New Ashdown valve head

[Machines]

£1600 ? I doubt they will sell any considering the competition.

[Protium]

f***, a grand would be pushing it...

[wateroftyne]

£1600 for an amp made in China by a company with a reputation for building flaky amps?

Wow... that's optimism for ya.

Sorry to sound glum, but Ashdown lost the plot aaaaaages ago. IMO, of course.

[Hamster]

[quote name='hookys6stringbass' post='326959' date='Nov 11 2008, 05:41 PM']Just got word back from Ashdown. The amp's going to be available in Jan 2009 at a cost of £1600-£1700![/quote]

£1600!!? - No-way Hosé - sorry Ashdown.

[Waldo]

£1600?! What are they smoking?

Isn't it just a valve power section too?

[bassmansky]

if they were made in china they would cost half that!not as good qc though(imho!.)

[Protium]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='326995' date='Nov 11 2008, 06:40 PM']£1600 for an amp made in China by a company with a reputation for building flaky amps?[/quote]

It's built in the USA.


[quote name='Waldo' post='327004' date='Nov 11 2008, 06:48 PM']Isn't it just a valve power section too?[/quote]

It has a 12AX7 preamp.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Protium' post='327072' date='Nov 11 2008, 08:24 PM']It's built in the USA.[/quote]
Fairy nuff.

You'd think they'd take 'Made in the PRC' off the illustration on their site though, wouldn't you?

Ashdown. Crazy guys.

[Protium]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='327075' date='Nov 11 2008, 08:27 PM']Fairy nuff.

You'd think they'd take 'Made in the PRC' off the illustration on their site though, wouldn't you?

Ashdown. Crazy guys.[/quote]

Yeah I don't understand that. Bit like everywhere advertising their 300W heads as 307W

[Merton]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='327075' date='Nov 11 2008, 08:27 PM']Fairy nuff.

You'd think they'd take 'Made in the PRC' off the illustration on their site though, wouldn't you?

Ashdown. Crazy guys.[/quote]
As with most things on their website, the back panel image is WRONG!! Haha!

Hmm, £1600 is a lot of money. And Jan 2009 is probably about a year off, knowing their delivery times

[DirkThrust]

If £1600 is the MRRP I would imagine that it will be discounted when the shops have some stock.

Looking at their website I've just discovered that Ashdown have a plant in the USA and they have a whole range of US manufactured products Since when?

With Ampeg reportedly suffering problems since their move to Vietnam I wonder if Ashdown are trying to grab some of the market share that they have lost. Starting manufacturing in the USA would certainly appeal to a lot of the Americans who swore never to buy Ampeg again.

I just can't see another reason for introducing a line of backbreakingly heavy amps and cabs when everyone else is going smaller and lighter. I wonder how they are different from the ABM range.

[Clarky]

At £1600, thats nearly double the price of a Marshall VBA400 and 25% more than an Orange AD200, thats really pushing it unless it has some super-duper new technology involved

[Protium]

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='327305' date='Nov 12 2008, 09:12 AM']I just can't see another reason for introducing a line of backbreakingly heavy amps and cabs when everyone else is going smaller and lighter. I wonder how they are different from the ABM range.[/quote]

After the Superfly series and the current delay of the Little Giant amps, I can.

Which manufacturer is making small, lightweight, 400W, all-valve heads?

[lateralus462]

I really like the look of this. Seems like it's going to be far too expensive though.

One thing I don't quite get as well - They're obviously making a big deal about the fact these amps and cabs are made in the US - Then why the f**k is there a union jack on the front of all the cabs???

[lowhand_mike]

they've gone and used the badges off the Classic range which is made in the UK.

[lateralus462]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='327661' date='Nov 12 2008, 02:50 PM']they've gone and used the badges off the Classic range which is made in the UK.[/quote]

definitely seems to be sending mixed messages.

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='lateralus462' post='327705' date='Nov 12 2008, 03:56 PM']definitely seems to be sending mixed messages.[/quote]

yeah you would have thought they would want to make more of the fact that it is made in the US other than just the name. the badge really should say 'USA series' with the stars and stripes flag instead of the jack.
very strange

[lateralus462]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='327711' date='Nov 12 2008, 03:58 PM']yeah you would have thought they would want to make more of the fact that it is made in the US other than just the name. the badge really should say 'USA series' with the stars and stripes flag instead of the jack.
very strange[/quote]

Well yeah - but then again I don't really get why they've started making valve amps in the US anyway tbh. I always saw Ashdown as a company that had quite a strong British image.

[thebeat]

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='327305' date='Nov 12 2008, 09:12 AM']With Ampeg reportedly suffering problems since their move to Vietnam I wonder if Ashdown are trying to grab some of the market share that they have lost. Starting manufacturing in the USA would certainly appeal to a lot of the Americans who swore never to buy Ampeg again.[/quote]


Still smarting about 1975 and their ignominious exit from Saigon no doubt....or am i reading too much into here?

Anyway, who wants a manky old amp full of glass tubes in this day and age? Old bearded hippies and people who still buy turntables, that's who

[bassmansky]

[quote name='lateralus462' post='327721' date='Nov 12 2008, 04:06 PM']Well yeah - but then again I don't really get why they've started making valve amps in the US anyway tbh. I always saw Ashdown as a company that had quite a strong British image.[/quote]
+1 on that!as i posted before why could'nt they have made them in uk?bet the guys are not very happy about losing more work overseas!

[phatbass787]

[quote name='bassmansky' post='327819' date='Nov 12 2008, 06:16 PM']+1 on that!as i posted before why could'nt they have made them in uk?bet the guys are not very happy about losing more work overseas![/quote]

I emailed Ashdown about this and apparently they will be making the valve head in the UK aswell for Europe! , the US made stuff is just for those crazy 'I only buy things made by Americans' yankees to help Ashdown in the states. I also mentioned the panel pics look wrong and they admitted the right ones werent up yet and the ABM panels are up in the meantime.

Edited November 12, 2008 by phatbass787

[DirkThrust]

THere's an interesting thread about it here [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=485143"]Here[/url]

Edit. Having read it, it's actually not that interesting. Just the usual TB jibber

Edited November 13, 2008 by AndyMartin

[lateralus462]

[quote name='phatbass787' post='328047' date='Nov 12 2008, 11:58 PM']I emailed Ashdown about this and apparently they will be making the valve head in the UK aswell for Europe! , the US made stuff is just for those crazy 'I only buy things made by Americans' yankees to help Ashdown in the states. I also mentioned the panel pics look wrong and they admitted the right ones werent up yet and the ABM panels are up in the meantime.[/quote]

So in fact the "US" series of amps will actually be made in the UK for the European market - that's still kinda confusing tbh.

[johnnylager]

[quote name='thebeat' post='327782' date='Nov 12 2008, 06:34 PM']Still smarting about 1975 and their ignominious exit from Saigon no doubt....or am i reading too much into here?

Anyway, who wants a manky old amp full of glass tubes in this day and age? Old bearded hippies and people who still buy turntables, that's who[/quote]

[bassmansky]

[quote name='phatbass787' post='328047' date='Nov 12 2008, 11:58 PM']I emailed Ashdown about this and apparently they will be making the valve head in the UK aswell for Europe! , the US made stuff is just for those crazy 'I only buy things made by Americans' yankees to help Ashdown in the states. I also mentioned the panel pics look wrong and they admitted the right ones werent up yet and the ABM panels are up in the meantime.[/quote]
wonder if they are gonna stop making the klystron range?hope not as i would buy those instead of the valve head and the usa cabs !