Ashdown ABM owners club

[uk_lefty]

Love this rig!!!

[MM Stingray 62]

My home 1x10 practice amp.

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by MM Stingray 62

[BassAdder60]

Took my ABM600 to rehearsals last night with my SVT212AV cab just to give my CTM100 tubes a rest !!

 

Pbass pick player with Shape button out ( on ) and 340khz pulled back and wow a great tone yet clear in the mix too

Not quite the CTM but it’s an amazing rock sound for sure 

 

[alexa3020]

I've been using mine recently with shape off (in), eq flat apart from boosting the last 2 sliders to the right - great for if you want a bit of clarity, without clack.

That said, I have been switching between a 215 cab and a 410 cab and I have to set the eq different depending on what cab I use.

[BassAdder60]

3 hours ago, alexa3020 said:

I've been using mine recently with shape off (in), eq flat apart from boosting the last 2 sliders to the right - great for if you want a bit of clarity, without clack.

That said, I have been switching between a 215 cab and a 410 cab and I have to set the eq different depending on what cab I use.

Yep when I did use fingers definitely Shape “ In” was the better way 

[sirmuppet]

Here's a question for you guys. Have any of you replace the preamp valve in your ABM 600? If so then what did you replace it with and what was the resulting difference from the stock tube? Thanks.

[BassAdder60]

10 minutes ago, sirmuppet said:

Here's a question for you guys. Have any of you replace the preamp valve in your ABM 600? If so then what did you replace it with and what was the resulting difference from the stock tube? Thanks.

Replaced mine but popped a JJ back in as that tube is well matched 

I changed it because the stock tube was noisy ( I recall it was JJ that came out ) 

 

[la bam]

25 minutes ago, sirmuppet said:

Here's a question for you guys. Have any of you replace the preamp valve in your ABM 600? If so then what did you replace it with and what was the resulting difference from the stock tube? Thanks.

 

Itd be interesting, I always found the stock valve didnt do enough for me. Other people love them, but for me it just didnt do enough. The valve drive in the di pedal however really does change the sound.

[BassAdder60]

11 minutes ago, la bam said:

 

Itd be interesting, I always found the stock valve didnt do enough for me. Other people love them, but for me it just didnt do enough. The valve drive in the di pedal however really does change the sound.

The input level has an effect on the drive sound too !! 

[Lozz196]

29 minutes ago, la bam said:

 

Itd be interesting, I always found the stock valve didnt do enough for me. Other people love them, but for me it just didnt do enough. The valve drive in the di pedal however really does change the sound.

It’s funny but these valves are a bit Goldilocks & The 3 Bears for me. In the ABM600 it thickens up the sound nicely on my Precision, adding in some nice harmonics but no real drive. On the OriginAL pedal I had to have the drive fully off and the input gain really backed off in order to have anywhere near a regular bass sound that wasn’t Lemmy on Schwarzeneggers steroids.

Edited December 9, 2022 by Lozz196

[la bam]

35 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

It’s funny but these valves are a bit Goldilocks & The 3 Bears for me. In the ABM600 it thickens up the sound nicely on my Precision, adding in some nice harmonics but no real drive. On the OriginAL pedal I had to have the drive fully off and the input gain really backed off in order to have anywhere near a regular bass sound that wasn’t Lemmy on Schwarzeneggers steroids.

 

Haha, it's true! Absolutely no middle ground either for some reason.

[ern500evo]

Picked myself up a 2nd generation Sire V7 vintage this week. Looking forward to giving it a whirl through ABM600 and Barefaced Big Twin 2 tomorrow night! 

[Downunderwonder]

On 12/11/2022 at 12:13, Ander87 said:

I am loosely considering pairing my upcoming ABM with a Barefaced Six10... Knowing I had probs plenty with a Super Twin or similar... Overkill for a punk rock trio?  

Overkill bass isn't possible in a punk trio. You just become the arbiter of the allowable.amount of overkill if you manage to force the other two to ask you to turn down.

 

Being that a BF610 has a goodly amount of sensitivity along with a goodly amount of power handling you might well ascend.

[Ander87]

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

verkill bass isn't possible in a punk trio. You just become the arbiter of the allowable.amount of overkill if you manage to force the other two to ask you to turn down.

 

Being that a BF610 has a goodly amount of sensitivity along with a goodly amount of power handling you might well ascend.

Ah, my bandmates told me I was a lunatic for getting the BF Six10 but they love it, pushes the band in the right way - now they ask me to bring it even to practise 😁 

[Downunderwonder]

On 12/11/2022 at 22:49, ern500evo said:

The old days of humping 6x10 and 8x10 cabs around. My back hurts just thinking about it! 

Methinks you have not experienced premium 3/8" plywood artfully braced cabinets.

[BassAdder60]

I’ve considered going down the 610 cab route but …

Ive found using two stacked ABM210H cabs plenty with a great height too

Used at outside gig without PA support using my ABM600 and it handled it very well.

