stewblack Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 (edited) My carefully thought out rationalisation plan rolls forward. In no way am I selling a bunch of stuff I bought last year just to buy a whole pile of new shiny stuff this year. 😬 I have become the proud owner of an Ashdown RM500. And its blooming lovely. Bought from @Chris1127 of this parish, the idea is to pair it with the Ashdown 12" cab I bought last month. Giving me a modular system suitable for rehearsals, smaller gigs and with the flexibility to handle bigger stuff too. Essentially a 2x12 with a 500w head. First impressions. Does it replace my ABM? Kind of. It's similar but different The drive control is way dirtier than it's counterpart on the ABM, the tone controls slightly less flexible. But it has a shape button which Trace Elliot lovers will warm to and some others won't like at all, needless to say I love it. A variable compressor which feels pretty aggressive, a good thing to my ears, reminds me of the TC Electronic spectracomp toneprint I put on my BG250. Main volume is a nice tactile dial; let's you feel each increment as you turn it. It's a comfortable one hand lift, rather than an easy one, the handle on the top is well sited for balance. Oh and it's loud. Really loud. I've not had the needle close to the red and kept the master at the first click! What else? The cab and combo are not a perfect match as the feet are on the side which puts the horn at the bottom on one, top on the other. A bit of an ocd challenge, but the speakers not quite lining up may be for some physics or other so I'll live with it. Edited May 18, 2020 by stewblack 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbanbass Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 15 minutes ago, stewblack said: My carefully thought out rationalisation plan rolls forward. In no way am I selling a bunch of stuff I bought last year just to buy a whole pile of new shiny stuff this year. 😬 I have become the proud owner of an Ashdown RM500. And its blooming lovely. Bought from @Chris1127 of this parish, the idea is to pair it with the Ashdown 12" cab I bought last month. Giving me a modular system suitable for rehearsals, smaller gigs and with the flexibility to handle bigger stuff too. Essentially a 2x12 with a 500w head. First impressions. Does it replace my ABM? Kind of. It's similar but different The drive control is way dirtier than it's counterpart on the ABM, the tone controls slightly less flexible. But it has a shape button which Trace Elliot lovers will warm to and some others won't like at all, needless to say I love it. A variable compressor which feels pretty aggressive, a good thing to my ears, reminds me of the TC Electronic spectracomp toneprint I put on my BG250. Main volume is a nice tactile dial; let's you feel each increment as you turn it. It's a comfortable one hand lift, rather than an easy one, the handle on the top is well sited for balance. Oh and it's loud. Really loud. I've not had the needle close to the red and kept the master at the first click! What else? The cab and combo are not a perfect match as the feet are on the side which puts the horn at the bottom on one, top on the other. A bit of an ocd challenge, but the speakers not quite lining up may be for some physics or other so I'll live with it. Nice looking rig Stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 Just now, danbanbass said: Nice looking rig Stew Thanks mate. Its not the huge bass wardrobe I always loved to stand in front of, but those days are over. I'm planning for my 60s and 70s, needed to down size! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbanbass Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 1 minute ago, stewblack said: Thanks mate. Its not the huge bass wardrobe I always loved to stand in front of, but those days are over. I'm planning for my 60s and 70s, needed to down size! No worries I know exactly what you mean, I'd love to be able to cart an 8x10 about but when we recorded at the studio, we loaned an Ampeg 8x10 and just to lift it through the doorway resulted in my hand breaking out in blood blisters earlier this year plus is was mega heavy. I can quite happily lift and manouver the Ashdown Rm610 on my own quite comfortably but I'm sure given another 10 years I'll be looking for something lighter again. I'm only in my mid 30s but years of poor manual handling and giving it the 'big' I am, lifting things that were way too heavy have taken their toll on my lower back and shoulders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1127 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Awesome looking rig Stew, glad you are happy with the amp too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Great rig - these RM amps really are rather lovely IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 24 minutes ago, stewblack said: Thanks mate. Its not the huge bass wardrobe I always loved to stand in front of, but those days are over. I'm planning for my 60s and 70s, needed to down size! Congrats, that’s why I went the Ashdown RM as well, Stew. As you say it’s near enough in sound to the ABM, but in a set up that can be carried about by those not in their prime shall we say. My RM500 plus two of the 210s (with upgraded Eminence speakers) is going to stay with me now, don’t need anything else for what I’ll be doing moving forwards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 (edited) Decent amps! There are more functionally rich amps out there but these do everything you could ever call essential and some more! Great for a gigging player. Hope the 2x12s sound good. I like mine with 2x15s myself, but I think that's just me being fussy! I got the Ashdown 2x button footswitch for mine so on cramped stages where I can't take my