal passing to the output (when the graphic EQ is on, of course).

4. the D.I. Level knob. This adjusts the level of the signal that is sent to the D.I. XLR on the rear of the device. The signal is post EQ. "The output signal from this XLR socket is set to a level and impedance suitable for connecting directly into the Microphone input of a mixing desk for either Direct Injection into the PA system or for recording. This must ONLY be used into a Balanced Microphone input, it is not intended for any other type of connection."

There is no ground lift switch for the D.I. output.


My experience now.

A bad start. The battery that came with it, and the battery was cellophane wrapped, was not strong enough to power the device properly - the lights came on, but the EQ'ing didn't happen - leaving me thinking that it was broken! I put in a new Duracell; that sorted it.

I also tried a 9V power supply that I had kicking around. The VU meter lit up wonderfully. But a loud low frequency hum out of my amp was also the result; it was unusable. The manual says that one should use a "9v stabilised power adapter". The word "stabilised" is important here. There was one result for "stabilised power supply" on amazon.co.uk, but plenty for "regulated power supply". I'm not an electronics engineer so I asked Ashdown about this and the implication of the response was that "stabilised" and "regulated" mean the same thing. I played safe and bought the power supply actually stated as stabilised from Amazon (£10) - this indeed sorted out the hum.

Both my basses (one passive and one with a Redeemer) could not get the VU needle anywhere near 0 with the volume fully open and the input signal knob full up! This was, and remains, disconcerting. I don't see the point of this meter if I cannot adjust the input signal as instructed. I asked Ashdown about this and the response was that, "The signal level from your bass must be expecially low [...] It means you will not be driving your amp fully." Hmmm... I hadn't noticed that, but as a home bassist I guess that I wouldn't notice. Does my 2010 MIA Fender Precision really have an especially low signal output?

I don't hear a great deal of difference when using the top two sliders. I also found the 30Hz slider to be pretty ineffectual. Maybe a 5-stringer would notice a difference. (The manual does say that the 30Hz slider is there for you to cut such frequencies "to a level that allows the speaker system to work at its maximum efficiency".)

The sliders are quite close together and the part that you touch to alter them is fairly small. They don't have much travel (2.5cm) so one has to be somewhat disciplined in their setting. Once I had found a good setting I was loath to alter any of them because I didn't think I could get things back to how they were! I took photos as a way to record settings I liked. Here's one that I hope displays clearly enough:
[attachment=136782:Ashdown 12 band graphic EQ-DI pedal.jpg]

I really like the pre-shaped setting. Yes, the one that doesn't use the 12 band graphic equaliser!

After some faffing around with it, I ended up finding a setting that made the combination of my bass, my amp, and my room, sound awesome. The setting used both equalisations together (with no added EQ'ing on my amp). Suddenly it all seemed worth it. I tried to reproduce the sound plugging straight into my amp and using its 5 band graphic equaliser, but could not achieve the same fullness of sound.

I have not used the D.I. output so cannot comment on it.

I don't play live so cannot comment on its use in that situation.

Playing around with this has made me see the benefit of having a few pre-shaped equalisations, or being able to store a few of your own for later instant retrieval, because you could fiddle for days with the permutations and combinations here - 12 bands, a pre-shape, your bass's tone controls and your amp's tone controls. (I always started with my amp's tones at neutral, and tried to alter them the least, ideally not at all.) With 12 bands you can't easily switch from one shape to another. If you are going to alter the settings a lot then you will want a table by your side with this on it so that you are not forever bending down to tweak the sliders!

I wanted more control over the sound of my bass than the usual 3 band equalisation on amps. After having fiddled with this pedal for ages I began to question if there is a God of EQ'ing or if simple is best and to just get on and play bass. Those who sing the praises of flat EQ would probably agree. But they won't have even started to read this thread! However, my experience is that equalisation is an essential ingredient of getting the sound you want; just get good at it so that you aren't forever messing around with it.

If it broke or got stolen would I buy another to replace it? Well, this is not the first piece of Ashdown kit that I have had niggles with, so I think that I might look at alternative options first. In the meantime I will enjoy the full rich sound that I've got.

I hope this helps and that you feel that you got my 140 pounds worth!

[Thunderbird]

[size=4]Very good review big thumbs up [/size]

[RandomBass]

Nice one, thanks for the write-up.

[gjones]

I own a Boss GEB-7 which is very handy to fine tune my amps EQ. It's simple and effective. I'm sure the Ashdown graphic sounds good but it does seem like you need to faff about with it a lot to get the best out of it.

[barbasque]

Hi!

thank you for the review! I'm newly interested in thi stuff, but I can't find many informations about it on the internet, even several monthes (years?) after it's launch!

Even ashdown doesn't give basic specifications!

so, oakforest (by the way, great review!) - or anyone else - can you give me:
- the size of this pedal (I foud 6.1 * 5.6, but that's dimanesions of a ashdown classic pedal, like "drive plus", and this eq seems much wider)
- its weight
- any review (video, magazine test,....)
- any soundclip....

thanks by advance...! by the way, I'm french, so sorry for my "English mistakes"....

[oakforest5961]

Bonjour Barbasque!

Weight (without battery): 1.160 kg
Dimensions: 20.3 / 14.5 / 6.8 cm

I don't know of any other reviews, nor of any sound clips.

One has to wonder at Ashdown's lack of publishing the specifications of this pedal.

[Trevor Buchanan]

I’ve had and used this Ashdown Bass Graphic pedal for many years, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them, They are a great pedal with so much flexibility in fine tuning in your preferred sound, no matter what amp or guitar you are using.

[Sparky Mark]

As a fan of Trace Elliot GP12 amplifiers (Series 6 and SMX in particular) I was very interested to try the Ashdown Bass Graphic EQ/DI as it's variable pre-shape control and EQ points are practically identical.

Having bought one on here and had an initial try out I'm really pleased. This unit is a TE Series 6 GP12 preamp and the variable pre shape gives my GK MB110 combo (set nominally flat) the classic TE sound.

The magic in this unit is the pre shape and how you can vary the amount it affects your signal (the original TE pre shapes were either fully on or off).

This unit isn't just a bass graphic EQ pedal, it's a fully featured preamp with the classic TE sound (and pedigree).

The only minor negatives for me are the VU meter, which does look nice but isn't really necessary, and the graphic section adding a bit of hiss to the signal.

I haven't tried it at volume yet but I can see myself using only the pre shape control to give my Markbass rig some lovely TE flavour. 

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Sparky Mark

[tony_m]

Similar here @Sparky Mark - the EQ section is nice to have in case I feel the need for a bit of extra tweakage, but generally I just run the pre-shape on its own. 

 

I've also just started using the DI on the pedal to go into the PA - I previously used the DI on either my MAG300 combo or TE AH200 head, but as an experiment am giving my old Five Fifteen mini rig (which doesn't have a Line Out, never mind a DI) a go for onstage monitoring.