How old is the Ashdown MAG series? What about cab SPL?

[BassTractor]

Anyone know when Ashdown started to build the MAG stuff?
Anyone know how efficient the oldest 410 cabs were?
My own 410 from 2011 or so had 101 db/1W/1m, but I suppose Ashdown have been using different drivers through the years.

Thanks!
Bert

[FinnDave]

I bought a well used 410 in 2012, so it was a good few years earlier than that. Worked OK with an ABM 500, but I sold it and bought a Barefaced Super Twin which is MUCH louder with the same amp than the 410 was. Much easier to carry about, too!

[Beer of the Bass]

IIRC they've had the MAG range right from the beginning of the company. I bought a MAG combo new in 1999, and I'm pretty sure the date on the back of mine was from 1998, so your cab could easily be that old. My combo turned out to have a different driver from the one the specs said it had, so I'm not sure that their published information has always been reliable!

[Merton]

The very first MAGs (and ABMs for that matter) used Celestion drivers. They changed to "Blueline" Sica drivers around 2001 IIRC, though they have done some random cabs such as the Neo series and the first gen RM-MAG series with black-coned drivers again.

Hope that helps a little

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1470756555' post='3108215']
The very first MAGs (and ABMs for that matter) used Celestion drivers. They changed to "Blueline" Sica drivers around 2001 IIRC, though they have done some random cabs such as the Neo series and the first gen RM-MAG series with black-coned drivers again.

Hope that helps a little
[/quote]

Yes, I think mine said in the manual that it had a Celestion driver, but when I looked inside a few years later it was actually an Eminence (and this particular speaker was not a great choice of driver for a small sealed 1x12"). So I would urge caution when referring to the published specs on older Ashdown stuff!

Edited August 9, 2016 by Beer of the Bass

[BassTractor]

Wow! Great info! Thanks, guys.
I've asked Ashdown for the lowest SPL the MAGs have ever had, and hope to get an answer. My experience with Ashdown in such matters has been fantastic earlier, but I assumed the BC body would be a better source in this case.

The point here is that a class D amp is to be connected (a MiBass 550).
Reportedly, class D thrives with high-efficiency cabs.

[BassTractor]

Ashdown showed their usual speed, and early this morning I already had an answer from them stating the older MAGs had an SPL of 98.5 dB. I suppose they mean the Sica BlueLine ones, as I'd mentioned the cab in question has blue cones

Another feather in Ashdown's hat!

At any rate every MAG 410 I was able to check had an SPL between above number and 101 dB, and thusly all are efficient.