eddiehoffmann Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 (edited) Hi guys! I like these amps so much I ended up with two of them. Now who needs two of the same amp, tell me? I thought it would be a good idea to have a backup, but I was secretly thinking about a monstrous dual amp rig that, frankly, it's never gonna happen, or be needed for that matter. I bought this one new in January 2012. It's got the latest incarnation of the ABM power section which is very powerful and DEAD quite. If you're familiar with the ABM range you know some of the older ones have a bit of a hum going on. Nothing much really, but this one it's as quiet as can be. Even the fans are quieter than in my other amps. These amp has been serviced by my trusted amp tech, Theo Argiriadis, and given a clean bill of health. The valves I always used with these amps are the golden pin Tung Sol's 12AX7. MUCH better than the generic Chinese ones that come with the amp. It's a shame Ashdown didn't ship these amps with better valves. It's makes a big difference. So what you got here is the dual valve preamp found in the Ashdown 427 Small Block combined with the tried and tested ABM power amp. What I really like about the ABMs is that all the notes (even when played on the G string) have all the "weight" that you expect from a bass amp. All the notes are thick and full. This amp preserves that, but in comparison to an ABM I would say it's a got a bit more bite. A bit more presence in the mix. It's a very versatile amp too. The controls interact with each other a lot and there's a lot of tonal options available, specially when using the switches. I found the Spyder has a more vintage sound (in an Orange kinda vibe) with the switches up and a more "modern" sound with the switches down. Using any combination of them gives you a plethora os sounds to choose from. As a final note. I know Ashdown amps get a bad reputation for being "muddy", or "wooly", but I never experienced that. Probably due to the fact that I always used mine, both ABM and Spyder, with good cabs (Aguilar for a while, and Barefaced for most of the time). I got nothing but compliments to my sound when using this amp with my Barefaced S12. It's a killer rig! Of course Ashdowns are not SWR's, so if you're looking for cut-glass treble, you would probably be better of with something else. If you're looking for a BASS amp that sounds like a BASS amp and cuts to any dense mix like a knife, look no further. These are not great amps for the price. They are great amps. Period. [b]So the price is £300 including next day fully insured delivery to anywhere in the UK.[/b] [b]I still have the original box and can pack it nicely. [/b][b]You're also more than welcome to bring your bass and cab to try the amp.[/b][b] In case of collection in person I'll let the amp go for £275.[/b] [b]Trade wise[/b], I would love to give one of those discontinued [b]Ashdown[/b] [b]MiBass 550 [/b]a try. Probably a much more sensible alternative for a back up amp then having two of these If you have one and fancy a trade, hit me up! Here's Ashdown's official demo of the Spyder 550. I don't think a youtube video will ever do justice to any amp, but it's a decent reference I guess... It gives a good idea of the character of the amp. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3fFvTSqNsw"][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3fFvTSqNsw[/media] [/url] Here's a video of me playing this very amp in the studio. The sound you hear is a mix of the amp's di (pre eq) and the mic. Mostly the mic. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzW1NdBD22M[/media] And here are some pretty average phone pics. Just click on the Dropbox links, please. As usual, I can't upload pics to Basschat. If anyone has any tips on how to make it work, thanks in advance. [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ymcdhbfzr08y09m/1.JPG"]https://www.dropbox....fzr08y09m/1.JPG[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/3xyzz34qmq6ca3w/2.JPG"]https://www.dropbox....4qmq6ca3w/2.JPG[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/lg3n4kqwb6k9bh9/3.JPG"]https://www.dropbox....qwb6k9bh9/3.JPG[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/h6iuzwr5eyslmly/4.JPG"]https://www.dropbox....r5eyslmly/4.JPG[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/l8goanm5kdhxp22/5.JPG"]https://www.dropbox....m5kdhxp22/5.JPG[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ktxx40xwo5tmdaw/6.JPG"]https://www.dropbox....xwo5tmdaw/6.JPG[/url] Thanks for looking. Cheers, Eddie Edited July 24, 2013 by eddiehoffmann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 Bump for this great amp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimesBass Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 PM'd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Three people interested and no deal means it's time for another bump. Come and try the amp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Bump. Willing to split the cost of delivery with the buyer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnRDave Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Ahhh my good mate Joe in that video, always good to hear a Burnley accent on BC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Great playing too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnRDave Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Hes alright Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 Bump. Now with actual video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Ok guys. Price now includes next day fully insured delivery to the UK. In case of collection you can grab this monster of an amp for only £275. Bargain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nottswarwick Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 What connections are on the back please? Manual on the net is unclear on whether the DI is xlr? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 [quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1374619706' post='2151119'] What connections are on the back please? Manual on the net is unclear on whether the DI is xlr? [/quote] Hey mate. I know the online manual is a bit confusing. Some of the early models didn't have the xlr line out. Not the case with this one. From the pictures I posted (or tried to post) you can see it's got both xlr and jack balanced line out at the back. Pre or post preamp, as you wish. Let me know if you have any more questions. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nottswarwick Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Thanks. Yeah I didn't look at the pics, sorry! Looks good and I am tempted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Now sold, thanks to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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