effects pedal I have access to the drive and sub (yes, I am the one person who actually uses it!). Edited May 19, 2020 by uk_lefty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Imo the RM range is a real unsung hero, those of us that have them realise just how good they are but they really slip by the wayside to a lot of people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 1 hour ago, uk_lefty said: Decent amps! There are more functionally rich amps out there but these do everything you could ever call essential and some more! Great for a gigging player. Hope the 2x12s sound good. I like mine with 2x15s myself, but I think that's just me being fussy! I got the Ashdown 2x button footswitch for mine so on cramped stages where I can't take my effects pedal I have access to the drive and sub (yes, I am the one person who actually uses it!). That's a tasty set up. I might have to run the rm through a BF 15 or two, see how it goes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 10 minutes ago, stewblack said: That's a tasty set up. I might have to run the rm through a BF 15 or two, see how it goes. Do it - it will be bloody lovely. I used to run my RM800 through one or two BF Super Compacts (the 1x12 cabs) and it was thunderous. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Rationale / Rationalisation seems to be an elastic concept Mr Black. !!! Then again I suspect that I'm starting to get silly myself 😂🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 9 minutes ago, JottoSW1 said: Rationale / Rationalisation seems to be an elastic concept Mr Black. !!! Then again I suspect that I'm starting to get silly myself 😂🤣 Yeah, I hear you, I wonder if justification might be a better word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JottoSW1 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I've seen a chap in Stafford using a Trace 350 with a BF Big Twin, Will check my 2 week old lottery ticket. Would be useful as I live up 64 steps. Rationale Rationalisation time. !!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 Unfortunately I'm hearing something untoward from the extension cab. Could be something vibrating somewhere, but sounds horribly like the speaker not handling bottom end very well. Not going to despair yet. I've played it with the Elf and I don't recall any issues. Might just be something in the room. I'll move it when I get a chance and try it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 If it’s just on the lows it could be the tweeter. I had this on the RM112 that I had, took it to Ashdown and they sorted it. Can’t remember what the exact fault was but def worth giving them a call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Lozz196 said: If it’s just on the lows it could be the tweeter. I had this on the RM112 that I had, took it to Ashdown and they sorted it. Can’t remember what the exact fault was but def worth giving them a call. Awesome thanks mate. Don't know what yours was like but this is a kind of pressure cooker shhhh in time with the bottom notes. Edited May 19, 2020 by stewblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 30 minutes ago, stewblack said: Awesome thanks mate. Don't know what yours was like but this is a kind of pressure cooker shhhh in time with the bottom notes. That`s about it. Rather embarrassingly I hadn`t noticed it as my sound is trebly/twangy/driven, it was only when I went to sell it - and delivered it personally - that the prospective buyer tried it out and noticed it. His sound had some good lows so it made the same sound you describe. Ashdown put a new tweeter in it for me and all was then good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 30 minutes ago, Lozz196 said: That`s about it. Rather embarrassingly I hadn`t noticed it as my sound is trebly/twangy/driven, it was only when I went to sell it - and delivered it personally - that the prospective buyer tried it out and noticed it. His sound had some good lows so it made the same sound you describe. Ashdown put a new tweeter in it for me and all was then good. I think I can turn the horn off, I'll take a look. Thanks Lozz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 Come here @Lozz196 I want give you big kiss 😘 Problemo solvo as Del Boy might say. There's a horn in the other cab which is fine so until I decide to get it sorted (which I probably won't unless I sell it) it is fine, and I am a happy camper. Not being the world's biggest fan of a tweeter in the first place I won't miss it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Nice one, glad it all worked out Stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Ever so slightly off topic... What's the difference between the RM range and the ORIGIN-AL? Phone autocorrect just won't let me write it properly but you know what I mean!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 RM has drive and compression, Origin-Al is just the clean 5 band EQ without those features. Basically 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilebodgers Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 On 19/05/2020 at 15:55, Lozz196 said: If it’s just on the lows it could be the tweeter. I had this on the RM112 that I had, took it to Ashdown and they sorted it. Can’t remember what the exact fault was but def worth giving them a call. The tweeter is/was the weak point on these cabs. I bought a 210 and the tweeter was dead on arrival. The shop ended up sending the cab back to Ashdown and rather than replace the stock part Ashdown fitted an Eminence APT instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 I have the RM500 evo II. Fab amp, great drive sound too. Love it and it only weighs 2.5Kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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