Ashdown Rootmaster RM owners club

[uk_lefty]

28 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

Well after chatting with Ashdown and taking some great advice I’m hanging on to the cabs !

 

Superb service from Ashdown and very helpful 

Tell us the advice please 😄

[BassAdder60]

36 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

Tell us the advice please 😄

It was mostly to do with cab design, number of speakers and EQ and how we perceive it standing in front of the cab. 
so there is no need to consider 1x15 cabs and I need to sound check standing further away to really hear the bass and not judge it by what I hear standing in front of it !

ive been guilty of setting it up at home and finding a great tone but in the band it sounds like its lacking something. 
So I’m happy the cabs will do what I need but I need to look at my bass amp EQ settings that may sound wrong in isolation but perfect when playing in a band.

Hard getting this right especially as you cannot play very loud at home. 

[fretmeister]

19 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

It was mostly to do with cab design, number of speakers and EQ and how we perceive it standing in front of the cab. 
so there is no need to consider 1x15 cabs and I need to sound check standing further away to really hear the bass and not judge it by what I hear standing in front of it !

ive been guilty of setting it up at home and finding a great tone but in the band it sounds like its lacking something. 
So I’m happy the cabs will do what I need but I need to look at my bass amp EQ settings that may sound wrong in isolation but perfect when playing in a band.

Hard getting this right especially as you cannot play very loud at home. 

That Fletcher Munson curve is a right git sometimes.

 

Always have to EQ at gig volume for it to work properly.

 

When I'm using my Helix then I have 2 sets of patches - good for the house and good for a gig. They are really very different but they work in their intended places.

 

[Happypants]

45 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

Mine is whisper quiet on my RM800 EVO 2 

 

One of the quietest amps I’ve owned

+1. Very quiet. Much more so than the TE Elf and quieter than Markbass CMD121P combo I had. 

[Lozz196]

I found that getting a middy, slightly “scratchy” sound on stage equated to a really good fit in the mix sound out front. Not by being clever mind, was a complete fluke.

[uk_lefty]

19 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I found that getting a middy, slightly “scratchy” sound on stage equated to a really good fit in the mix sound out front. Not by being clever mind, was a complete fluke.

Doesn't matter how you got there 😊👍

[fretmeister]

23 minutes ago, Happypants said:

+1. Very quiet. Much more so than the TE Elf and quieter than Markbass CMD121P combo I had. 

I've told my wife it's your fault if I come home with a new amp over the next few days!

 

She's scary. Good luck to you!  

[Happypants]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

I've told my wife it's your fault if I come home with a new amp over the next few days!

 

She's scary. Good luck to you!  

I’m already in enough trouble with mine!

[BassAdder60]

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I found that getting a middy, slightly “scratchy” sound on stage equated to a really good fit in the mix sound out front. Not by being clever mind, was a complete fluke.

This seems to be the answer Lozz 

 

What we think sounds good on our own sounds very wrong in a band situation 

 

Its a bit like Smiley Face EQ at home sounds great but lost in a band 

 

Sad face EQ sounds very middy and not nice at home but fits well in a band 

 

So many of us have probably sold gear based on this and perhaps needn’t of done do 😳😂

[BassAdder60]

Ok Ashdown owners .. are you using your compressor on the amp on your RM series and what do you think of it ?

 

Where do you have it set and why ? 

[spyder]

12 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

Ok Ashdown owners .. are you using your compressor on the amp on your RM series and what do you think of it ?

 

Where do you have it set and why ? 

I have mine turned on and set to its minimum setting. I don't really like what it does beyond this point, not the best compressor by a large by shot...but good enough.

 

 

[Muppet]

I have mine set at the 9 o'clock position, just for a bit. As Spyder says, I also don't like what it does to the sound above this position. 

 

[Reggaebass]

Yeah A bit of compression works well for me, probably around a 1/4 turn, any more and it doesn’t sound very good 

[javi_bassist]

I use the compressor when I use the amp with no pedals. It sounds really good with just a bit of drive and just a bit of compression.

[BillyBass]

I always use my Cali76 which lets me tweak things to suit my preferences, so the RM800 compressor stays off.

[uk_lefty]

I used to always have it at 12 o'clock and just got used to it there. It used to make my sound a bit louder and more punchy. Now I'm favouring presets on my Helix I have turned it off, but i was going with no pedals I'd have it on, it just seems to work for me and how I play.

[javi_bassist]

2 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I used to always have it at 12 o'clock and just got used to it there. It used to make my sound a bit louder and more punchy. Now I'm favouring presets on my Helix I have turned it off, but i was going with no pedals I'd have it on, it just seems to work for me and how I play.

 

Just curious, because I use the HX Stomp with my RM too. Do you plug your Helix in the input or in the FX Return of the amp? Do you use amp sims?

[uk_lefty]

58 minutes ago, javi_bassist said:

 

Just curious, because I use the HX Stomp with my RM too. Do you plug your Helix in the input or in the FX Return of the amp? Do you use amp sims?

Input. I don't have the patience to hook up more cables! I use a mix of patches but I prefer not to use cab Sims when doing this because it can get mushy. Having said that some patches have an Ampeg B15 sound for example and this is great for making my Stingray sound a bit closer to a Motown P bass sound.

 

As with all of these things, what works for me might not work for some others. I play a Stingray, roundwound stainless steel strings mostly finger style.

[gjones]

On 15/10/2021 at 17:13, BassAdder27 said:

This seems to be the answer Lozz 

 

What we think sounds good on our own sounds very wrong in a band situation 

 

Its a bit like Smiley Face EQ at home sounds great but lost in a band 

 

Sad face EQ sounds very middy and not nice at home but fits well in a band 

 

So many of us have probably sold gear based on this and perhaps needn’t of done do 😳😂

I remember buying a really long lead, a few years ago, and while we were playing at a wedding, going on a wander out front. I was amazed how great my Ashdown MiBass 550 sounded, through my Barefaced Compact, 25ft away, than when I was standing right next my cab.

[BassAdder60]

Decided to buy a new ABM600 EVO IV ( my second one ) last night so my RM800 EVO II is up for sale on here. 
 

It’s like new as it was purchased early new this year and comes with the padded Rootmaster gig bag 

 

As we all know the RM800 is a great amp but I can’t justify having three amps so it must go to a new home. 
 

 

[Reggaebass]

30 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

Decided to buy a new ABM600 EVO IV

I’ve had quite a few Ashdown heads, out of interest what do you prefer about the ABM to the RM 🙂

[BassAdder60]

1 minute ago, Reggaebass said:

I’ve had quite a few Ashdown heads, out of interest what do you prefer about the ABM to the RM 🙂

They are very similar to be fair so it was a tough choice.

If money was no object I would keep both !

[Lozz196]

I found that on bigger stages the ABM600 just has a better presence/heft to the sound, but I am talking the type of stages where you can be more than 20ft away from your amp/speakers. And with the 9-band eq there’s more toneshaping too. 

[BassAdder60]

Decided to hang on to my RM800 to use as backup with the new ABM600 

 

So up for sale is my ORANGE Little Bass Thing 500w head instead 

 

 

[BassAdder60]

Very pleased 👍