NUAD (New Used Amp Day)

[Chris Sharman]

Purchased a used Ashdown MAG300 2 x 10 combo as part of my rehabilitation from bass player on extended divorce-enforced sabbatical to gigging bass player. I used to have a MAG300 115 a few years ago and figured a return to the Ashdown fold was overdue. At a price of £120 for one in really good nick I couldn't turn it down and now I have it home I have run it up and am beginning to dial in the right sound to work with my passive Fender Jazz and my active Westone Thunder 3 fretless. It is sounding good!

Couple of small things I have noticed though and perhaps m'learned colleagues here my be able to assist/reassure me on them;

Firstly, I always remember the Ashdown sub-harmonizer being more noticeable. It is not that it isn't there, more that it is subtler than I remember. This may however be down to the fact that I have been using a Behringer BLX1800A until this arrived and the 'Ultrabass' function on that is so noticeable due to it's 'processed' sound that I stopped using it whereas the Ashdown I find to be more 'organic' sounding and it may be that because of this it sticks out less. Unsurprisingly the Behringer has been immediately dispatched to the Bay from whence it came (one-in-one-out y'all).

Secondly, When I tried it at the guys house I didn't notice the fan on the rear being particularly loud but when I fired it up at home I thought Whoa! that background hiss is bad before realising it was coming from the fan on the rear not the speaker. Major difference from up at his place is that I had it up on a chair so the fan was closer to me and it was within a foot of the wall rather than in the middle of the room were it was when I tried it.

Still love the noise though!