 

[Chaddy]

23 hours ago, Ander87 said:

Ah, my bandmates told me I was a lunatic for getting the BF Six10 but they love it, pushes the band in the right way - now they ask me to bring it even to practise 😁 

When people only drink Carling, and then they have a proper made, clean water purity beer brewed abroad that blows their mind & liver with the richness & clarity. 

Fk what others think! Bring the big fker everywhere!  

 

[Ander87]

Hahaha most definitely! The dispersion of this cab is great even at low volume - and it encourages everyone else to play a bit louder too!

[DGBass]

I managed to get in some studio rehearsal time today and took along the ABM Mini stack I posted a pic of recently. I was very impressed with the sound from the Mini 4x8 and the Mini 1x15, and as a full rig its very giggable. Both cabs and the head also fit easily into the boot of my small hatchback which is nice. Can't help think that Ashdown have missed a trick with updated Neo versions of these Mini cabs. The 4x8 is quite weighty but managable due to its compact size. The MIni 15 is light even with a standard Sica Blue line driver. The old EVO 500 just growls like old EVO 500's do when pushed and its not an unpleasant sound at all. I'd almost forgotten how good the smell of hot ABM smells after a giving one a good thrashing. I also have to agree with BC user @Sibob who suggested the cabs sounded better used as a pair in a rig. Used seperately I found them a bit thin sounding but probably usable for a small gig that didn't need lots of oomph. 

 

In the ABM not so mini department, I also dragged along a recent new purchase thats not been gigged yet, in fact barely even switched on. It's an ABM 600RC custom shop and possibly one of the last made by Ashdown. The option to buy one dissapeared from their custom shop web page the day after I ordered one 🤔 It was purchased with the proceeds of selling on all my old TE kit, a nice synergy I thought at the time.  It sounds like umm...an ABM. Seems cleaner and fatter than the old school ABMs i've been used too. Plenty oomph as well and this one has the silient fan thing happening until it warms up which could be very useful for studio work. The 8x10 was borrowed from the studio and was easily capable of making the studio wall and celing rattle. For gigging i'll be using a 1x15 cab as thats more my thing. Not worked out what to do with the two extra sliders yet but i'm working on it.

 

 

 

[Chaddy]

@dgbass - Your jazz is back to front? 😁

[Bassybert]

13 hours ago, DGBass said:

I managed to get in some studio rehearsal time today and took along the ABM Mini stack I posted a pic of recently. I was very impressed with the sound from the Mini 4x8 and the Mini 1x15, and as a full rig its very giggable. Both cabs and the head also fit easily into the boot of my small hatchback which is nice. Can't help think that Ashdown have missed a trick with updated Neo versions of these Mini cabs. The 4x8 is quite weighty but managable due to its compact size. The MIni 15 is light even with a standard Sica Blue line driver. The old EVO 500 just growls like old EVO 500's do when pushed and its not an unpleasant sound at all. I'd almost forgotten how good the smell of hot ABM smells after a giving one a good thrashing. I also have to agree with BC user @Sibob who suggested the cabs sounded better used as a pair in a rig. Used seperately I found them a bit thin sounding but probably usable for a small gig that didn't need lots of oomph. 

 

In the ABM not so mini department, I also dragged along a recent new purchase thats not been gigged yet, in fact barely even switched on. It's an ABM 600RC custom shop and possibly one of the last made by Ashdown. The option to buy one dissapeared from their custom shop web page the day after I ordered one 🤔 It was purchased with the proceeds of selling on all my old TE kit, a nice synergy I thought at the time.  It sounds like umm...an ABM. Seems cleaner and fatter than the old school ABMs i've been used too. Plenty oomph as well and this one has the silient fan thing happening until it warms up which could be very useful for studio work. The 8x10 was borrowed from the studio and was easily capable of making the studio wall and celing rattle. For gigging i'll be using a 1x15 cab as thats more my thing. Not worked out what to do with the two extra sliders yet but i'm working on it.

 

 

 

That bottom rig looks immense, I can literally feel my trousers flapping from here!

[lidl e]

I'm not an owner, but i played through this rig for a radio show recently. 

 

Sounded killer

 

[Sibob]

I know it's not an ABM, but has anyone got an ANT? Are they any good? Thinking it might be a gigbag solution (Mono Classic) for small acoustic type shows in London and small rehearsals etc?!

 

Si

[BruceBass3901]

16 hours ago, DGBass said:

 

Not worked out what to do with the two extra sliders yet but i'm working on it.

 

I usually refer to the two additional sliders as 'grunt' and 'sizzle' as they just let things get that little more dialled in than the previous version of the ABM EQ section.

[BassAdder60]

2 hours ago, BruceBass3901 said:

I usually refer to the two additional sliders as 'grunt' and 'sizzle' as they just let things get that little more dialled in than the previous version of the ABM EQ section.

I tend to pull back the 340hz slider especially if pick playing 

I find it’s a bit honky sounding with it 

Edited December 20, 2022 by BassAdder60